Current News

Governor Douglas today announced a bold new economic plan to build SmartVermont by laying the foundation for a 21st century economy. The proposals will invest $17.1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) to leverage nearly $160 million in direct support to new and exciting companies looking to grow and expand in the Green Mountain State as well as much needed support for existing Vermont employers. Initiatives will be largely administered by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) which leverages private capital to maximize opportunities and investment in our struggling economy. The Governor s plan also calls for additional investment in our tourism economy as well as much needed support for agriculture.

Each June, REALTOR Magazine features 30 rising young stars in the real estate industry. This year, Adam Hergenrother of RE/MAX North Professionals in Colchester, is among the 50 finalists for this prestigious recognition.
The top 30 real estate practitioners will land a spot in REALTOR magazine's annual "30 Under 30" feature. The cover feature, which runs in June, highlights up-and-coming real estate professionals who are already making their mark with smart business practices, community leadership, and industry innovation. The candidate with the most votes will earn the "Web Choice Award," and will be honored at the Young Professionals Network event during the 2009 REALTORS Conference & Expo in San Diego this November.

More than $10.3 million for Vermont energy efficiency and conservation projects was awarded today, Senator Bernie Sanders announced.
The funds are Vermont s share of $3.2 billion included in the economic stimulus bill for a Sanders-sponsored Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.
Helping states, cities and towns go forward with energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects will reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs and create good-paying jobs, Sanders said.

Representative Peter Welch introduced an energy efficiency bill today designed to retrofit millions of homes and commercial buildings and increase efficiency by 20 percent or more nationally.
Welch outlined the bill at a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday with many of the bill’s 30 cosponsors and representatives from national efficiency, contracting and environmental groups.
The Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program would provide financial incentives to homeowners and businesses to reduce their energy use and save them money. The program would fund state and municipal investments of up to half the cost of retrofitting the nation’s existing homes and buildings, which account for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. REEP would create tens of thousands of middle class jobs and provide a significant boost to the economy.

The cold weather from this winter was greeted warmly by officials at IBM in Essex, which has started using frigid winter air to help produce the chilled water it needs to operate the plant s high-tech manufacturing facilities.
The new system, called Free Cooling, integrates cold air into the plant s large climate control system to produce 50% of its winter-cooling needs. By taking advantage of the plentiful wintry air, IBM can shut down some of its large chillers, resulting in a projected savings of $400,000 per year in electric costs.
Semiconductor clean rooms require that a precise temperature and humidity be maintained around the clock, so until now we have had to run many chillers even in the winter. Our engineering team worked to improve this process and they developed an innovative solution that reduces our energy footprint and cuts power costs by $2,000 to $3,000 a day, said Tim Baechle, Facilities Operations Manager at IBM.

On Tuesday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m., a panel of sports professionals and environmental advocates will participate in a discussion at Middlebury College titled Jocks and Treehuggers: Pro Athletes on Sustainability. The event is free and open to the public and will take place in Room 216 of McCardell Bicentennial Hall, located on Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125).
Middlebury College Scholar-in-Residence in Environmental Affairs Bill McKibben will deliver the introductory remarks and Middlebury College Athletic Sustainability Coordinator Andrew Gardner will moderate the discussion. Panelists include National Football League professional Dhani Jones, professional soccer player Natalie Spilger and Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Alexander Wolf.

Statement of Governor James H Douglas Regarding Same-sex Marriage: The urgency of our state s economic and budgetary challenges demands the full focus of every member and every committee of this Legislature. Ensuring that the federal recovery money is spent wisely, that the state budget is balanced and responsible, and that we do all we can to help our employers compete and create jobs is my top priority.
However, I recognize that legislative leaders have different priorities. So long as same-sex marriage consumes the time and energy of legislators, I will urge lawmakers to act quickly so they can turn their full focus to the economic needs of Vermonters as soon as possible.

Today, Governor Douglas announced his intention to veto S115, which has not completed the legislative process.
The governor s announcement today undermines the legislative process is disrespectful to Vermonters who come to the people s house to weigh in on the important matters of our time, said Speaker Shap Smith. History will judge Jim Douglas on the wrong side of this issue.
Today is a sad day for Vermont, said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin. The governor may choose to veto a bill, but he cannot veto love and commitment.

Week Ending March 21, 2009. There were 1,070 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 298 from the week before. Altogether 18,691 new and continuing claims were filed, 69 more than a week ago and 7,861 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,968 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 30 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,088 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program which is an increase of 36 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Vermont maple syrup producers are each being asked to donate one gallon of syrup in order to send a taste of Vermont springtime to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the fifth year, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association is organizing Operation Vermont Maple Sweetness 2009 which will package the donated syrup into one pint containers and ship them to bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 8000 pints of syrup were sent in 2008.
The syrup sent last year resulted in numerous heartfelt e-mails from the troops. Thank you for the effort that people in Vermont went through with Operation Vermont Maple Sweetness. Thanks for the reminder of good things from back home. The syrup was on the breakfast line and was a big hit with my friends and me. Thanks for thinking of us and please let the rest of your co-workers know that their actions are appreciated here.

The Vermont Department of Education released 2009 school accountability determinations as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) today. The department determines whether schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Those that do not meet AYP enter School Improvement.
Results show:

One school exited School Improvement.
Seventy-seven schools, or 25 percent, are now in School Improvement.
Thirty-one of those schools are now in Corrective Action.
Eighty-eight schools, or 29 percent, did not make AYP this year.
Twelve of those schools did not make AYP for the first time.

Mack Molding Co. has been named a winner of Managing Automation Media s prestigious 2009 Progressive Manufacturing 100 Award for its recently completed Energy Efficient Lighting Technology Project, which affected all three Vermont plants.
The comprehensive lighting project, a $450,000 investment, called for the installation of more than 2,100 high-intensity fluorescent light fixtures that increased light levels throughout the three plants and eliminated hot spots and shadows. From an energy-efficiency perspective, the initiative is expected to save over 1.7 million kWh per year of electricity, the equivalent of taking 167 cars off the road or powering nearly 300 Vermont homes. It is one of the 10 largest energy-saving projects completed by a Vermont company in partnership with Efficiency Vermont, the state s energy efficiency services provider.