Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced 12 grants totaling $210,000 to Vermont arts and cultural organizations, including one Literature Fellowship to a Vermont poetry translator. The Vermont awards are part of more than $34 million in NEA funding to support the arts nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual Insurance Company recently announced a multi-year financial commitment to Central Vermont Medical Center's Workforce Development: Nursing & Clinical Pathways Program. The Montpelier-based insurance carrier will donate $50,000 to the initiative over the next 5 years. The growing Nursing Pathways program provides education and clinical training to support the opportunity for career growth while simultaneously addressing the critical shortage of nurses at all levels throughout the state.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has announced the four selected communities for their Climate Economy Resilient Communities (formerly known as Climate Economy Model Communities). For the 2023 Resilient Communities program, over 15 communities submitted applications and through a competitive selection process, VCRD and its Climate Economy Advisory Committee have chosen Arlington, Lyndonville, Randolph, and the greater Randolph/Rochester/Bethel region. The four selected communities will receive targeted facilitation, strategic planning, and/or project support from VCRD through direct partnership with a community committee, organization, or leader working on local climate action solutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) has released the 2023 Environmental Common Agenda, which lays out this year’s top legislative priorities for the Vermont environmental community. VCV releases the Common Agenda each legislative session in partnership with other advocacy organizations across the state. This year, 17 organizations participated in the process of developing and setting the agenda. This year’s Environmental Common Agenda puts forward critical solutions to help address some of the most pressing issues facing our state— in particular, the ongoing and worsening climate crisis, and the need to support more efficient, equitable, and clean ways to heat our homes, get where we need to go, and generate our electricity.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, January 3, Sugarbush Resort submitted two sets of applications to the Town of Warren Development Review Board seeking approval to redevelop the former Rosita’s Restaurant and three of the four so called Sugar Cube parcels to house Sugarbush Resort employees. The Rosita’s project contemplates a four-story apartment building housing 16 studio apartments along with four floors of congregate living. The congregate living units include a total of 176 single occupancy bedrooms with shared living, dining, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities. The Sugar Cube project contemplates rebuilding three existing single-family dwellings. The redevelopment plan includes one 2-bedroom, one 4-bedroom and one 6-bedroom single family dwelling(s).

Vermont Business Magazine As Montpelier's first Vermont certified "Green Restaurant," the Wayside Restaurant continues to expand on its earth-friendly initiatives. In addition to its 6 rooftop solar hot water panels they are now enjoying the benefits of a 2,160 panel ground-mounted array. Working with Norwich Solar, the Wayside is now partnered with 5 other businesses and towns in a 500kW Community Solar array located in Perkinsville, Vermont (Town of Weathersfield, Windsor County). The bifacial solar panels are state-of-the-art. In addition to collecting sunlight on the front of the panel, the backside collects light as well. These panels work double-duty in the winter collecting reflected light off the snow-covered ground.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont have risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.40/g today, according to GasBuddy price reports. Prices are down 15 cents from a month ago and are up 5 cents from one year ago. The lowest price in the state is $2.99 in Brattleboro and the highest is $3.99 in Island Pond. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.27/g today.

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute There were two threads running through Governor Phil Scott’s fourth Inaugural Address last week. One was a clear, even refreshing, acknowledgement of the role that government and money played in the last few years to protect Vermonters and improve their lives. The other was the governor’s vision of a future Vermont where all communities, big and small, have the tools they need to be “more dynamic and vibrant.” The challenge of this new biennium will be to keep these two threads connected. Continued public investment—government and money—will be required to provide the kind of infrastructure and services the governor wants Vermonters to have.

Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing The US General Services Administration (GSA) is holding a public meeting this evening, January 12, at 5:30 pm in St Albans to discuss expansion of the Highgate border crossing that sits at the northern end of Interstate 89. This first public meeting is to discuss the project timeline and the process for public feedback. GSA will consider three project alternatives and seek public input multiple times over the next 18 to 24 months. No project plans or designs are currently available for review or being decided on at this meeting. As more information on the project becomes available it will be updated at the GSA website.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) announced today it is launching two programs to connect income-qualified customers with solar energy that has too often been out of reach for them. The Shared Solar Program (SSP) unlocks incentives in the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to create a qualified low-income program that saves participants money. Another program, the Affordable Community Renewable Energy (ACRE) Pilot, will use a state grant so eligible customers can take part in new Vermont solar projects, providing them discounts for five years. Together, these new programs will help thousands of eligible GMP customers save money while growing new Vermont community solar.

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England system operators used steps from a well-established operating procedure to balance supply and demand on the regional power system during the evening peak hours of December 24, 2022, when unexpected generator outages and reductions and lower-than-expected imports led to a shortfall in operating reserves. The ISO’s actions came during a period that saw challenges to the electric grid across North America, as extreme weather caused different issues to different power systems, including necessitating controlled power outages in parts of the United States. Penalties for the Christmas Eve event are estimated to be approximately $39 million, based on initial data. Charges for underperformance are paid by the underperforming resources, not electricity ratepayers.