Burlington residents will be paying an average of 4.5% more for electricity for FY 2026.

At a June 2 City Council meeting, Burlington Electric Department (BED) General Manager Darren Springer reportedly proposed a 4.5% rate increase, a move endorsed by both the Electric Commission and the Board of Finance.

Springer said the adjustment is needed to maintain service quality while keeping rates competitive. Vermont currently has the lowest electric rates in New England, a point he stressed during his presentation. If approved, the change would add about $3.78 per month to the average residential bill and $4.81 for small business customers.

Bee pesticide hearing tonight

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets will hold its second public hearing tonight on a rule implementing a ban on “Best Management Practices For Neonicotinoid Treated Article Seeds and Neonicotinoid Pesticides,” the Journal-Opinion reports.

Tonight’s hearing is in Vergennes, but there are virtual options available.

Last month, a ban on the pesticide spray went into effect and ban on coated seeds will be imposed beginning in 2029.

“The legislature limited the use of pesticides because of the decline in bee populations,” reports WPTZ-TV. “Beekeepers said they’ve had to replace bees regularly because of the pesticides.”

Vulnerable power lines get buried

Deep in the forests of Southern Vermont, Green Mountain Power is burying vulnerable power lines with a new trencher, reports the Journal-Opinion via a story by the Manchester Journal.

“When GMP first started burying power lines, it was using excavators.”

They have gone from 400 or 500 feet in a day to 4,000 feet in a day. The speed has helped reduce costs to bring it in line with the expense of replacing overhead lines.

Over the last three years, 41 miles of power lines have been laid underground at an average cost of $16 per foot. It’s part of a GMP initiative to make Vermont’s power grid less vulnerable to extreme weather, especially in hard-to-reach areas.