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32 CoNNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE • WinTer 2014 www.CTGreenGuide.com Opinion LETTER To ThE EDIToR Landfill Solar an Investment in Bridgeport our state's capital city recently celebrated the launch of its solar panel array at the hart- ford landfill. And, our state's largest city has the opportunity to do the same. Green Energy Park will consist of 9,000 solar panels and a 2.8 megawatt fuel cell at the site of Bridge- port's old Seaside Landfill. The project was approved with overwhelm- ing support from Bridgeport's Parks Commis- sion and City Council. It creates jobs, grows our economy, produces clean energy, and helps our kids breathe cleaner air. Green Energy Park will serve as a boon to our economy. The project is expected to earn the city $7 million over the course of its 20-year lease. It will also create up to 92 green jobs. In addition to benefitting Bridgeport's economy, it further positions our city as a leader on clean energy in Connecticut and across the country. The Park City currently houses the world's second largest fuel cell, which powers 15,000 homes, and Green Energy Park will produce enough energy to power an additional 5,000 homes, both with virtually pollution-free energy. Its most significant benefits are for our kids and grandkids. Bridgeport currently suffers from one of the worst asthma rates, which are three times higher than the state's average. But decreasing air pollution can help beat back asthma and other respiratory ailments. The bottom line is that Bridgeport is investing in the future. Green Energy Park is a perfect example of just that. It generates green job creation. It produces enough clean energy to power thousands of homes. And, it helps our kids and grandkids breathe cleaner air. It's a great opportunity for our city. Bill Finch Mayor, Bridgeport EDIToRIAL A Compromised Solution With Compromised Successes C onnecticut had to do some- thing. Sometime early next year, Connecticut will open the Hartford-New Britain busway for business. The rapid bus transit system — rebranded CTfastrak after years of political bickering — should be appropriately lauded as a successful project that will change how people move around the west- ern half of Greater Hartford. How much that movement chang- es will be limited, but CTfastrak was a limited concept to begin with. Faced with a congested I-84 and little political will and less financial wherewithal to make a radical pub- lic transit investment in light rail or a subway, state and federal trans- portation officials came up with the idea in the 1990s to put in a 9.4- mile dedicated roadway that could serve all the bus routes between Harford and New Britain. All the opponents that came out against the project — delaying it nearly two decades and ballooning the cost to $570 million — weren't wrong when they said it wouldn't revolutionize Greater Hartford mo- bility or congestion on I-84. Buses are still buses, even if they move a little faster on their own roadway. While there may be some converts, most people still will eschew the buses for the greater freedom and status symbols that cars provide. Yet, it was the right move. No, it won't change everything, but it will change some things. Getting the buses off I-84 loos- ens congestion on the highway. Current bus riders will have more freedom as they spend less time on the road. If there is ever a major event that disrupts traffic flow on I-84 — such as a car accident or the eventual realignment of the Hart- ford viaduct — the busway provides a viable transportation alternative. New Britain, Central Connecti- cut State University, and Newing- ton already are working on major development projects that take advantage of CTfastrak. As the UCo- nn Health Center and Jackson Labs become more important economic centers in Farmington, the busway will offer a quick alternative to and from Hartford. All this certainly won't solve every transportation problem facing the western side of Greater Hartford, but it doesn't need to. Solving some of the issues does help with the problem. Was the $570 million investment smarter than using that money to make a down payment on a much more ambitious project? Maybe, maybe not, but either way, it was better than nothing.