For reasons ranging from environmental health to the stability and long-term viability of petroleum as a fuel source, exploring alternative energy has emerged as an important issue for the state of Vermont. One aspect of this issue is the prospective wide scale use of biodiesel as…

At present, more than 20 percent of total state spending nationally is dedicated to Medicaid, making it the second largest item in most state budgets after education. As funds become limited and health care needs expand, states must search for ways to cut costs while…

While rural areas might not be known for their traffic, congestion is a significant problem in the downtown districts of many small New England towns. The towns of Norwich, VT and Hanover, NH have had to deal with traffic congestion in their downtowns. In Hanover…

New Hampshire provides substantial Medicaid funding for children in foster care yet often still struggles with identifying and treating foster children's mental and physical health problems. This report highlights three areas of concern regarding the provision of Medicaid services to foster children in the Granite…

In New Hampshire and throughout the United States, a significant portion of the population is not actively saving for retirement. Almost half of New Hampshire workers ages 21 to 64 are not enrolled in an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. The overall effect of low retirement…

Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) has replaced lead as an on the United States to increase engine combustion efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. The use of MTBE was expanded after the 1990 Clean Air Acts Amendments (CAA Amendments) both banned the use of lead as…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." In both Vermont and New Hampshire, the majority of these…

New Hampshire and Vermont, along with many other states, are currently struggling to contain the continually rising cost of Medicaid. In recent years, prescription drugs have been one of the largest and the fastest growing component of these costs in both states and across the…

New Hampshire and Vermont, like many states, face the challenge of providing affordable, high-quality Medicaid programs while operating under budget constraints. One component of these medical expenses is the cost of caring for the steadily rising proportion of obese citizens. Medicaid costs attributable to obesity…

The demand for long-term care in the United States is rapidly rising due to the high growth rate of the elderly population. Along with other states, New Hampshire and Vermont must develop financially viable strategies to ensure adequate and efficient programs for long-term care. Medicaid…