Vermont

High gas prices hit Vermonters at the pump, store and heating bill – VTDigger

Published

1 week ago

April 4, 2026

High gas prices hit Vermonters at the pump, store and heating bill – VTDigger

A motorist pumps gas in Montpelier on Friday April 3, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

More than a month into the Iran war, Vermonters are facing the strain of ballooning fuel costs as commuters wince at high prices at the pump.

“It’s painful to the pocketbook,” said David Armstrong, who works in the construction industry, as he filled his truck at a gas station in Burlington on Friday.

Armstrong commutes about 40 miles a day for work, he said, and it cost him over $123 to fill his tank, even with a discount program. That’s a steep increase from the approximately $90 he says he was paying prior to the Iran war.

Fuel costs have risen dramatically across the U.S., but in Vermont, where motorists in more rural communities must travel long distances to get to jobs or to buy essentials, prices for gas and diesel have hit especially hard.

Average gas prices in Vermont have risen to $3.99 per gallon as of April 2, and prices in northern counties like Orleans, Essex, Franklin and Grand Isle have all eclipsed $4, according to AAA’s gas price tracker.

Vermont is just below the national average of $4.08 per gallon, but compared to the rest of New England, only Connecticut has a higher average price.

American households have paid $8.4 billion more for gasoline over the past month compared to prices before the start of the war on Iran, according to analysis by congressional Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee. In response to U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, the country closed a vital naval passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman called the Strait of Hormuz, effectively cutting off much of the Middle East’s supply of crude oil and natural gas from the global market.

The average household in Chittenden County uses 575 gallons of gasoline annually, which, if calculated for a year, would cost around $2,300 if Friday’s gas prices went unchanged, according to data from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. Using the approximate cost of gas a year ago, a full year’s worth would cost $1,800, meaning that Chittenden County households would see an increase of $42 a month and around a $500 bump for the year.

Vermonters, who drive more and have fewer alternatives to driving compared to most states, are more exposed to price changes, according to Greg Rowangould, director of the Transportation Research Center and associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont.

The Transportation Research Center studied how Vermonters reacted to the last major increase in fuel prices back in 2022 at the start of the war in Ukraine. It found that people across the spectrum, from remote rural communities to Burlington, were forced to cut down on travel. Respondents said they took fewer trips, favored closer destinations and opted to chain tasks together rather than take multiple trips for essentials.

Some drivers decided to cut back on non-essential travel, too, choosing to watch Netflix rather than going on a night out, according to Rowangould.

“There are things that people do to try to avoid the costs,” Rowangould said. “But, of course, you can’t avoid all of it.”

“We’re definitely driving less now,” Dennis DeSilvey said as he and his wife, Kathy, filled their hybrid car on Friday. After a career as a doctor, DeSilvey has to watch his budget much more closely since retiring.

Meanwhile, Sarah McNamara, who works as a substitute teacher in Burlington, said she’s considering switching to commuting by bike or bus if the high prices stick around. She said her husband, who commutes to the Champlain Islands, has started talking with coworkers about carpooling to save money.

“It’s definitely going to be a new budget item, in a different category,” McNamara said of the fuel prices.

Fuel cost increases will also hit homes using heating oil, propane and kerosene, according to Vermont Department of Public Service data.

However, Vermont’s electric utilities mainly use long-term contracts with less exposure to sudden price spikes. New England’s electric grid largely relies on natural gas, nuclear, hydro and other renewable fuel sources, avoiding an immediate impact from global crude prices, according to Philip Picotte, a utilities economic analyst at the Vermont Department of Public Service.

Disruptions in global supply — especially to liquified natural gas — will have some effect on New England’s electric prices in the medium-term, according to Picotte.

Diesel fuel in Vermont has now reached $5.80 per gallon, outpacing the national average of $5.51, according to AAA, which could hit long-haul and delivery trucks especially hard. Diesel is also a main fuel source in dairy and other farming operations throughout the state.

Fuel cost increases absorbed by local businesses would eventually be passed down to the consumer level, explained Ryan Bellavance, the president of Bellavance Trucking, which operates a fleet of nearly 100 trucks based out of Barre. Bellavance transports everything from construction materials to refrigerated food items, so increased costs could be felt across a wide range of products.

Bellavance explained that fuel is already one of their largest expenses. With the recent price increase, it now might be their largest. Compared to the start of the year, prices have increased 31 cents per mile. Multiplied across their operation, that increase quickly becomes problematic.

“It’s gonna be fine until the people stop buying, you know?” he said. “And then everything comes to a halt.”

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Vermont

Noah Kahan backs Vermont bill targeting ticket scalpers

Published

12 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Noah Kahan backs Vermont bill targeting ticket scalpers

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont musical sensation Noah Kahan is supporting a state bill aiming to crack down on ticket scalpers.

House Bill 51 would cap the amount that tickets could be resold for and stop tickets from being sold twice. That way, buyers don’t end up with a ticket already belonging to someone else. It demands that resellers ensure refunds in certain circumstances and proposes annual licenses for ticket resellers.

Kahan offered his support in a video statement to the Senate Economic Development Committee.

