March 28, 2009
THE FUTURE IS GREEN
Local and state leaders gather for Friday night energy summit
By David Hinchey, Chronicle Staff Writer
WILLIMANTIC — It was a night to go green in the Thread City Friday night, as 40 plus residents crammed into a meeting room to learn about energy assistance programs, green jobs and a public power authority.
The energy forum was hosted by local state Rep. Susan Johnson, D-Willimantic, and featured fellow state Rep. Vickie Nardello, D-Prospect, who chairs the state legislature's energy and technology committee.
Also present were members of the Windham Renewable Energy Committee, William Leahy, director of Eastern Connecticut State University's Institute for Sustainable Energy and Shirley Berger of CT Legal Services.
With escalating energy prices, legislators expressed concern of the high rates being borne by ratepayers.
“Most of us are paying too much,” Nardello said of electricity rates, adding a proposal to form a public power authority “will lower prices.”
Nardello elaborated on the proposal after the forum, which would look to create the Connecticut Electric Authority after the forum.
The bill — HB 6510, which passed Nardello's committee last week — would essentially make the public power authority the purchasing agent to buy electricity.
She said the authority would buy directly from power generating companies with the benefit of combining ratepayer purchasing power or pooling.
“Who looks after the interest of the ratepayer?” Nardello asked rhetorically, noting shareholders and lobbyists represent the utility companies.
Also, the authority could finance and purchase power plants to make sure there's an adequate power supply. “It's an essential need,” Nardello said, adding electricity should be “priced fairly.”
Nardello said she has heard from residents who complain about high energy costs, but — more recently — she's heard from manufacturers and businesses.
She said deregulation approved in 1998 and enacted in 2000 did not turn out as legislators had hoped and there were many unintended consequences from the vote, which included higher utility costs.
Johnson seemed supportive of the proposal. “It would bring control back to Connecticut,” she said.
“It's a lot of money out of our economy,” Johnson said after the forum regarding why the issue is important in the state.
She said one option that might help ratepayers is the creation of a public power authority.
Meanwhile, other panelists discussed the creation of “green jobs.”
Leahy said part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to create jobs and put people back to work.
He said the stimulus package seeks to create 2 million jobs in green fields, jobs that would allow people to be certified in fields such as weatherization or solar installation.