Opinion: CT must renew its clean energy commitments

Connecticut Falls Behind in Climate Change Efforts

Connecticut was once a strong voice and leader in the effort to contain climate change through forward-thinking policies. Further, officials urged the state’s 169 towns and cities to do their part, empowering local community efforts through funding for education and outreach to create and support local clean energy task forces and commissions.

Today, Connecticut has fallen behind other New England states. It ended its 2023 legislative session with little in the way of new environmental measures and hopes for this session are waning as there are only hours left to the May 8 close of this session.

The Importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The task forces and commissions have done impressive work around the state in the last two dozen years and there remain 74 towns and cities with active energy groups eager to do more. The need is larger and the resources smaller. They need help so they can help their local businesses, institutions, and residents.

Even if Connecticut cannot, or will not, fund local initiatives there ought to at least be a concerted effort to inform the increasingly worried public about ways they can contribute to the clean energy efforts on their own. The local task forces and commissions know best how to reach business owners, institutions, and residents to help them understand how to take advantage of the new federal rebates and tax credits available to those who install solar panels, buy electric or hybrid cars and trucks, install energy-efficient heating and cooling systems or even just weatherize their homes.

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels makes good fiscal sense for towns, schools, businesses, and local homeowners. The new federal rebates and tax credits are designed to help offset the investments in clean and renewable energies, saving money for residents, businesses, institutions, and municipalities.

Connecticut’s Clean Energy Communities Program

About 15 years ago, Connecticut’s Clean Energy Communities program incentivized cities and towns to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy, and related educational initiatives. Each municipality signed a pledge to reduce municipal building energy consumption, and to procure an ever-increasing amount of clean energy as part of its energy supply. In turn they were supported in their efforts with seed money to begin the work of educating the public.

So what have the task forces and commissions accomplished with that seed money?

Municipal clean energy task forces and commissions became, and remain, the primary “on the ground” grassroots promoters, marketers, educators, and implementers of every public, private and public-private initiative. Because they are local residents, and volunteers, they are considered trusted sources of information. Their work has included:

• Creating energy campaigns, hosted conferences, and communicated through forums, library talks and more about the Home Energy Solutions Program (HES and HES-Income Eligible), solar programs, electric vehicles, heat pumps, storage batteries, and other energy programs.
• Sponsoring and hosting forums and conferences on climate change, net zero energy schools, clean transportation (including electric school and public transit buses plus municipal fleets) and the environmentally responsible siting of renewables.
• Focusing considerable energy on connecting “hard-to-reach” residents and businesses with Connecticut’s numerous energy conservation and weatherization programs.

Specifically, in the town of North Haven, where the Clean Energy Task Force was created in 2007, we have shepherded through three successful campaigns focused on helping local homeowners make their homes more energy efficient (almost 40% of North Haven residents have had a Home Energy assessment), two campaigns promoting residential solar, and several public forums on climate change, solar power, energy efficiency, and other topics. Presently the CETF of North Haven is conducting a HeatSmart heat pump campaign.

The town has seen the merit in these initiatives and itself has:

• Installed solar panels at the town land fill offsetting the costs associated with the town’s largest energy user, the Water Pollution Control Facility.
• Implemented a program that resulted in $6 million worth of energy-related upgrades in heating and lighting systems in municipal and school buildings.
• Established a policy to seek the best energy prices at world auctions, which has saved $1.5 million in the last seven years.
• Installed an Aegis heat energy pump at the town pool that helped reduce the costs of the town’s second largest energy user.
• Worked closely with the United Illuminating Company to convert all of the streetlights in town to LED lights, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

None of these initiatives would have been possible without the dedication and education of the Clean Energy Task Force and its close working relationship with the first selectman and other town officials.

Renewing Connecticut’s Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals

Just as it did nearly 20 years ago, Connecticut must make its intentions clearly known and renew its commitment to reducing dependence on the fossil fuels responsible for climate change and the damage it has done, and will continue to do, to our towns and cities.

Michael Freda is First Selectman in North Haven. Kenny Foscue is Chair of the North Haven Clean Energy Task Force.

Related Stories:

1. ctmirror.org

    

   

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