“As an artist that cares very deeply about the fan experience and accessibility of concert tickets, this bill is a critical step in eliminating predatory resale behaviors and offer Vermonters a great solution for exchanging and reselling tickets in a safe marketplace,” Kahan said.

The bill also addresses enforcement, authorizing the attorney general to monitor and penalize resellers.

It’s unclear if the bill will move forward this session.

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Vermont

deRosset from Vermont to Notre Dame – Daily Nous

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

deRosset from Vermont to Notre Dame – Daily Nous

Louis deRosset, currently professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont, will be moving to the University of Notre Dame.

Professor deRosset works in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of logic. He is the author of Fundamental Things: Theory and Applications of Grounding, among other writings, which you can learn more about here.

He will be taking up his new position as professor of philosophy at Notre Dame this fall.

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Vermont

The state is racing to implement nearly $200 million in rural health transformation projects – VTDigger

Published

2 days ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

The state is racing to implement nearly 0 million in rural health transformation projects – VTDigger

Attending physician Amanda Ratliff examines patient Gary Gale, of Marlboro, with Tara Gomo, house nursing supervisor, in Sept. 2025, in White River Junction. Photo by Jennifer Hauck/Valley News

It’s the “exciting hair-on-fire phase” of implementing the $195 million in rural health transformation grant funds Vermont is promised from the federal government, as Jill Mazza Olson described it to the House Health Care Committee this morning.

There has been a frantic, racing energy around acquiring and spending the federal funds since the applications opened in the fall, giving states just six weeks to build out their five-year plans. That effort paid off when the officials learned in December that Vermont would receive nearly double what they expected.

Now, the Vermont Agency of Human Services is working to obligate all of this year’s money by the end of September and spend it by the feds’ September 2027 deadline.

Olson and Sarah Rosenblum, who have been leading this work for the Agency of Human Services, gave both the House and Senate health care committees an update of where that work stands Thursday morning.

Right now, Olson and Rosenblum are in the throes of posting opportunities for sub-grants and contracts, for organizations to carry out the many facets of Vermont’s proposed work.

So far, they’ve put out six such notices for work to bolster rural health care. There are notices for $1.45 million to bring dialysis and ventilators to nursing homes and $810,000 to develop licensed nursing assistant training programs.

One project seeks bids for organizations to operate residences for people recovering from substance use disorders while another would invest in mobile clinics for dental, medical, mental health and substance use disorder services. Yet another proposal aims to put money toward pharmacists’ ability to “test-to-treat” and help reduce patient reliance on primary care or the emergency room.

The last active bid seeks contractors who can help AHS build out an even more in-depth strategic plan for how to use these funds to help rural communities.

Olson and Rosenblum said that they are close to posting the final 10 notices soon, which will center on improving technology and payments to support primary care providers. Once the last of those are out, they will shift into a new phase of this massive project.

When the application windows close, AHS’s transformation team will begin sorting through the proposals and working with the federal government to figure out how to approve and implement the projects before the timeline is up.

With all the rushed excitement to spend this one-time money, Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex Town, the chair of the House Health Care Committee, worried about the Agency of Human Service’s ability to do its primary job.

“Do you think that this is so all-consuming that it might be a distraction? What are the essential things that we need our AHS to be doing that we want to make sure they’re still continuing to do and not get distracted by the shiny object?” she asked.

The stability should come soon, Olson responded. The agency has already hired two full-time staffers to implement this plan and have the approvals they need to hire the rest of the team dedicated to working on this project.

Maybe then, Olson can douse the hair-on-fire feeling, and finally get a full night’s sleep.

In the know

A pop star in the People’s House?

That’s right — sorta. Vermont’s own Noah Kahan offered his endorsement of a bill currently making its way through the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee on Thursday.

The committee watched a brief video Kahan recorded explaining his support for H.512, a bill supporters hope will cut down on online ticket scams and scalpers.

“As an artist I care very deeply about the fan experience,” Kahan said, “This bill is a critical step in eliminating predatory resell behaviors.”

Stick season? More like s-ticket season. Ugh.

— Ethan Weinstein

Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday appointed former Sen. David Soucy of Barre Town to the House seat recently vacated by longtime Rep. Topper McFaun.

Soucy, a Republican, previously served in the Senate, representing Rutland County during the 2017-18 legislative session. He was elected to the Barre Town Selectboard last year.

Scott, in a press release, said Soucy “has been involved in his community for many years and will be a strong voice for common-sense legislation” in the Statehouse.

Read the full story here.

— Corey McDonald

The Vermont Supreme Court has declined to intervene in the Scott administration’s effort to uphold its employee return-to-office policy — for now.

Last week, the Vermont Labor Relations Board ordered that the administration rescind its policy requiring employees to work at least three days per week at their worksites.

Gov. Phil Scott and top administration officials said at the time that the state would appeal the decision and request a pause on the order from both the labor board and Vermont’s high court.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the administration “must first seek a stay” from the labor board, denying a request to pause last week’s decision.

Steve Howard, executive director of the Vermont State Employees’ Association, called the ramifications of last week’s legal proceedings “very confusing” for state employees.

With its decision last week, the Vermont Labor Relations Board has called into question what working life could look like for the approximately 8,000 Vermont state employees.

Read the full story here.

— Ethan Weinstein

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