Critics Pan Vt. Renewable Energy Siting Bill
Montpelier — Critics of Vermont’s process for selecting sites for renewable energy projects say they’re unhappy with legislation working its way through the Senate that is designed to give towns and regional planning commissions greater say in where solar and wind power projects go. About 60 members of the groups Energy Transformation Coalition and Energize Vermont gathered Tuesday for a news conference where leaders said Senate Bill...
Power Lunch: A conversation with the CEO of Green Mountain Power
Over a steaming cup of coffee, the CEO of Green Mountain Power explains why electric utilities that oppose green power risk getting left behind, and why GMP’s business success depends on how well it manages the changes it has helped bring to the energy industry . The Paris climate conference has been in session for more than a week when Mary Powell, the CEO of Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s largest electric generation utility, and I...
Cheap Oil, Good for Consumers, Hits Stocks
New York — Wall Street is drowning in oil. Stocks are having their worst start to a year in history in part because of a rapid plunge in the price of oil. The price of crude is down 28 percent this year already, which in turn has dragged down energy company shares in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index by 13 percent, which has helped pull the overall index down 9 percent. This even though low oil prices — and the cheap prices for...
Technologies That Can Change the World
To the average person, it may seem that the biggest technology advances of 2015 were the larger smartphone screens and small app updates. But a lot more happened than that. A broad range of technologies reached a tipping point, from cool science projects or objects of convenience for the rich, to inventions that will transform humanity. We haven’t seen anything of this magnitude since the invention of the printing press in the 1400s....
Economy Expected To Stay Steady in 2016
Washington — After a year free from government shutdowns and other self-inflicted wounds, the U.S. economy in 2016 is expected to power forward at a steady, albeit unspectacular pace. Given all the global uncertainty, steady is the new strong. A six-year U.S. economic expansion, long by historical standards, rolls on. Japan remains in the doldrums, China’s growth has slowed precipitously and emerging markets such as Brazil and Mexico...
