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hydrogen," Farrell said. Connecticut in 2013 was one of eight states to enter into an agree- ment to put a combined 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. The focus up until now has been on electric cars — since they have already gone to market — but Connecticut wants to be a forerunner in fuel cell vehicles, too. Unlike electric vehicles that take four to eight hours to charge and can go 50-100 miles on their batteries, fuel cell cars can be refueled in four minutes and can drive 300-400 miles on a single tank, very similar to how gasoline-powered cars operate. "The closer they can get to the current driver experience, the better chance the cars have in the market," said Morry Markowitz, president of the national Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association. California will have the advan- tage over all states in getting fuel cell vehicles first, as some already are sold on the market there, but Connecticut could emerge as an East Coast leader if its infrastruc- ture is in place, Markowitz said. "Connecticut has taken an impor- tant step in realizing it has to provide financial support in getting these sta- tions off the ground," Markowitz said. The $450,000 for the two stations came from the $15 million fund created when Connecticut approved the merger between Hartford's Northeast Utilities and Boston's NStar, a combined company now called Ever - source Energy. Applicants who want to install one of the fuel cell stations have until Sept. 15 to turn in their materials, said Joel Rinebold, CCAT director of energy initiatives. The stations will be successful in attracting automakers to the fuel cell market in Connecticut, said Rinebold, as the state already has a wealthy and environmentally con- scious population. "The stations will be an encour- agement for early market adopters, private fleets and government fleets to use fuel cell cars," Rinebold said. News Cycle Government Grades by Brad Kane Childish Legislature — The law to move Con- necticut toward a modern power grid didn't get voted on during the legislative session — and had to be passed with less-defined terms in a special session — because House leaders were taking personal revenge on the law's champion, State Rep. Lonnie Reed, for vot- ing against the proposed state budget. Do we really need to bring in kindergarteners to teach our elected leaders emotional maturity? Better Submetering — In order to make the billing information much less complex, Connecticut regulators modified their initial ruling allowing landlords of multi-unit developments to indi- vidually charge tenants for electricity from re- newable energy installa- tions. While we appreciate the ruling coming down, it is discouraging that it has taken more than five years for Connecticut to get to this point. Grade: C+ Grade: F BY THE NUMBERS $3 Billion Value of proposed acquisition of New Haven's UIL Holdings by Spain's Iberdrola denied by Connecticut regulators, leading the firms to reapply and delay the deal. 863 Direct and indirect jobs created by the Northeast cap-and-trade program Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative since it started in 2003. 187 miles Length of the proposed Northern Pass transmission line, which federal officials said is the cheapest option to bring low-cost power to New England but will disrupt New Hampshire's natural beauty. Two Manufacturing plants operated by Enfield solar parts maker STR Holdings, after the company closed its Malaysia facility. The two remaining are in China and Spain. $19.61 The New England wholesale price of electricity in June, the lowest on record, thanks to mild weather and the low cost of natural gas. $1 million Amount in federal grant money the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection has for marinas to build sewage disposal facilities. SOURCES: UIL HOLDINGS, THE ANALYSIS GROUP, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, STR HOLDINGS, ISO NEW ENGLAND, DEEP 4 CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE • FALL 2015 www.CTGreenGuide.com Joel Rinebold, director of energy initiatives, CCAT