This article was written and reported by Patch Senior Regional Editor Elissa Bass.
In response to a press release sent to Patch Sunday, Dennis Schain, Communications Director for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, issued this response:
Under the leadership of Governor Malloy, Commissioner Esty and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) are putting the building blocks in place – a renewed focus on efficiency, innovative approaches to encourage the deployment of in-state renewable energy, and land use and transportation strategies designed to reduce the need for travel by car.
As part of this effort, DEEP and the CT General Assembly are also looking at restructuring what is called the Renewable Portfolio Strategy (RPS). This is a 15-year old program designed to encourage the development and use of renewable energy. A key goal of this restructuring is to make certain that we get clean power at a price everyone can afford – which is an important consideration. Just ask families who are struggling to pay their bills or businesses that would like to expand and create more jobs what they think about holding down the cost of electricity.
There has been some debate about the best means of accomplishing clean energy objectives – which resulted in the polite protest at Sunday’s Earth Day event in Hartford. The good news is that this debate appears to have resulted in a compromise approach that will safeguard the integrity of the RPS but allow for alternative strategies – such as the possibility of large-scale hydro – if circumstances warrant.
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