Current News

Sen. Bernie Sanders called today for a new Financial Product Safety Commission to protect consumers from abusive lenders and also announced a $130,000 federal grant to improve financial literacy for young people in Vermont.
Sanders (I-Vt.) was joined at the press conference by Joseph G. Bergeron, president of the Association of Vermont Credit Unions, which will work with local business leaders, educators and volunteers, to teach middle and high school students the importance of financial literacy.
“If there is anything that the current financial crisis has taught us it is that we have a responsibility to provide young Vermonters with the tools and the education they need to make sound financial decisions later in life,” Sanders said. “It is critical that we teach kids how to balance a checkbook, save money, qualify for a mortgage, and understand that if they take out a loan there is no such thing as free and easy money.”

Motor vehicle drivers in the 13 states that have adopted California's Clean Car Standards approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would save hundreds of dollars annually at the gas pump while reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gases, according to a report issued today by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The states -- Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland,Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington-- represent approximately one quarter of the U.S. vehicle fleet and vehicle miles traveled.
"Cleaner cars are a trifecta that will save families money at the gas pump, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and cut global warming pollution from tailpipes," said James Fine, economist and policy scientist at Environmental Defense Fund.

Governor Jim Douglas was recently named one of the nation s top ten Greenest Governors by Greenopia, an online directory of eco-friendly retailers, services, and organizations. The Governor was recognized on the site for undertaking several programs to make Vermont greener. These include the Clean and Clear Water Action Plan, Biofuel initiatives, and programs aimed at making the state government greener. Vermont also has tax incentives in place to help consumers and businesses go green. Greenopia goes on to report that, Vermont has always been on the forefront of environmental legislation and its Governor, Jim Douglas is no exception.
It s an honor receive this recognition, said Governor Douglas. As the greenest state in the country, Vermont is leading the nation when it comes to setting environmental standards. I believe it is important that we do all we can to keep the Green Mountains green.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch Tuesday announced that three Vermont nonprofit organizations together will receive $6 million – a hefty share of the national funding total – to spur community development and ease consumer credit as further steps on the path to economic recovery.
The funds, released through the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Program, were included in this year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act under provisions promoted by Leahy. The Vermont Community Loan Fund of Montpelier, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont of West Rutland and Opportunities Credit Union of Burlington each are receiving $2 million federal grants to fund a small business loan program, expand mortgage products to first-time homebuyers and offer consumers additional credit resources.

New England Medical Systems of Essex Junction with the support of Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs of Williston, VT has recently been awarded a Federal Supply Schedule Contract through the Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center to sell medical equipment to Federal, state and local government agencies.
The awarded contract is a multi-year contract for 5 years, with the option to extend for an additional 5 years. This contract will provide New England Medical Systems a strong competitive advantage to sell mobility systems and medical equipment to Federal, state and local agencies. This contract will provide New England Medical Systems with access to facilities that in the past have been hard for small businesses reach.

The Community College of Vermont has been chosen to join Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a national initiative to help community college students. As a new member of Achieving the Dream, CCV has made a two-year commitment to closing performance gaps among students in targeted populations.
Achieving the Dream is a long-term national initiative dedicated to improving student success rates. CCV is one of 20 community colleges in seven states to join the initiative. With the addition of CCV and other colleges, Achieving the Dream now includes 102 institutions 98 colleges and four universities across 22 states.
We are thrilled that CCV has been selected to participate in such a critical ground-level effort to help students succeed, said CCV President Joyce Judy. We realize that providing access to college is not enough: we need to help students be successful in college.

Governor Jim Douglas announced today that an additional 15 energy efficiency projects have received $170,000 in funding from the the Vermont Community Change Program. The final winners were selected from a pool of 86 applicants.
I want to congratulate the winners of this round of funding and thank you, and all those who applied, for your commitment to reducing our state's carbon footprint, said the Governor. The combined reduction in CO2 emissions from these projects is the equivalent of electricity use of 45 to 50 homes.
The 15 winners include:
Vermont Community Foundation Green Team: $12,000 grant to build an eight-month, real time metering competition in Middlebury. VCF predicts the project will save between 5 and 15 percent in energy costs and use.
Greater Burlington YMCA: $12,000 to upgrade lighting, saving $3,765 in energy costs. Annual emissions reduction 23 tons.

In a press release today, Governor Jim Douglas has responded to the EPA's recent decision to grant California a wavier for its standards restricting carbon emissions from motor vehicles. The Governor describes the wavier as a significant step in the right direction for Vermont and others states with similar emission standards.
Auto emissions are one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas concentrations, wrote Governor Douglas. This is particularly true in Vermont where the transportation sector accounts for approximately 45 percent of our carbon footprint. That is why reducing an emission from automobiles is so important here in Vermont.
The Clean Air Act clearly provides states with the right to adopt these emission standards. EPA s decision to grant a waiver now allows states to enforce these standards. This decision by Administrator Jackson embraces states rights and I applaud the EPA action.

TD Banknorth, acting through the TD Charitable Foundation, has donated $2,000 to Everybody wins! Vermont, an organization designed to pair elementary school-aged children with reading mentors. The funds will help Everybody Wins! Vermont recruit, train, and match volunteer mentors with individual children for one-on-one weekly reading assistance.
"Everybody Wins! Vermont mentors are enthusiastic volunteers who share stories and develop friendships with a child, ," says Amy Cunningham, Executive Director of Everybody Wins! Vermont. This generous grant will help us to increase our recruitment and training, so that we can help foster a love of reading in more Vermont children. We are grateful to TD Banknorth, not only for this grant, but also for their support of employees who have been involved as mentors.

Bove s famous frozen lasagna has been awarded the National Association of Specialty Food Trades prestigious Gold sofi ¢ Award in the Outstanding Pasta, Rice and Grain Category. The all-natural, hand crafted lasagna is a frozen version of the classic that has had customers literally lining up around the block to get a taste at Boves famous Café in Burlington, Vermont.
A year ago Mark Bove, President and Sauceboy, introduced the world to his family s recipe on The Food Network s Throwdown with Bobby Flay, soon followed by an appearance on the Today Show, where Mark prepared his lasagna for Hoda and Kathie Lee. The national exposure sent demand soaring. I was making small versions of the lasagna at the restaurant and shipping them around the country, explained Bove. We just couldn t keep up with demand this way, which led me to produce the lasagna for retail.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $9.9 million in financing to support commercial, small business and agricultural projects throughout the state, leveraging another $15.6 million in private investment.
In this financing round, more than half the dollars approved by VEDA are being invested in the agricultural sector of Vermont s economy through the Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation, said Jo Bradley, the Authority s Chief Executive Officer. Agricultural projects received a total of $5.1 million, with more than half that amount coming from a special fund of low-interest agricultural stimulus financing announced in April, said Bradley.
Among the projects approved for VEDA financing are:

On Friday, June 26, Representative Peter Welch voted to approve a landmark climate change bill which was then passed successfully by the House. The bill, designed to cap carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy, contained several major provisions authored by Welch, including a national energy efficiency program that will retrofit the nation s homes and buildings.
The America Clean Energy and Security Act passed on a vote of 219 to 212. The bill aims to reduce carbon emissions 83 percent by 2050 and will establish a renewable energy and efficiency standard of 20 percent by 2020. Supporter of the bill also say that the legislation will create 1.7 million new clean energy jobs, save the average household $4,000 a year in energy costs by 2030, and slice back the use of foreign oil by more than 5 million barrels a day.