Environmental activists are going door-to-door in Darien this week with a petition calling for the closure of the coal-burning power plant in Bridgeport. Click on this Environmental Headline for more from the Darien Patch.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty didn’t get everything they wanted, but they claimed victory Tuesday over some major energy policies approved by the legislature this year. Click on this Environmental Headline for more on this story from CT News Junkie.
LNG, which sells for approximately $2 a gallon (versus $4 for diesel), is fast becoming the fuel of choice for long-distance trucking and, yes, you can thank fracking for that. We can and should talk about the environmental hazards of fracking, but the fact is, the country is awash in cheap natural gas, and it’s starting to ripple through the economy, including right here in Connecticut.
Tackling the issue of Connecticut’s notably high energy costs, Stamford joined a program focusing on energy efficiency Tuesday with a partnership between the city, the Business Council of Fairfield County and the state’s Clean Energy Finance Investment Authority to provide financing for green building improvements. The deal for Connecticut’s third-largest city is moving ahead despite
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Solar electric photovoltaic (PV) and solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems installed in Connecticut after January 1, 2014 will be property tax exempt cutting the cost of solar for state business by thousands of dollars under a bill supported and partially drafted by members of SolarConnecticut, Inc. and signed into law today by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
While all the signs of climate change are assaulting our state with a ferocity never seen before, it seems the current administration is content to ignore them and dismantle any environmental progress that Connecticut has made with backdoor deals, late night bargains and an energy strategy which puts more emphasis on supporting polluting industry interests than serving the state and it’s citizens. Click on this Headline for more of this story from Ben Martin.
“The substantial increase to energy efficiency funding in H.B. 6360 is a significant milestone and should be celebrated by all Connecticut residents who care about clean air and economic development,” said Mark LeBel, energy fellow for Connecticut Fund for the Environment.
Off-shore wind energy generation isn’t new in places like Europe, but it presents a new frontier in the United States. The U.S. Department of Interior announced Tuesday that it will hold the first-ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy development on the outer continental shelf. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold the auction
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The budget proposal passed by both the House and the Senate includes plans to steal millions from state clean energy funds, including $30.4 million from the Clean Energy Financing and Investment Authority and $5 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative account. “Generations of smart New England farmers have known that in times of crisis, like famine and drought,” said Seth Kaplan, Vice President for Policy and Climate Advocacy, Conservation Law Foundation, “the last thing (literally) you should do is eat your seeds. It is a desperate acknowledgement that you have completely given up on the future.” Click on this Environmental Headline for more from CTLCV and other environmental groups.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy released the following statement following the House of Representatives’ passage of House Bill 6360 – An Act Concerning the Implementation of Connecticut’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy. Click on the Environmental Headline for more.
Michael Levi’s “The Power Surge” is a welcome relief to melodramatic debates over energy. With a calm voice and an eye for detail, Levi makes the case for a more realistic scenario: renewable energy and fossil fuels are set to share the stage for decades to come. Click on this Environmental Headline for more from the CT Post.
The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority has awarded an $11.6 million contract for the final phase of capping the 96-acre landfill. This final section – about 35 acres – will have photovoltaic panels mounted on top of a special artificial turf. The project is expected to generate about one megawatt of electricity, or enough to power about 1,000 homes at peak efficiency. Solar generation is impacted by weather and the sun’s position in the sky.
When it comes to the giant noisemakers, only one thing really matters and that is the setback, or distance from the turbine to a neighboring property line. Click on this Environmental Headline for more on this story from Citizen’s News.
The question is: If Class II HydroQuebec can be Class I, why can’t Class II Connecticut companies also be Class I? The bill will almost certainly be voted on today. The utilities have spoken but legislators need to hear from their constituents (you) on the bill. Click on this Environmental Headline for more information on how to contact your legislators about this important issue.
Not all fuel cells can be used to capture carbon dioxide. The process only works with molten carbonate fuel cells, a type made by Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, which sells them now to businesses and utilities for certain niche applications. Click on this Environmental Headline for more of this story.
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan’s letter says the Connecticut proposal that would allow hydro to be counted toward that state’s renewable energy goals quote, “undermines our common goal of fostering new and small-scale renewable resources here in New England.”
What do you think? Click on this Environmental Headline for more of this story and to add your comment to the energy mix.
Citing unresolved concerns about Northern Pass, Gov. Maggie Hassan has urged Connecticut’s governor to oppose a pending rewrite of that state’s renewable energy plan that would reclassify large-scale Canadian hydropower for that state’s renewable energy goals. The proposed Northern Pass, which would bring hydropower from Canada to the New England power grid by crossing New
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Is shale gas’ ecological footprint really favorable? Asit Biswas and Julian Kirchherr argue that its exploitation requires and pollutes massive amounts of water and that the damages it cause far outweigh its benefits. New and more rigid regulations are needed to preserve America’s water resources.
At issue is legislation allowing the DEEP to alter the mix of energy it’s using to reach a goal of having 20 percent of all its power produced by renewable energy sources by 2020.
Greenskies has been awarded 12 construction contracts for the installation of solar photovoltaic arrays at service plaza locations on I-95, I-395 and Connecticut Route 15.
