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Marking Earth Day, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the expansion of the Heat Saver Loan program, which will help Vermonters increase the efficiency of their homes and save money on their energy bills while creating jobs and reducing greenhouse emissions.

This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved bipartisan energy efficiency legislation authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. David McKinley (R-WV).  President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law

Gov. Peter Shumlin today marked the anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act by signing two housing protection bills into law and declaring April Fair Housing Month. The first bill, H.123, ensures mobile home parks are safely maintained and abandoned mobile homes can be dealt with fairly and expeditiously. Also enacted today was H.256, which corrects and confirms protections against retaliation for exercising fair housing rights.

In recent years, the high cost of rent is putting a severe financial burden on many Vermonters. Homeownership rates are going down because many cannot afford to focus on saving to purchase a home while also paying for necessities such as rent, utilities, and in the case of many young adults, student loan debt. Given that homeownership brings many benefits to both consumers and communities, organizations like the Vermont Housing Finance Agency are working hard to ensure that would-be first time homebuyers can have access to the assistance that they need when it comes time to purchase a home.

Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced two new clean energy investments in Windham County totaling $1.9 million. The funds are made available through a 2013 agreement with Entergy and will help increase efficiency, save Windham County schools, municipalities, and homeowners on heating bills, and spur economic activity and job growth.

Please join the Vermont Community Development Association (VCDA) for its Spring Conference on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Lyons Den in Randolf, Vermont from 9:00am-3:00pm.

The theme of the conference is age-friendly communities - possibilities, challenges, and social & economic benefits:

Five Vermont communities will be able to make their downtowns safer and more beautiful, thanks to grants from the state's Downtown Transportation Fund. Windsor, Bristol, Rutland, Waterbury and Barre were awarded a total of $388,245 for transportation-related capital improvements, including bike paths, sidewalks, and landscaping

The clean water bill currently under consideration in the Vermont House of Representatives (House Bill 35) is a vital step forward for Vermont's efforts to address the problem of polluted storm water runoff into our lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. This bill addresses the problem of excess nutrients and sediment that flow off of our parking lots, roofs, roads, driveways, yards and farm fields when the snow melts or the rain falls.

With over 1,500 Vermonters without housing on any given night and families with children now making up half of all people in emergency shelters, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Human Services Secretary Hal Cohen today announced a statewide strategy for ending child and family homelessness in Vermont by 2020. The Governor and Secretary made the announcement while celebrating a grant of more than a half-million dollars to rehabilitate and increase the number affordable housing units in Chittenden County, helping to relieve a shortage that affects all of those who face homelessness.

As the Northeast emerges from one of the most brutal winters on record, Rep. Peter Welch and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) have rallied a bipartisan coalition to fight for full funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee penned by Welch and King, 146 lawmakers stressed the critical importance of this safety net program to struggling families.

Gov. Peter Shumlin issued the following statement after news that the unemployment rate in Vermont dropped to 3.9 percent, the lowest point since May 2007.

Before the next big storm hits, Brandon businesses and residents are invited to attend a community forum to discuss ways the town can recover quickly from devastating floods and remain open for business.

Montpelier, VT – March 26, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Before the next big storm hits, Brandon businesses and residents are invited to attend a community...

Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Chris Coons (D-CT) and Representatives Peter Welch (D-VT) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) announced today that they are introducing identical bipartisan bills in the Senate and House encouraging and expanding the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs) in federal government buildings.

At yesterday’s meeting, the City Council endorsed the use of an innovative streetscape design guide that will serve as a foundation for future roadway improvements. The Urban Street Design Guide, developed in 2013 by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) – an organization of transportation leaders in forward thinking cities – provides a flexible toolbox for cities to make streets safer, more livable, and more economically vibrant.

This week, VT Digger reported more on the strain that this year’s winter weather has put on the emergency housing budget. Read the article below or click here to view on their website: In February, temperatures dropped to minus 19 degrees at the Burlington International Airport, breaking a record that stood since 1914.

Chris Donnelly, director of community relations for the Champlain Housing Trustand Vice Chair of the VAHC Steering Committee, wrote this piece for theBurlington Free Press on making affordable housing for the workforce a priority.

Hinesburg is one of several communities that was recently awarded a Community Development Block Grant from the Vermont Community Development Program. Read how Champlain Housing Trust, Housing Vermont, and Snyder Homes plan on using these funds to build 23 new affordable housing units in this article from the Burlington Free Pres