Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Agency of Natural Resources’ (ANR) Climate Action Office (CAO) released the latest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory and Forecast report (1990-2021). As in prior years, the two largest sectors of GHG emissions in Vermont in 2021 were transportation and heating fuel use in buildings. As shown in the accompanying graph, transportation emissions rebounded in 2021 following sharp decline during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Yet 2021 emissions were lower than 2019 emissions and all years prior through 1990, when the inventory was first established.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The average gasoline price in Vermont is $3.44 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, up 6 cents/g from last month and down 20 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.23/g in Brattleboro, while the highest was $3.65/g in Londonderry. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.52/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine In fiscal year 2024, the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office processed a record 19,010 individual unclaimed property claims, returning $5.8 million to Vermonters. It is the highest number of claims the office has ever paid in a single year. The state also received $18.14 million in unclaimed property for the fiscal year—the most collected in two decades. Unclaimed property includes uncashed checks, forgotten security deposits, investments, and other financial property. Financial institutions and other entities annually report forgotten financial assets and turn them over to the state. The Treasurer's Office receives these assets and safeguards them until claimed by rightful owners or heirs. 

Vermont Business Magazine Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: BWMN), a national engineering services firm delivering infrastructure solutions to customers who own, develop and maintain the built environment, has completed the installation and activation of its first company-owned, stand-alone electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its Burlington, VT-area office. The two EV ChargePoint stations are now available for public, client, corporate fleet and employee use, marking a milestone in Bowman’s commitment to sustainability and environmental impact. The installation is representative of Bowman’s two-pronged strategic initiative to expand its portfolio of sustainability-focused services and positively affect its own environmental impact. 

Vermont Business Magazine TD Bank Group (TD) announced today that applications are now open for the annual TD Ready Challenge grant program. This year, TD is inviting eligible charitable and non-profit organizations to submit proposals for innovative solutions that support underserved small business owners in developing, launching, or growing their businesses. A total of 10 grants are available of either CDN $1 million or USD $1 million, depending on the applicant's country of residence. 

Vermont Business Magazine For the tenth consecutive year, farmers across Vermont will open their barn doors and garden gates to welcome the public for a behind the-scenes look at Vermont’s vibrant working landscapes during Vermont Open Farm Week, Sunday, Aug. 4 through Sunday, Aug. 11.  After July’s challenging weather across the state, many Vermont farms look forward to welcoming visitors in support of Vermont’s agricultural community. Vermont Open Farm Week started in 2014 as “CSA Open Farm Day” and included open houses at farms all across Vermont. Now, for its 10th Anniversary, Vermont Open Farm Week features 49 farms at 157 events across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine American Meadows and its sister company, High Country Gardens, are driven by their shared purpose of doing good through gardening.  Their commitment to supporting local communities and positively impacting the environment has led to a pledge to divert all organic materials from the waste stream. At the end of each season, unsold plants are donated to community-focused organizations rather than discarded into landfills. This season, plant donations have supported the creation of new community and memorial gardens, habitat restoration, and educational initiatives. These contributions have benefited approximately two dozen recipients, including urban gardening organizations in Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Taos, Santa Fe, and Salt Lake City. 

Vermont Business Magazine Tim Rademacher is taking on a sweet new role at the University of Vermont—as the new Scientific Director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC). The PMRC is a field research station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont and is the oldest and most scientifically renowned maple research center in the world. Since 1947 it has produced cutting edge research on maple, supported maple sugar producers, and bolstered maple syrup production in Vermont—and globally.

Vermont Business Magazine From constructing and operating green facilities and sustainably sourcing meat and poultry products, to innovative clinical initiatives that reduce environmental impacts, University of Vermont Medical Center has once again been honored for leadership on environmental sustainability in health care. As communities across central Vermont grapple with the impacts of flash flooding that occurred on the one-year anniversary of last year’s devastating storms, UVM Medical Center leaders who have spent years finding wants to integrate environmental sustainability concepts into health care planning and operations say the destruction is a visceral reminder of the importance of climate initiatives.

Vermont Business Magazine As of July 1, 2024, employers and self-employed individuals will be required to pay the Vermont Child Care Contribution tax. Per Act 76 of 2023, enacted by the Vermont Legislature, employers will pay a 0.44% payroll tax on wages paid, with an option to withhold up to 25% of the tax from employees. Self-employed individuals will pay a 0.11% tax on self-employment income. Employers will remit Child Care Contribution payroll tax payments to the Department in the same manner and frequency as they remit Vermont Income Tax Withholding.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore announced they are seeking expert input related to implementing Act 122, The Climate Superfund Act. This marks the first step in effectuating the historic legislation, which authorizes the state to recover financial damages from fossil fuel companies for the impacts of climate change to Vermont. Funds recovered would support climate adaption projects.    

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation has distributed $130,000 in immediate relief funds to assist communities that were turned upside down by the flooding that ripped through the state two weeks ago. The grants are helping with clean-up, shelter, food, and also funding local long-term recovery groups as they dispatch volunteers and assist people coping with everything from replacing sheetrock to filing for state and federal help. The flooding earlier this month occurred on the one-year anniversary of the disastrous 2023 flooding in Vermont, deepening the loss and challenge.