Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • February 22, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com ENERGY & UTILITIES CT joins 16 states in clean-energy accord Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last week announced that he has signed a pledge to work with 16 other states to diversify their collective energy sources, promote clean transportation, and modernize energy infrastructure. It's not clear exactly what policy proposals may result for Connecticut from the Governors' Accord for a New Energy Future. The state in recent years has worked to reduce its carbon emissions through mandates and incentives for utilities, pow- er developers and others. Possibilities mentioned in the accord include incentives to spur adoption of electric vehicles and related infrastructure, and to grow the amount of renewable energy in the states' respective power mixes. Connecticut, which like many of its neighbors relies heavily on natural gas and nuclear power to meet its electricity demand, has already pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by as much as 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Staff from the governors' offices will convene soon to discuss the accord further, the announcement said. The accord includes all New England states except Maine, as well as Califor- nia, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylva- nia, Virginia and Washington. CT ranks 18th in solar industry jobs Connecticut had 1,951 solar industry jobs in 2015, the 18th highest total in the country by population, according to a new survey conducted by an industry group. More than half of those jobs were installers, while 29 percent were sales and distribution positions, according to the Solar Foundation. Manufacturing ac- counted for just 4 percent of the Connecticut's solar jobs. Hartford County had 697 solar jobs, which was the most of any Connecticut county. The rankings were again dominated by California, while Massachusetts had the second-highest number of solar jobs per capita, at 15,095, the survey said. That's 74 percent of all solar jobs in New England. SPORTS & OUTDOORS Professional soccer coming to New Britain Officials from the American Soccer League and New Britain Mayor Erin E. Stewart announced last week the city's new partnership with the league to bring the only professional soccer team in the state to the Hardware City. The mayor's spokesperson said this is a different league than was slated to play in Hartford at Dillon Stadium. That minor league soccer franchise, Hartford City FC, was sidelined after the Major Arena Soccer League booted the team from the league following news of a federal probe into the team's founders. New Britain has entered into an agreement with the American Soccer League to have the Connecticut United Football Club play at Veterans Memorial Stadium starting this spring. It is located next to the stadium where the minor league baseball New Britain Bees will play their home games. Stewart said she is pushing to make New Britain the sports capital of the state. Last fall, the city's former minor league baseball team, the New Britain Rock Cats, relocated abruptly to Hartford to become the Yard Goats. The American Soccer League is a professional development league that fea- tures many players who go on to play in Major League Soccer or internationally. Other teams in the league are located in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. HOSPITALITY & TOURISM Foxwoods, Mohegan post higher January slot revenues Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are off to a good start in 2016, with both casinos posting overall increases in slot play and revenues. Foxwoods Resort Casino reported slot revenue of $35.7 million for the month of January, up 4.7 percent from a year earlier. Its handle, the total bet on slots, for the month was $424.8 million, up 5.6 percent from the $424.8 million wa- gered in Jan. 2015. Mohegan Sun reported January slots revenue of $48.4 million, up from $44 million in Jan. 2015. Its handle of $601.7 million was up $63.4 million, or 11.9 percent, from a year ago. HEALTH CARE Study: Shift to home care could save CT $657M Connecticut could save $657 million by 2025 if the state continues its policy of reducing institutionalized long-term healthcare services in favor of more community and home-based care. That's according to a report released last week by the Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century that was conducted by its research partner, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center. The state has worked since 2005 to keep more long-term care patients in community settings. Advocates of the policy say it's a way to deliver lower-cost, higher-quality care. Since 2009, the percentage of Connecticut long-term care patients receiving home-care services has increased from 53 percent to 60 percent relative to those utilizing institutional care, the report said. The state's goal is to have 75 percent of long-term care patients in non- institutional settings by 2025, which would save the state $657 million between now and then. To ensure Connecticut achieves the best results, the report said the state should: establish a long-term care coordinator, broaden the scope of long-term care planning, develop plans to increase the size of the long-term care work- force, and expand the long-term care awareness campaign. TRANSPORTATION Motor vehicle deaths up in CT Motor vehicle deaths in Connecticut jumped 14 percent in 2015. The National Safety Council (NSC) said that puts the state ahead of the national increase of 8 percent. According to preliminary numbers, 283 people died in 2015, compared to 249 in 2014. In terms of percentage increase, that ranks Connecticut 13th overall. The National Safety Council says lower gas prices and an improving economy are behind the increase in traffic deaths, as well as drivers taking safety for granted. Nationally, the 2015 deaths were the largest year-over-year percent increase in 50 years. The NSC estimates 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads, and 4.4 million were seriously injured, meaning 2015 was likely the deadliest driving year since 2008. BY THE NUMBERS 75% The percent of long-term care patients in Connecticut who are supposed be in home or community care rather than institutional-care settings by 2025, a shift that could save the state $657 million, according to a new report. 39,000 The number of aerospace and defense-sector jobs the U.S. is expected to add in 2016, according to accounting/consulting firm Deloitte. 1% The 2015 increase in passenger traffic at Bradley International Airport, which recorded 2.96 million passengers last year. $228,767 The amount the state is paying to purchase the development rights of the 123-acre May Farm in Woodstock. TOP 5 MOST READ on HartfordBusiness.com ■ Better Business Bureau reports worst business categories ■ Professional soccer coming to New Britain ■ BDL sees passenger growth in 2015 ■ Bear's BBQ opening in Union Station ■ New England to pay less for future power capacity STAY CONNECTED For breaking and daily Greater Hartford business news go to www.HartfordBusiness.com. HBJ on Twitter: @HartfordBiz HBJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartfordBiz HBJ on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ the-Hartford-Business-Journal Daily e-newsletters: HBJ Today, CT Morning Blend www.HartfordBusiness.com/subscribe Weekly e-newsletters: CT Green Guide Weekly, CT Health Care Weekly www.HartfordBusiness.com/subscribe WEEK IN REVIEW More passengers frequented Bradley International Airport in 2015, compared to a year earlier. TOP STORY BDL sees passenger growth in 2015 Windsor Locks' Bradley International Airport reported a 1 percent increase in passenger traffic last year, although fewer people used the airport in December, according to new data released by the Connecticut Airport Authority. The airport authority reported the 2015 passenger total was 2.96 million. That's a 1 percent year-over-year increase from the 2014 total of 2.93 million passengers. Traffic has grown 9.6 percent since 2013. The airline showing the largest growth both in passenger numbers and percent growth was JetBlue. It reported 424,457 passengers in 2015, an 18 percent increase from 2014. Southwest continues to be the biggest airline at Bradley with 820,784 passengers. Those numbers declined from a 2014 tally of 855,127 passengers. Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dil- lon said the 2015 growth is impressive in light of the previ- ous year's 8.4 percent increase in passenger traffic, driven in part by the authority's emphasis on aggressive route de- velopment. "We anticipate that 2016 will be an even better year with the start of service to Dublin, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, as well as increased service to Denver," he said. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D

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