Current News

by Basil Waugh, University of Vermont When the calendar turns to 2023, sustainable food and agriculture researcher Meredith Niles will take a new role at the University of Vermont—as acting director of the Gund Institute for Environment. Niles will lead the Gund Institute for Environment—a research center with the ambitious mission of mobilizing scholars and decision makers to tackle urgent environmental challenges—until August 1, 2023, while director Taylor Ricketts embarks on a research sabbatical.

Vermont Business Magazine US Attorney Nikolas P Kerest announced today that the District of Vermont collected $1,597,621.03 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2022. Of this amount, $1,076,812.47 was collected in criminal actions and $520,808.56 was collected in civil actions. Additionally, the District of Vermont worked with other US Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $23,423.31 in cases pursued jointly by these offices.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Co-op is urging members to prepare for extended power outages later this week as very high winds, followed by dangerous icing, are in the forecast. The National Weather Service office in Burlington is calling for wind gusts well in excess of 60 mph for much of the Green Mountain State starting late Thursday night into Friday evening. Winds are expected to take down trees and powerlines causing widespread and numerous power outages. Compounding the challenge will be flooding caused by heavy rain and snowmelt, followed by rapidly dropping temperatures Friday night into Saturday creating icy conditions as the storm passes.

Vermont Business Magazine GMP is tracking multiple forecasts to prepare for possible very high winds gusting up to 65 MPH across Vermont starting Thursday night and lasting through the day on Friday. Winds of that speed are very dangerous and can tear down trees and lines, causing outages. This is a very large regional storm that has all of the Midwest and Northeast expecting weather that could cause disruptions. To assist our customers and to support internal GMP lineworkers, GMP has kept external crews in the state that were here helping to restore power during the Nor’easter last week that brought damaging heavy wet snow and outages to Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the issuance of the final Pretreatment Discharge permit by Watershed Management Division to Casella Waste for the continued authorization of the New England Waste Services of Vermont (NEWSVT) landfill in Coventry to discharge (collect and transport) leachate to the Montpelier Wastewater Treatment Plant. Leachate is generated from the decomposition of waste and precipitation coming into contact with the landfilled material. The water leaches out chemicals from the waste, including Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-Vermont) are praising the recommendation issued Monday by the President’s Pay Agent to include Windsor and Orange Counties in Vermont, and Grafton and Sullivan County in New Hampshire, in the Boston area locality pay region. This action is a critical step in bringing federal salaries in Southeastern Vermont into greater parity with other area employers and making it easier for federal employers such as the White River Junction VA and the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab to recruit and retain talented employees.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has announced that former Vermont journalist Eva McKend, now with CNN, and Gus Faucher, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, PNC Financial Services Group, will be the keynote speakers at the Vermont Economic Conference. The VEC is back in person for 2023 and will provide an essential economic foundation for the year ahead. The conference will take place on January 30, 2023, from 8 AM - 2 PM at the University of Vermont - Dudley H. Davis Center. The event will also feature a presentation of the 2022 Outstanding Business of the Year Award to recipient Hickok & Boardman Insurance Group.

Vermont Business Magazine Teucrium Trading, LLC, the Sponsor of agricultural futures-based ETFs, has announced that the Teucrium AiLA Long-Short Agriculture Strategy ETF began trading on the New York Stock Exchange December 20 under the ticker OAIA. The Fund seeks to track the AiLA-S033 index, a strategy holding both long and short positions in agricultural futures contracts listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). OAIA allows investors to access a sophisticated, long-short strategy through a passively managed, liquid, and tax-efficient fund.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced he’s appointed 52 individuals to State boards and commissions in November and the first half of December. Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the Governor’s website at https://governor.vermont.gov/boards_and_commission to apply.

Vermont Department of Economic Development As we approach a new year and a new legislative session, workforce and housing remain our top priorities. That is why I joined Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner Josh Hanford at the annual Wellspring Forum for business leaders, hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. We discussed initiatives to grow the economy and attract more workers to Vermont and also touched on the recently announced paid family leave plan, for which we are collecting feedback from employers. Please take a moment to complete a brief survey at the link below to help us gauge interest in this program.

by Bill Schubart The Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA) is celebrating its 70th Anniversary this month and there is much to celebrate. In the last week of October, as members, we hosted two visitors, Radouane Bousnane from Algiers, Algeria, and Maryem Guaali from Casablanca, Morocco. They came to Burlington to be part of VCWA’s international exploration A Just Transition to a Green Economy.