Now, when recovery from the worldwide recession is beginning, Vermont has an opportunity to emerge with a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, a broader tax base, and better jobs than we had before the downturn.

The nearly $69 million dollar stimulus award Vermont utilities received from the federal Department of Energy (DoE) this week will have a much greater and long lasting effect on the Green Mountain State than hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus band aids that we are also receiving.

The official numbers for stimulus-created jobs in Vermont, which will be posted on recovery.gov October 30, will not be the same as the preliminary number of 1990 I reported to the legislature and the Vermont public on October 15.

 Which broadband grant applicants does Vermont like or not like? That’s the question the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is the part of the US Commerce Department and is charged with distributing some of the stimulus funding for broadband, asked the Economic Stimulus and Recovery (ESR) office, which has the responsibility for answering such questions in Vermont.

There’s going to be a lot of controversy and confusion nationwide on October 30 when stimulus reports from states are made public on recovery.gov.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has created opportunities for significant investment in Vermont for business development; support of educational programs; expansion of housing, nutrition and other public services; construction of transportation , water and wastewater infrastructure; and substantial opportunity to retain and increase jobs.

“How come there are no stimulus road projects in Vermont?” As Vermont’s stimulus czar, I hear this question all the time.

All 20 Vermont electric distribution utilities (the people you buy electricity from); the transmission utility, VELCO, which brings electricity to them; and the efficiency utility, Efficiency Vermont, whose role is to reduce demand, have united to design a single $133 million plan for implementation of a “smart grid” in Vermont and have submitted a joint application to the US Department of Energy for stimulus funding to cover 50% of the cost.