Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Starting January 1, 2023, there are new requirements for registering and reporting surface water withdrawals or removals to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in accordance with a new state law, Act 135 of 2022. Surface waters include rivers, streams, brooks, creeks, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. The purpose of Act 135 is to collect baseline information about surface water usage in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine This holiday season, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is taking some time to reflect on the gifts that wetlands provide statewide. Marking where land and water meet, wetlands may be saturated or flooded by water year-round or for a few weeks of the year. Spanning over 300,000 acres, Vermont’s wetlands range from marshes and bogs to forested swamps.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are unchanged in the last week, though down 47 cents per gallon in one month and are only 3 cents higher than one year ago.. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.06/g Tuesday. The national average is down 46 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 22 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. GasBuddy is expecting prices nationally to head back to the $4/g range early in 2023.

Steve Knowlton, President, WEC We continue to hear from our members in response to our net metering theme issue (September 2022). It’s worth reminding our members that we are not faulting those homeowners who have already chosen to net meter, nor are we suggesting that the state eliminate their financial compensation for the excess power they export. This is about policy going forward, not individuals. Net metering homeowners were able to respond to a government incentive program. And we recognize that net metering, as it was implemented 25 years ago, was a way of incentivizing solar developers as a way of giving them the business of homeowners so residential solar arrays could be built cheaper as time went on.

Vermont Business Magazine The award-winning, family-friendly Resort, Smugglers’ Notch, added a new employee benefit – full day child care and camps, at no cost to the employee. These new benefits will accommodate parents who desire employment at the Resort while their children attend a full day of supervised fun and games. Smuggs anticipates a one-stop-shop experience for parents, providing them with the ability to drive to the Resort and have their children with them. It seems like the perfect time and cost saving solution.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police has suspended a trooper assigned to the Williston Barracks amid an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of misconduct. The allegations center on the possible theft of items from the temporary evidence storage room at the barracks. Trooper Giancarlo DiGenova was placed on paid relief-from-duty status on Dec. 19, 2022. He has been a trooper since 2009 with assignments including the Williston, Middlesex and Bradford barracks, and the Narcotics Investigation Unit.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Vermont Emergency Management on Tuesday provided an update on the ongoing response to the winter storm that impacted the state over Christmas weekend. Over 75,000 power outages were reported across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine John M Flood and Ariana Flood, far right, of SERVPRO of Bennington and Rutland Counties, recently met with Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, and Radiation Oncologist Matthew Vernon, MD, to present the proceeds of SERVPRO’s second Charity Golf Tournament, which was held on Saturday, October 1 at The Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington. The day included golf, giveaways, contests, hot dogs and hamburgers, drinks, raffle, a silent auction, awards, and heavy hors d'oeuvres. The event raised $8,000 to benefit the Cancer Center.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets As we pull out our 2023 calendar, we reflect on the year that was, and the year to be. Vermont Agriculture continues to grow and adapt. Farmers and all those who help they put food on our table are a creative and resilient force. No matter what 2022 threw at them they were up to the challenge. All were facing inflation and labor issues, but Vermont farmers continued to produce high quality food for our region and the nation. This effort does not happen without a strong commitment from many hands.

by Jeff Wakefield, Vermont Business Magazine Like the rest of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom bounced back from the depths of the COVID-19 recession reasonably well in 2021. It’s fair to ask: Could the region continue its comeback in 2022, given its small population, long-time economic challenges and a slowdown in pandemic funding? The answer is a yes, and then some, according to economic development officials and civic leaders.

Travel on the Vermonter with a companion at no additional cost

Vermont Business Magazine Customers who are looking to travel with a companion can take advantage of Amtrak’s latest sale, which offers one free companion rail fare on the Vermonter with the purchase of one fare. The sale is valid for travel in coach between New Haven, Conn., and St. Albans, Vt. Customers must use promo code V502 when booking. This sale is valid between Friday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 for travel between Sunday, Jan. 1 and Friday, March 31, 2023.

by Sydney Atkins The Vermont Department of Public Service recently released an interactive map of Vermont’s cell phone coverage. The maps uncovered data that a majority of Vermonters already know and experience every day — significant areas across the state do not have mobile voice service. Solving this issue is going to require new and innovative methods and technology. It will also require collaboration across a number of parties throughout Vermont. The rolling Vermont landscape and the dispersed, rural population make it challenging for large cell towers to find locations that are profitable enough to attract carriers to provide service. This challenge is exacerbated by the common desire not to mar the natural beauty of the landscape.