Proposals to reinvent the Northeast Corridor rail system could impact Connecticut more than any other state. But a lack of detail in the plans is causing exasperation even among those who have been pushing for rail improvements for decades, and it has environmentalists worrying whether losses will outweigh the benefits.
Business Council of Fairfield County
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Bridgeport election sparks anxiety over big environmental plans
BRIDGEPORT — With Mayor Bill Finch leaving office soon, there is concern for the incomplete environmental projects in his BGreeen 2020 initiative. Some worry that Mayor-elect Joseph P. Ganim, who campaigned on cutting taxes, could choose to pull the plug on some of the projects – especially those that involve city money.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Transportation
New federal study proposes overhaul of CT railroads — at a cost
WASHINGTON – To tackle congestion in the Northeast Corridor, the Federal Railroad Administration has released an environmental study on ambitious proposals to overhaul Connecticut’s railroad system – possibly adding new routes, high-speed rails and a rail tunnel under Long Island Sound.
Posted inMoney
The tricky business of measuring business climate
Forbes ranks Connecticut 36th among the states as a place to do business. Others peg it as low as 47th. On the plus side, Bloomberg places it fourth on its list of innovative states. And Connecticut ties for second-lowest business tax burden measured against productivity. Does it matter?
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy on rail vs. highway expansion: ‘All of the above’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Thursday his new transportation vision includes the widening of I-95 from New York to Rhode Island, a colossal undertaking that he insists can co-exist with his commitment to the continued expansion of mass transit.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Stamford joins pioneering energy-saving program
Stamford has become the sixth city in the nation and the first in New England to join a national program called the 2030 Districts. It’s designed to reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions without relying on government. It’s entirely voluntary and there are no penalties if goals aren’t met.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT businesses say investing in state’s future trumps tax cuts
Talk of tax cuts may once again be framing Connecticut’s gubernatorial debate, but Joe McGee of the Business Council of Fairfield County, and other business leaders, say it’s time for a wider frame with more long-range perspective.
Posted inHealth
Delay in Obamacare provision a relief to businesses
The Obama administration’s plan to delay a health insurance requirement for large employers comes as a relief for businesses grappling with the new law, but the lag won’t have a dramatic effect on the overall expansion of health care coverage, business and health care experts in Connecticut say.