A proposed merger between Vermont's largest utilities is now in the hands of the Public Service Board. The board received final briefs in the case on Monday.

State regulators are taking a closer look at what kinds of information utilities should be allowed to keep secret. In recent years, power companies have opted not to reveal the price they've agreed to pay under certain power contracts. And the Public Service Board is asking whether this kind of secrecy is always justified.

State officials say Green Mountain Power will not get the environmental permits it needs to start work August 1st on its Lowell Mountain wind project because their permit review cannot be rushed by the utility company's construction deadline.

The Public Service Board says customers of the state's two largest utilities should help subsidize a new program that aims to make electricity more affordable for the poor.

David Coen, a member of the Vermont Public Service Board, is taking a leading role in shaping national energy policy.

The Public Service Board said "no" to a proposed spin-off of Vermont Yankee into a new company, calling the corporate restructuring financially risky.

The Vermont Public Service Board is weighing views both pro and con on a wind-power project proposed for a ridge line straddling the line between Milton and Georgia.