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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 33 Opinion & Commentary Politically correct electricity will raise rates, fail climate By Chris Powell H ow much do Connecticut and Governor Lamont want to commit to buying a lot of politically correct electricity to reduce "global warming" before ascertaining and understanding its price? Not as much as they used to. Reality is catching up with political correctness in energy costs. For Connecticut residents and busi- nesses are angry at their sharp recent increases in electricity prices, especially since the increases were political choices by the governor and General Assembly. For many years, the governor and legisla- tors have chosen to hide in electric bills the costs of various social programs having nothing directly to do with the generation and distribu- tion of electricity, including a program that requires electricity users who pay their bills to pay as well for elec- tricity users who don't pay for years at a time. As this is a public welfare expense it should have been covered by the state budget, where elected officials could be held accountable for it, and not hidden in electricity bills, where blame is misdirected to the electric utilities. Now that the soaring price of elec- tricity has gotten people's attention, they have discovered and resent the government's dishonesty. The bigger cause of the recent elec- tricity rate increases is the commit- ment state government made by law in 2017 to purchase half the electrical output of the Millstone nuclear power plant to keep the plant in business. Since Millstone produces nearly half the electricity used in Connecticut, its closure would jeopardize the state's energy security. In addition, the power Millstone produces can be portrayed as politically correct. That is, Millstone generates no "greenhouse gases," just deadly radio- active waste with a half life of thou- sands of gubernatorial and legislative terms, waste for which the federal government has not yet gotten around to creating a depository, and whose politically incorrectness has been temporarily suspended. For a while, the Millstone guarantee saved Connecticut electricity users a lot of money, but now other sources of electricity, especially natural gas, have fallen in price and are less expensive than nuclear. Energy prices change, and state government did not prepare the public for the possibility. The Millstone guarantee may save money again before it expires in 2029, but at the moment it's a loser. So now Gov. Lamont is backing away from Connecticut's agreement to join Massachusetts and Rhode Island in buying a lot of electricity from offshore wind projects that aren't operating yet and whose electricity almost certainly will be much more expensive than electricity produced any other way. Indeed, it's questionable whether offshore wind will even work or survive the first hurricane or nor'easter that comes along. The governor is musing about recommitting to offshore wind if Massachusetts and Rhode Island will join Connecticut's commitment to buy power from Millstone, thereby spreading the risk of volatile energy costs. Maybe Massachusetts and Rhode Island would pay for some extra security from Millstone. But the more electricity prices rise under the pressure of political correctness, as they will rise, the more Connecticut should question political correctness in energy. Even if one really believes that big changes in climate are man-made and not produced by the same natural factors that caused big changes many times over millions of years before the industrial age, one is obliged to believe something else before committing the state to still more expensive electricity. That is, one is obliged to believe that anything little Connecticut does with its energy sources will make any difference to the world's climate. The nonprofit environmentalist organization Global Energy Monitor recently reported that China is developing enough new coal mines to produce another 1.28 billion metric tons of that dirty fuel every year. A spokeswoman for the group noted that China's government maintains long-term contracts guaranteeing the profitability of coal mines. Meanwhile, Connecticut subsidizes what it considers "green" power. Chinese coal is sure to erase in just a few minutes whatever savings Connecticut could achieve in "green- house gases" in a year, even if the state stopped using conventional energy altogether. So, how much more does Connecticut want to pay just to feel politically correct about electricity? Chris Powell is the former managing editor of the Journal Inquirer. He has written about Connecticut government and politics for decades. Sept. is workforce development month: CT State Community College is building the future workforce By O. John Maduko A s we celebrate National Workforce Development Month in September and look ahead to National Manufacturing Month in October, Connecticut faces a critical challenge: ensuring that its workforce keeps pace with industry needs in a rapidly evolving economy. At CT State Commu- nity College (CT State), we are leading this effort, cultivating the talent needed to fill high-demand jobs and propel Connecticut's industries into the future. Our graduates are not just employees and small business owners — they are the backbone of Connecticut's economy. CT State serves the largest undergraduate student body in the state, with more than 90% of our alumni staying in Connecticut, contributing to the local tax base. This positions our college as a key driver of job creation and economic growth. Whether it's in health care, O. John Maduko Chris Powell IT, manufacturing or education, CT State produces the skilled talent that Connecticut businesses depend on. We are expanding allied health programs and forging new partner- ships with local manufacturers to ensure Connecticut remains compet- itive. CT State is the state's largest producer of manufacturing, allied health and nursing graduates, and the leading supplier of IT professionals. Our nursing graduates boast an NCLEX-RN exam pass rate of over 98%, and 90% of our manufacturing graduates secure employment shortly after completing their studies. If CT State is going to continue to be the talent engine that our employers rely on, we must reimagine what investment in public higher education looks like. A recent report conducted by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce projects that between 2021 and 2031, an average of 197,000 job openings will be created annually in Connecticut, both from new jobs and jobs that become available for other reasons, such as retirement. During this time, the state will see net growth of 86,000 jobs requiring postsecondary education and training. Continued investment from both the public and private sectors is essential to scaling our programs and meeting the growing demand in emerging fields like nursing, manu- facturing, cybersecurity, renewable energy and data analytics. I urge policymakers and business leaders to collaborate with CT State in building the workforce of the future. Thanks to the restoration of key components of our budget during the last legislative session, our students have access to vital services such as career counseling, tutoring, mentoring, mental health support and state-of-the-art classroom technology. This investment ensures we aren't just preparing students for jobs — we're equipping them with the skills and resilience to thrive in their careers. Our strong relationships with Connecticut manufacturers and healthcare partners like Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky, General Dynam- ics-Electric Boat, Hartford Health- Care and Yale New Haven Health — among others — underscore our role in driving the state's economy. Many of our students train on-site, and secure jobs with family-sus- taining wages upon graduating. Additionally, our allied health students provide clinical services to underserved populations before they graduate. These collaborations are essential to the ongoing success of the state's manufacturing and health- care sectors, as well as the vitality of our communities. The success stories of our grad- uates illustrate the transformative power of a community college education. Many go on to build careers in fields critical to Connecti- cut's future, while others continue their education at four-year institu- tions, saving tens of thousands of dollars through our transfer path- ways and free tuition programs. This affordability is central to our mission, particularly for first-gen- eration and working adult students who rely on us for a high-quality, low-cost education. Continued on next page