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Regulators recommend $22M cut to GMP rate increase
Jim Porter is director of public advocacy at the Department of Public Service. Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger State regulators have recommended a cap on electricity rate increases proposed by the...
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Comcast sues state over conditions on new operating permit
The Public Utility Commission. From left, Margaret Cheney, Chair Anthony Roisman and Sarah Hofmann. Courtesy photo Cable television giant Comcast is suing the Public Utility Commission over the panel’s...
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Electric co-op: Don’t overload us with renewable energy costs
Vermont has nowhere near the amount of solar and wind generators it will need to meet renewable energy goals written into law, but utilities are nevertheless fighting developers seeking to build more....
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Federal agency: State gas pipeline inspections lagging
Addison pipeline. VTDigger photo The Vermont Department of Public Service needs to do a better job of record-keeping, according to an annual evaluation by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials...
View ArticleConcerns raised about utilities’ natural gas dependence
New England will grow increasingly dependent on natural gas for its electric generation, rising from 46 percent of its supply currently to 56 percent by 2025, according to the regional grid operator’s...
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Safety questions, pipeline burial focus of VGS hearing
Rick Barstow speaks at a Public Utility Commission hearing about Vermont Gas and its pipeline. At left is the hearing officer, Michael Tousley. Photo by Mike Polhamus/VTDiggerBRISTOL — Technical...
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Broadband quest spurs some success, much frustration
A state map shows the spotty nature of high-speed internet service in southern Vermont. Red indicates underserved or unserved addresses, while blue shows addresses with access to broadband speeds of at...
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GMP rates expected to rise 5 percent
Green Mountain Power’s rates are tied to the value of its infrastructure. File photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger Green Mountain Power’s electric rates are slated to rise by 5 percent in 2018 if the Public...
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Vermont Yankee can put off finishing cybersecurity upgrades
A simulation control room of the Vermont Yankee power plant at the company’s training center in Brattleboro. The plant has been shut down since 2014. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger Vermont Yankee...
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‘Substantial progress’ reported in Vermont Yankee sale talks
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. Photo courtesy of the Nuclear Regulatory CommissionState officials may be close to resolving their differences with the current and prospective owners...
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Vermont solar job losses tied to net metering changes
Solar panels on an East Montpelier farm make use of the state’s net metering program. File photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger Vermont’s booming solar energy industry took a hit last year, shedding 232...
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Gas pipeline violates safety requirements, opponents say
The 41-mile Vermont Gas pipeline was completed a year ago. File photo by Morgan True / VTDigger Flaws in the Vermont Gas Systems Addison County pipeline, completed a year ago, amount to “widespread,...
View ArticleGreg Marchildon: Who’s advocating for Vermont ratepayers?
Editor’s note: This commentary is by Greg Marchildon, who is state director of AARP Vermont. For more than 20 years AARP Vermont has been representing the interests of ratepayers in utility cases...
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Citizens demand Vermont Gas investigation
James Dumont. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger Opponents of a Vermont Gas pipeline want the Public Utility Commission to move forward on an independent investigation of the pipeline construction....
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Court ruling shields telecoms, utilities from scrutiny
Superior Court Judge Mary Miles Teachout. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger This story by John Lippman was published by the Valley News on Jan. 12. MONTPELIER — A window into the operations of some...
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Vermont Yankee sale to NorthStar generates new questions
A sign for the New York-based cleanup company NorthStar Group Services sits in front of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger VERNON — Corey Daniels,...
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Scott proposes new fee on renewable energy projects to fund utility regulators
A solar array under construction off Route 7 in Bennington in 2017. File photo by Jim Therrien/VTDigger A proposal from the Scott administration to find money for the cash-strapped Department of Public...
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Regulators maintain Efficiency Vermont structure, tweak budget review process
Efficiency Vermont is run by the Vermont Energy Investment Corp., located in The Vermont Innovation Center, in Burlington. he state’s utility regulator issued an order last week aimed at improving the...
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Renewable energy trade scheme comes under scrutiny
A Green Mountain Power solar array in Panton, on Sept. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger When Vermont policymakers discuss the state’s rising greenhouse gas emissions, the consensus is that the...
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Verizon’s Halloween outage in Burlington remains unexplained 10 days later
A culvert washout in Muddy Brook on the Williston-South Burlington border caused telecommunications lines to be cut during a wind and rain storm on Oct. 31. Vermont Agency of Digital Services photo...
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State stepping up broadband efforts as feds mull the same
Public Service Commissioner June Tierney, top right, speaks to legislators on Tuesday via video about her department’s new emergency broadband plan. The map shows the number of locations that are...
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House approves $95 million broadband and housing aid package
The House of Representatives passed H.966, which allocates $95 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for a range of aid for telecommunications and housing. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The...
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Help for overdue utility bills expanded to include water and sewer charges
A program to help Vermonters catch up on utility bills has been expanded beyond electrical, natural gas and landline telephone services to include sewer and water bills. Photo by Erin...
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Planned FirstNet towers stumble this year, but officials confident in AT&T
Clay Purvis of the Vermont Public Service Department speaks at a 2017 connectivity summit at Dover’s Town Hall. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger Hardwick residents turned out in opposition when AT&T...
View ArticlePeter Sterling: Vermont’s dirty secret: State government is anti-renewable...
This commentary is by Peter Sterling, interim executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont, the voice of Vermont’s renewable energy business community. Talk to anyone who has tried to bring...
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Officials urge Vermonters to challenge errors in FCC’s new broadband map
A screenshot shows you can search the FCC National Broadband Map by address. Screenshot via FCC website The Vermont Community Broadband Board is asking Vermont residents to check their addresses on...
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DPS criticizes noise monitoring plan for wind project
[T]he state Department of Public Service and a citizen group are both urging significant changes in the proposed wind sound monitoring plan for the Deerfield Wind project under construction along Route...
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State: Pipeline closer to surface than ordered, but still safe
Pipes to be used in Vermont Gas Systems’ natural gas pipeline project wait in a construction yard. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger [V]ermont Gas Systems didn’t bury its controversial natural gas...
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Administration rebuffed on call to cut energy efficiency funds
An energy consultant at Efficiency Vermont provides a tour of an energy-efficient and weatherized home. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger[T]he Public Utility Commission has rejected calls by Gov....
View ArticleDepartment of Public Services working to expand broadband for students
The Department of Public Service is collecting information from Vermonters to identify locations where students lack internet access or where service needs to be improved. The department released a...
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