Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 1, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 21 OTHER VOICES Key questions CT's gubernatorial candidates must address By Chip Beckett, Jon Colman, and Dave Kilbon T hank you candidates for seeking and accepting the nomination to be Connecticut's next governor. Although each of you has a differ- ent perspective on the best approach to address Connecticut's fiscal issues, there's no disagreement that these issues represent a serious impediment to the state's future. Along those lines, the public needs answers to three questions we believe are critical to overcoming the chal- lenges that face us. They include: 1. As governor, what actions would you take to address the state's finan- cial and fiscal issues? As the newly elected governor you can expect to have a mandate to follow through on the policy proposals you out- lined during the campaign. Under these circumstances, what actions can voters expect you to undertake and what proposals would you advance to the leg- islature for action? What, if any, reform of state services would you propose? 2. Of the recommendations made by the Commission on Fiscal Stabili- ty and Economic Growth, which do you believe should be implemented and how would you go about doing so? The Commission was formed as part of the bipartisan budget delibera- tions in the fall of 2017. Made up of leaders from busi- ness, education and government, its charge was to review the state's fiscal situation and to make recommendations to set Connecticut on a path to prosperity. In March, the Commission delivered its recommendations to Gov. Malloy and legislative leaders. As governor, you would have a leading role in determining the disposition of these recommendations, so it's impor- tant for voters to know — before they go to the polls in November — your position on the Commission's recommendations. 3. What role do you perceive region- al Councils of Governments (COGs) play in helping address these issues? Do you favor providing COGs with the ability to raise funds directly through regional taxation? Connecticut is divided by statute into nine COGs, each made up of the cities and towns in a geographic section of the state. COGs function as regional planning agencies for their mem- bers and provide services to member municipalities and, in some cases, statewide. Member and subscribing non-member communities can often save costs or provide residents better services by availing themselves of COG offerings. In many other states, COGs have the ability to institute a voter-approved, time-limited regional tax to fund proj- ects; say, for example, a transit project or regional communications system. So, two questions: How do you see COGs' role in addressing the larger is- sue of the state's fiscal issues? Do you favor the approach of limited, voter- approved regional taxation? And finally, we ask you a favor. Espe- cially at the national level we have seen recent campaigns that concentrate on denigrating an opponent as opposed to spelling out what a candidate would do if elected. We believe this does both the candidates and the voters a disservice. To avoid this, please aim your campaigns to outline as specifically as possible what you would do if elected governor, not what you insinuate your opponents would do. Stewart (Chip) Beckett III is minority leader of the Glastonbury Town Council; Jon Colman is a past Bloomfield deputy mayor/ councilman; and Dave Kilbon is former first selectman of East Granby and currently chairs the East Granby board of finance. All three are members of the Capitol Region Council of Governments policy board. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULT: Is Congressman John Larson's multibillion-dollar Hartford tunnel plan a smart potential investment? NEXT WEEK'S POLL: Does your business have a plan to deal with a cyber-attack? To vote, go online to hartfordbusiness.com LETTER TO THE EDITOR Reliable and clean energy a key election issue I n HBJ's Sept. 17 article ("Could clean energy become an election issue?") a survey by Green- berg Quinlan Rosner Research found 73 percent of Connecticut voters support moving our state to 100 percent renewable energy over the next decade. This comes as no surprise as state residents appreciate energy reliability, clean air and the jobs created by the clean energy industry. And while cost, durability and energy storage remain issues to be addressed, Connecticut is on a tra- jectory to achieve this goal for cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy. For example, Connecticut's Low and Zero Emis- sions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC/ZREC) program uses a competitive reverse auction to select the lowest-cost renewable energy projects, which helped drive down renewable energy cost and reduce the economic impact on ratepayers. Class I Renewable Energy ZREC technologies include wind and solar generation with no emis- sions. Class I Renewable Energy LREC technolo- gies include fuel cells, which convert hydrogen or hydrogen-rich fuels into electricity and heat with no or low emissions. The accepted average ZREC bids for large and medium-sized ZREC projects dropped from $133 per REC in 2012 to a range of $67 to $95 per REC in early 2018. Fuel cell LRECs were even more competitive with an average ac- cepted bid price of $48.15 per REC in 2018, reduced from a 2012 average bid price of $66.86 per REC. Although the program does come with a cost, it is widely recognized as innovative and proactive to reduce the expense of renewable energy, decrease air emissions and greenhouse gases, improve long-term energy reliability and sustainability, and in some cases increase opportunities for economic development and job creation. For example, the Class I Renewable fuel cell industry has a strong original equipment manufacturer presence and manufacturing supply chain hub in Connecticut. Currently, the Connecticut hydrogen fuel cell industry annually provides over $600 million in revenue and investment and over $30 million in state and local tax revenue to Connecticut. Further, with additional investment and deploy- ment, the economic return from this industry could exceed $1 billion with another $840 million coming from the Connecticut supply chain. Manufacturers, legislators, regulators and elec- tric distribution companies must continually strive to reduce energy cost, improve energy reliability, install energy storage systems to bank power from solar and wind facilities, and look for ways to syn- ergistically improve the Connecticut economy. However, the state's LREC/ZREC program provides a significant opportunity for Connecti- cut to increase use of competitively procured clean energy directly at consumer and grid sites; increase energy reliability for the grid and con- sumers; and create opportunities for job creation and economic development. Is renewable energy an election issue? Yes, and justifiably so. Joel Rinebold is director of energy for the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology and chairman of the Connecticut Hydrogen- Fuel Cell Coalition. 66.4% No 33.6% Yes Chip Beckett Jon Colman Dave Kilbon

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