Current News

Vermont Business Magazine At Governor Phil Scott’s weekly press conference today, the Scott Administration updated Vermonters on the costs and barriers to implementing the Legislature’s Clean Heat Standard, and the impacts it will have on affordability and the most vulnerable. Governor Scott: Good afternoon and thanks for being here. Last year, I vetoed S.5, the so called “Affordable Heat Act” which established a Clean Heat Standard. Unfortunately, the Legislature overrode that veto, so the bill became law. Now I want to be clear, we don’t necessarily disagree with the goals within the Clean Heat Standard like reducing emissions from the thermal sector. And, we’ve actually already invested over $200 million in the climate sector in the last couple years. Our disagreement is in how we get there. I’ve always believed affordability considerations should be taken seriously, because they’re significant.

Vermont Business Magazine Revision Military Ltd., a world leader in purpose-built ballistic and laser eye protection for military and tactical use, has announced that Karan Rai will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective immediately. Karan, a seasoned industry veteran, brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record to the position.  Karan has been Revision's Chairman of the Board for the past five years and his transition to take on the CEO responsibilities ensures a smooth leadership transition for the Company. Karan is the founding partner of ASGARD Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm. Prior to founding ASGARD, he was the President of ADS, Inc., a leading specialty distributor and supply chain solutions provider for all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Vermont Business Magazine National data indicate that half of women and 1 in 3 men experience contact sexual violence in their lifetimes. The Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC) has been awarded the HRSA Rural Northern Border Region Outreach Program Grant to lead a multi-year effort, launching the newly established Vermont Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Care Collaborative & Innovation Network.  Developed in close partnership with the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Vermont Network), this initiative builds on years of hard work and dedication by Vermont Network to support forensic nurses who provide specialized trauma-informed medical care to victims of violence in Vermont. This initiative will add much-needed resources to enhance the capacity and sustainability of forensic nursing programs, particularly in rural and underserved communities. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont have fallen 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.31/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 626 stations in Vermont. Prices in Vermont are 9.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 47.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Vermont was priced at $2.89/g as of Monday while the most expensive was $3.48/g, a difference of 59.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 7.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.22/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), today introduced the bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act, legislation to bring ranked choice voting to U.S. congressional elections across America. The bill would require ranked choice voting in all congressional primary and general elections starting in 2028, allowing voters to express support for multiple candidates for public office, with the candidate receiving the most votes declared the winner. 

Vermont Business Magazine Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the July 31 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website to see if they won a permit. Fish and Wildlife announced the permit winners on September 11, after conducting a randomized computer drawing.  Permit winners are listed in two categories -- regular lottery winners and landowners.  Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by law from posting their land against hunting. Permit recipients will need to reprint their licenses which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, announced today that tickets for the 2024 Stifel Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting September 17 at 10 a.m. ET at killington.com. Taking place November 29-December 1, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will once again bring women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont. The event is expected to attract Stifel U.S. Ski Team superstars, including seven-time Stifel Killington Cup slalom victor and winningest alpine skier in history, Mikaela Shiffrin, who may be going for her historic 100th victory. She’ll be joined by teammates, former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan, Olympian AJ Hurt and Nina O’Brien, who is making her return from injury this season. 

Vermont Business Magazine The buildout of broadband is well underway in Vermont, with eight out of the state’s ten Communications Union Districts (CUDs) currently connecting customers. But for Vermonters who live more than 400 feet from the fiber line along the road, that connection can come at a cost that’s unaffordable. On Monday, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) approved a staff proposal to develop a new Long Drop Program later this year to address this issue and help low-income Vermonters get connected to broadband. The VCBB Board voted unanimously to allow staff to develop a program that would provide funds to qualified providers to cover the extra cost to connect low-income Vermonters who live more than 400 feet from the fiber that runs along their road, including underground drops. 

Vermont Business Magazine President Joe Biden has approved a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities in Lamoille County recover costs for repairing public infrastructure damage caused by rainfall and severe flooding on June 23, 2024. A June 23 rainstorm washed out roads and caused more than $1 million in damages in the town of Stowe alone, with lesser damage in surrounding communities. This is one of three separate events from June 23 to July 30 for which the state has sought federal disaster assistance. A federal Major Disaster Declaration unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program funding to reimburse municipalities for 75% of funds already spent on things like debris removal, road and public building repairs, and staff overtime responding to and cleaning up after the storm.

Vermont Business Magazine Six state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) across Vermont will be changing their hours and days of operation. As of September 15, 2024, four DRCs will no longer be open on Sundays. The hours of operation from Monday to Saturday have been shortened to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) recently announced awards of approximately $7.19 million in grants to municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvement projects. The combination of construction projects and planning grants will benefit cities and towns statewide with improved transportation connectivity and safety, tangible economic benefits, and additional transportation options for commuters, visitors to the state, and recreational users. Vermont continues to prioritize making communities and streets more usable for all modes of transportation. In downtowns and village centers especially, municipalities are responding to the need for better walking and bicycling facilities. 

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Hunting in Vermont continues to be a safe recreational pursuit and hunters can help keep it that way by choosing to wear hunter orange. Also, Vermont’s bear hunting season started September 1, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department wants to remind hunters that the sale of bear paws and internal organs of bears is prohibited by a new law.