Current News

Dr. Helen Caldicott, internationally renown for her work to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction, will be in Vermont March 29-31. This visit is timely and relevant as our state decides the future of Vermont Yankee.
Media is invited to a press conference with Dr. Caldicott TODAY, March 29th, 3:30-4:00 pm at Main Street Landing UNION STATION in Burlington (in the lobby area).
Additionally, Dr. Caldicott will speak at three (free) public events:
¢ Monday, March 29th, 6:00 pm, McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael s College, off Rte. 15, Colchester (Contact: Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice, 802-654-2205).
¢ Tuesday, March 30th, 7:00 pm, Big Picture Theater, 48 Carroll Rd., Waitsfield (Contact: Green Mountain Global Forum, gmgf.org or 802-496-4566).

Lyndon State College is announcing a new degree. The Bachelor of Science in Performing Arts Management will first be offered in the fall of 2010. Students majoring in Arts Management can select among three concentrations: artist management, venue management and theater operations management.
The Performing Arts Management degree will prepare students to serve in administrative, managerial and leadership positions in an area related to music and performing arts. Core courses include Financial Accounting, Introduction to Business, Introduction to Business Software, Principles of Management, Principles of Marketing, Business Ethics, Fiscal Management, Event Management and Promotion, Strategic Media Communication and Introduction to Media Communication. All students will also complete Lyndon's General Education requirements, which are specifically designed and intended to provide a basis of liberal arts for all Lyndon students.

Saint Michael's College, a liberal arts college with an excellent track record of training science graduates, and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS), which provides a professional doctoral program in the field of pharmacy, have signed an agreement establishing a Dual Degree Program. With both Saint Michael’s and ACPHS’ newly opened campus being in Colchester, Vermont, the ease of cooperation is enhanced.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will earn a bachelor’s degree in biology (or related field) from Saint Michael’s, and a doctor of pharmacy degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Students will normally complete the program in seven years, spending three years at Saint Michael’s and the remaining four years at ACPHS-Vermont.

Representative Peter Welch wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack late last week urging the US Department of Agriculture to increase support prices for cheese and non-fat dried milk products.
Welch, founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus, rallied 26 other members of Congress to sign the letter, which comes as dairy prices are starting to dip again after a short period of recovery. When the USDA increased the rate it paid for dairy products last year, market prices rose with little cost to the taxpayer.
“These continue to be devastating times for Vermont’s dairy farmers. Those who weathered last year’s price crisis simply cannot survive another drop in prices,” Welch said. “The USDA provided critical support last year to Vermont farmers. I hope Sec. Vilsack will act swiftly to address this latest development.”

The Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund Board announced today that the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) will award $5.8 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects throughout the state.
“The Clean Energy Development Fund is pleased to provide $5.8 million for 147 grants to schools, towns, and cities for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state.” said CEDF Board co-chair Sam Swanson. These grants allocate funds received by Vermont under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program and State Energy Program (SEP) from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). “We are excited to put these funds to work helping to stimulate the economy, create jobs and reduce energy costs in Vermont communities,” said Mr. Swanson.

More than $59.6 million in economic development activity throughout Vermont will be generated with the help of $29.7 million in financing approved by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA). Approved financing will support projects in renewable energy, manufacturing, small business, agriculture, technology, brownfields redevelopment, and private drinking water system upgrades.
“With the help of federal stimulus funds, VEDA is able to offer bond financing assistance to several large-scale initiatives seeking to retain and create Vermont jobs,” said Jo Bradley, VEDA’s Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, several small companies will be able to invest in energy conservation, real estate development, and technology projects to help grow their businesses.”

Following last week's announcement that Vermont Yankee has identified and stopped the source of tritium leakage at the nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont Yankee technicians have begun removing tritiated groundwater from beneath the plant site. On Thursday, technicians began pumping groundwater into above-ground containers for processing and reuse in the plant. Also, planning is under way to remove about 150 cubic feet of soil that contains small amounts of other contaminants such as manganese and cobalt. The soil will be disposed of at a federally licensed disposal facility.
With the conclusion of the investigation to identify and stop the source of tritium in the site’s groundwater and the start of longer-term remediation, Entergy has instituted a six-point, fleet-wide initiative to become an industry leader in tritium leak prevention, detection and mitigation.

Perrigo Company (Nasdaq: PRGO;TASE) has announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire PBM Holdings, Inc. (PBM), the leading store-brand infant formula manufacturer, for approximately $808 million in cash. PBM has a manufacturing plant in Georgia, Vermont, where it employees about 300. Employment is not expected to be effected.
Based in Gordonsville, Virginia, privately-held PBM manufactures and distributes over-the-counter (OTC) store brand infant formula and baby foods sold by leading retailers in the mass, club, grocery and drug channels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. The acquisition is expected to close in the Company’s fiscal 2010 fourth quarter pending regulatory approval.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2010 was 6.6 percent, down one tenth of a point from the revised January rate and down one tenth of a point from a year ago.
“Vermont saw modest job growth across a number of sectors in our labor market in February,” said Patricia Moulton Powden, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. “While this is promising news, we would need to see this pattern continue to determine that employment recovery has begun in the state.”
Seasonal Job Growth

On March 23rd, the Vermont House of Representatives approved a broadly supported bill that would provide free and convenient recycling of electronic waste to residents, charities, schools, and small businesses in the state. S.77, which received tri-partisan support in the House and Senate, now makes its way to the Governor's desk for the final step in the legislative process."This is an incredible victory for consumers," said Charity Carbine, environmental health advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). "Instead of storing old computers in their basements or waiting for once a year collection events, Vermonters will now be able to easily and responsibly recycle their e-waste for free."Unlike traditional recycling programs, S.77 requires electronics manufacturers to share in the cost and responsibility of collecting and recycling their products.

Governor Jim Douglas highlighted three clean air initiatives at his weekly press conference. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is undertaking an Outdoor Wood-Fire Boiler (OWB) change out program, a Diesel School Bus Replacement Project and a demonstration project to upgrade diesel engines at sawmills.
“I am proud of the actions we have taken in recent years to improve air quality and protect our environment,” said Governor Douglas. “Although we have among the cleanest air in the nation, we can always do more to reduce emissions. These three initiatives do just that and build on Vermonters long-standing commitment.”

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) is recognizing 13 regional organizations as ‘Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency’ for their outstanding efforts to advance energy efficiency at the Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit in Boston, MA on March 31. Together, these organizations, including Brattleboro's FiberMark, have achieved a cumulative annual cost savings of over $4.5 million by investing in energy efficiency measures throughout their organization.
The Northeast Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency recognition program highlights the accomplishments of organizations that are participating in energy efficiency programs across the region. This year's honorees, made up of manufacturers, universities, a public authority and one restaurant, were selected for recognition based on their commitment to: