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Congratulations to Dan Smith For Success In Untamed New England Adventure Race

dougrek — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:19:59 +0000

On August 15, 2010 Arno Group member Dan Smith completed the Untamed New England Adventure Race. Dan’s team finished fifth in a field of forty-two teams, beating many nationally ranked and sponsored teams, including Eastern Mountain Sports.

This race is not for the faint of heart. The Untamed Race website states succictly what racers are up against:

For three days, August 12-15 2010, teams will race non-stop through the mountains, rivers, and forests of Untamed New England. They must travel under their own power. Teams will navigate with map and compass through pine forests, wetlands, and mountains; paddle rivers fed by melting snow; bike staggering mountain passes and twisty trails; dangle from ropes on exposed cliff faces.

The racing is non-stop until they cross the finish line. There are no aid stations, no support crews, no specified “rest” periods; it’s just the team, totally self-sufficient, against the Untamed New England course.

I e-mailed Dan to congratulate him on his success in the race; I then asked Dan whether he agreed with me the result was a success and asked him to define ’success.’ Here is his reply:

In the dark hours of the night, when you can only see what is framed by your headlamp, and what you can see is the tangled limbs of stunted evergreens and ledges, and you have been awake for 40 hours, and you know that you have to go through that mess, you gain the knowledge that you have a reservoir of toughness that allows you to crowd out the doubt and uncertainty and keep you pushing through. I define success by reminding myself of that reservoir, and using it, like really good scotch, rarely.

Every once and a while each of us finds ourselves in the depths of a crisis — our own untamed race — and Dan’s definition of success in those moments works for me.

Congratulations Dan.

Solar Even In Vermont To Aid Energy Supply

dougrek — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:25:42 +0000

We are working with a smart, hardworking group to build small solar arrays around Vermont to add some renewable, distributed generation to Vermont’s electricity grid. This article in the Rutland Herald talks about one aspect of the project; working with municipalities to install solar on idle town land thereby generating some part of a community’s energy locally (and cheaply). I wonder why more towns — and not just in Vermont — do not look to assets they have which could generate electricity — whether low-head hydro, solar, wind or bio-fuels. These projects can defray energy cost, add stability to the grid, and at the very least make a small dent in the carbon footprint of our seemingly insatiable appetite for energy.

State Budget Debate Hinges On Tax Policy

dougrek — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:04:20 +0000

It is interesting to see the Governor citing the VBM Report in arguing against the General Assembly’s budget approach. It would make great sense to have an economic development policy to drive businesses to Vermont which (a) are not motivated significantly by tax policy (would like to be here regardless of a significant tax burden because of alignment on social policy) and/or (b) are strong and therefore do not find the VT tax policy a burden. Here is an e-mail from the Governor’s Office on this topic:

From: Coriell, David [mailto:David.Coriell@state.vt.us]
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 9:55 PM
To: Coriell, David
Subject: Deal Not Reached on Budget

All:

As you may know, the Governor met with legislative leaders late tonight and there is no deal on the budget. The Governor has been clear that Vermonters need a budget that will strengthen our economy, invest in job creation and put Vermont on a stable fiscal course for the future.

One aspect of creating jobs is sunsetting the burdensome taxes imposed by the Legislature last year. Earlier today the Governor agreed to a modest capital gains sunset that would been tailored to Vermont businesses and cost the general fund only $3 million — down from $10 million it would cost for the full sunset the Governor had proposed as part of his budget. Further, there was a way for lawmakers to save the money in the budget without impacting human services or taking any cuts in direct services. Unfortunately, even a modest $3 million break for employers was too much for legislative leaders.

Ironically, this deal was rejected the same day a Vermont Business Magazine survey of Vermont businesses indicated that “tax rates [are] the number one factor that could cause companies to leave Vermont.” One business owner noted that “Vermont’s tax rates do have a negative effect on decisions about where to base a business.”

A number of unresolved issues remain, including an $11.8 million education fund gap, the lack of property tax reform and tax increases in the Current Use program. Vermonters deserve a fiscally responsible budget that invests in job creation.

Dave

Upgrade the Grid

David Rocchio — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:28:56 +0000

I am in Kansas City and am too tired to write so I will post a link to John Kemp’s blog for Reuters. Kemp argues well that upgrading the existing electric supply delivery system is a daunting task in intself and is separate from building a ’smart grid.’ Fix what we have as well as start over. Comments on Kemp’s essay are welcome. This is a critical issue and no one seems to have their arms around the problem in a deep, thoughtful way. What do you think?