Christine Woodside

State legislators are drafting a bill to preserve millions of dollars in a fund that uses electric bill surcharges to subsidize energy-saving projects and create jobs. The fund, known as the Energy Efficiency Fund, was slated to lose 35 percent of its total every year for eight years–$28.7 million per year–starting in July to pay […]

New measurements of Connecticut wind speeds show that many more sites than previously believed could be economically viable for wind power, potentially expanding the range where turbines could produce electricity. The data suggest that with today’s taller turbines and improved blades, wind power could work even in lower-lying areas, not just the higher elevations in […]

Two investors speaking at a forum on green jobs Wednesday said that a wholesale change in approach will be required for tiny Connecticut to attract some of the billions of investors’ dollars available for clean energy projects. Kevin Walsh, managing director of renewable energy for the Stamford-based GE Energy Financial Services, and Old Lyme-based Liddy […]

STORRS–Think of biofuel, and what comes to mind is vast acres of Midwest corn for ethanol, or a hobbyist fueling his tractor with old French fry fat. But in a lab at the University of Connecticut, researchers are looking into commercial-scale biofuel manufacturing using cooking oil, switchgrass and–perhaps most intriguing–algae. The UConn team has received […]

For many people, the image of the state Department of Environmental Protection is frozen in the 1970s, when it was established to clean up the earth, air and water. For the man tapped to lead the merger of DEP with the state’s utility regulation agency, the new mission is to use the environmental imperative to […]

It’s an alluring proposition: Connecticut solves its major energy problems while creating a new economy, cuts greenhouse gas emissions while building a new job base. People and the planet both win. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy emphasized the green economy and creation of green jobs during his campaign, and named man who wrote the book on […]

EAST HARTFORD–The United States is losing the global energy race, and it’s time to get back on the track, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a visit to United Technologies Research Center Friday. Just as the launch of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union jolted the US into stepping up space exploration, America’s recent […]

Connecticut is a state looking for renewable energy sources, where wood is in abundant supply. But one method of heating with renewable fuel, outdoor wood furnaces, could be all but banned under terms of a bill to be introduced next General Assembly session. State Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, co-chair of the General Assembly’s Environment Committee, […]

Rules that would govern the amount of water reservoir owners must release downstream and how much can be retained for human use were rejected for a second time on Tuesday on the grounds that they need more work. The legislature’s Regulations Review Committee voted 10-2 to reject the “stream flow” rules, which were the second […]

Ten years after a dispute between two towns ignited the issue, a legislative panel is set to vote this week on rules governing how much water reservoir owners must release downstream and how much can be retained for human use. If approved, the so-called “stream flow” rules would be the first broad controls of reservoirs […]

Environmental lobbyists have decided not to push for a bill to prepare coastal and riverfront municipalities for climate change this session, saying cities and towns aren’t ready for a law until they learn more about what’s to come. “I think we anticipate doing that, but probably not this year,” said David Sutherland, director of government […]

With a new legislative session just a month away, the state Department of Environmental Protection this week is touting its efforts to streamline the permitting process–efforts some business leaders say are a good beginning, but not enough. DEP has long been criticized by the business community and state legislators over the length of time it […]