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Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz today presented 23 Vermont organizations and individuals with the 2011 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. Honorees were recognized for their efforts to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution, and promote environmental sustainability.
This year’s recipients by category are:
Environmental Excellence in Pollution Prevention - Projects that reduce or eliminate the generation of pollutants and wastes at the source including toxics use reduction (TUR) efforts.

The US Department of Labor today announced $83,941,360 in grants through the National Farmworker Jobs Program to combat the chronic unemployment and underemployment experienced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers who depend primarily on agricultural labor jobs. PathStone Corp of Jeffersonville received $190,798. A total of $78,253,180 will go to 52 organizations nationwide to provide training, employment and support services for farmworkers and their families. An additional $5,688,600 will go to 16 organizations to provide temporary or permanent housing assistance.
The National Farmworker Jobs Program helps eligible workers improve their agricultural job skills, and train for careers in emerging industries and occupations that offer higher wages and more stable employment. The program also offers services such as child care, health care and transportation assistance.

Three communities were awarded grants this week by the Vermont Downtown Development Board to fund local infrastructure improvements such as new sidewalks and signage.
The Vermont Downtown Development Board announced the awards totaling $108,423 for Brattleboro, Burlington, and Hartford (White River Junction). The funds, which are from the state’s Downtown Transportation Fund, are available to communities that are part of the Vermont Downtown Program. Established in 1994, the Vermont Downtown Program helps invest in the economic growth and cultural landscape of Vermont’s cities, villages and towns.
Awards were made to:
* Brattleboro - $15,600 to support improved directional, or ‘wayfinding’ signage. A total of 21 signs will be installed, guiding visitors to key destinations within Brattleboro’s Designated Downtown.

Vermont's congressional delegation ‘ Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) ‘ and Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) on Thursday announced a $1.2 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) from the US Dept of Labor to create jobs for displaced workers and long-term unemployed Vermonters to help with flooding clean-up.
The grant of $1,201,250 being awarded to the Vermont Department of Labor will create about 75 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts in all counties declared by the federal government as ‘disaster areas’ as a result of the effects of this spring's severe storms and flooding.
In a joint statement, Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Welch and Gov. Shumlin congratulated the Vermont Department of Labor for seeking innovative ways to help Vermonters and secure this funding.

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) learned today that the U.S. Department of Justice has no plans to intervene in a legal fight over the fate of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor at this time.
Sanders had urged Attorney General Eric Holder to stay out of a lawsuit filed in federal court in Vermont by Entergy Corp. The plant owner sued after the Vermont Senate last year voted 26-to-4 not to renew a state license for the 40-year-old, problem-plagued reactor.
‘While I recognize that it is the responsibility of the Department of Justice to monitor developments in all ongoing litigation, I am pleased that they have no plans to intervene and I am confident that the Department will see no reason to intervene in the future,’ Sanders said.

Winstanley Enterprises of Concord, Mass., has formally notified local officials of its plan to apply for a Certificate of Public Good to build a 25 to 35 megawatt renewable woodchip-burning electric generating plant at its existing industrial site located in North Springfield. The filing plan was announced on Monday in a letter from Chan Morgan, the project’s manager, to local officials. The Winstanley development team is targeting early October to file its petition with the Public Service Board.

NativeEnergy, one of the nation’s leading providers of carbon offsets, has moved into the Main Street Landing CornerStone Building at 3 Main Street in Burlington. The company was drawn to Main Street Landing’s commitment to sustainable development and corporate responsibility. NativeEnergy had previously occupied locations in South Burlington and Charlotte.
‘3 Main Street is an ideal fit for NativeEnergy,’ said Jeff Bernicke, President of NativeEnergy. ‘Our new space in the Cornerstone Building is energy efficient and features sustainable building materials. It allows a number of us to reduce our carbon footprints by walking or biking to work or commuting by public transportation. We are excited to join a vibrant downtown Burlington community.’

On June 30, 2011 the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (NYSE: CV) Board of Directors approved the following resolution:
RESOLVED: That out of reserved and unrestricted earnings of the Company a quarterly dividend at the rate of twenty-three cents ($.23) per share is hereby declared on the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, $6 Par Value, payable August 15, 2011 to stockholders of record at the close of business August 5, 2011.
Payable Date: August 15, 2011
RUTLAND, VT--(Marketwire - June 30, 2011) -

Central Vermont Public Service received the Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence today for its first-in-the-nation switch to biodegradable oil.
Last June, CVPS switched from fossil-based chainsaw bar and chain oil to oil made from animal fat, removing thousands of gallons of traditional oil annually from Vermont’s environment. CVPS was the first electric utility in the nation to make the switch.
‘Every gallon of bar and chain oil ultimately ends up in the fields and forests,’ CVPS spokesman Steve Costello said. ‘Our action essentially removed 5,000 gallons of fossil-based oil from Vermont’s environment over the past year, and will continue to do so every year going forward. That’s a benefit to Vermont plants, birds, animals and amphibians.’

In 2010, drivers in Arizona paid the most in the nation for car repairs at an average cost of $421.49, according to CarMD.com Corporation, which analyzed roughly 80,000 repairs made on vehicles with "check engine" light problems in 2010. Vermont ranked 33rd.
Arizona's no. 1 ranking is 18% more than the U.S. average for overall costs and 23% more for parts. Drivers in theDistrict of Columbia, which is one of the wealthiest areas in the country (according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau), paid the least at $265.29 per transaction. CarMD also found that drivers in New Jersey pay closest to the national average for car repair costs at $357.32, just a dollar more than the U.S. average. According to the first annual CarMD® Vehicle Health Indexâ ¢, the average cost of U.S. "check engine"-related auto repairs in 2010 was $356.04, including $212.44 in parts and $143.61 in labor costs.

Vermont home prices increased 3.9 percent in May, the second fastest increase in the nation next to New York. CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its May Home Price Index (HPI) which shows that home prices in the US increased on a month-over-month basis.
According to the CoreLogic HPI, national home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 0.8 percent in May 2011 compared to April 2011, the second consecutive month-over-month increase. On a year-over-year basis, home prices declined by 7.4 percent in May 2011 compared to May 2010 after declining by 6.7 percent* in April 2011compared to April 2010. Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices declined by 0.4 percent in May 2011 compared to May 2010 and by 0.8* percent in April 2011 compared to April 2010. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

State Director, Lenae Quillen-Blume, announced that Dave Rubel has been selected as the 2011 State Star of Vermont Small Business Development Center. Dave Rubel is the Area Business Advisor for Washington and Lamoille Counties and the Export specialist for the team.
‘I am pleased to make this announcement and to recognize Dave for extraordinary contributions to our organization’ said Quillen-Blume. ‘Dave was chosen by VtSBDC for his excellent work with clients and his development of the export and international trade program offered by VtSBDC. He is generous with his time for clients as well as peers and is a professional and valued representative of the organization.’