The Foley and Malloy Prospectus Compared Part 8– Energy

This is the eighth in a series of blog posting regarding the plans of the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, Tom Foley and Dan Malloy. All of the information provided in the posting is from the candidate’s web sites, http://www.danmalloy.com/policy and http://www.tomfoley2010.com clicking on the “Issues” and “Tom’s Plan” selections. The opinions are my own and not cleared with either candidate’s staff. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a supporter of Dan Malloy and worked as a volunteer on his 2006 campaign as well as the current 2010 campaign.

I will begin with some general observations about the plans that the candidates have posted on their web sites. If less is more, then Foley wins hands down. His plan turns out to be seven pages in my word document. The Malloy plan is a whopping forty eight pages with great detail. I guess that is fitting since most Republicans believe less government is better, obviously a short plan will lead to less government. From the Democratic perspective, government is good and Malloy shows just how he plans to shape and change much of the state government in great detail.

Of course, there is no guarantee that either of the candidate’s will do what they lay out on their web site when actually in office, but like a stock prospectus, it is an indication of the plan and direction each candidate will pursue once in office.

I am leaving out much of the explanatory text in the plans and just noting the planned action items. Both plans are written in the first person, so I will keep that same format as I quote or paraphrase from each plan. The reader will have to remember that the occasional “I” is either “Governor” Foley or “Governor” Malloy.

This comparison continues with the prospective governors’ take on energy issues. Since I started with “Governor” Foley in the last post, I will start with “Governor” Malloy in this post. I will continue this alternate presenting throughout this series of postings.

“Governor” Dan Malloy
Connecticut must act now to ensure immediate rate relief to all consumers.
As Governor, I will look to expand opportunities to finance and invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy by leveraging federal dollars, using the state's bonding authority, incenting private investment, and giving municipalities new options to finance investments.
As Governor, I will tap into expertise in our state agencies, universities, and elsewhere to refocus our energy experts on the goal of reducing costs for residential and business customers.
As Governor, I will create an energy policy leadership team and ensure coordination of our energy expertise to meet the state's energy needs in a way that maximizes benefits to ratepayers, the state's overall economy and our environment, without creating costly new State agencies.
I will fight to increase competition, which will help drive prices down. I will seek to use our purchasing power to negotiate better prices with energy companies - relief with the ultimate goal of reducing costs for every residential consumer in the state. In addition, my administration would be guided by goals to reduce costs for industries critical to competitiveness, provide relief to consumers in energy-congested areas that trigger costly fees, and reduce energy costs paid by state and local government.
I also fully support our current law that stipulates that, by 2020, at least 20% of the energy Connecticut consumes be generated from renewable sources. As Governor I will work to ensure that we make progress each year towards meeting the goal, and that the law remains intact.
Finally, we must make a real and concerted effort to reduce our overall energy consumption. As Governor, I will lead a statewide energy efficiency drive among Connecticut residents with a goal of reducing our energy usage by 15% over the next two years, making Connecticut one of the most energy efficient states in the nation. My administration will promote the importance and necessity of energy efficiency in making our businesses more competitive, saving consumers money, and reducing pollution. We will require the use of timers on hot water heaters to lower energy usage in off-peak hours, and direct utility companies to provide comparison information to residential customers so that they know exactly how their usage stacks up against homes of similar size.
Leadership is also the key to reversing the record on past rate increases and restoring Connecticut's standing as a desirable place live, work, and grow business. As Governor, I will provide the leadership Connecticut needs to achieve that goal.



“Governor” Tom Foley
Connecticut energy costs are too high. We must find ways to more efficiently consume energy and become less dependent on foreign oil. Connecticut has a triple opportunity to improve our air quality, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and create jobs by promoting development of alternative energy technology here at home.
America is too dependent on foreign sources of energy. Nearly a billion dollars every day is sent overseas to pay for foreign oil. Relying on foreign governments for our critical energy needs threatens our national security. Connecticut can make its own contribution to reducing U.S. dependence on foreign energy by encouraging more energy efficiency and developing sources of alternative energy. In doing so, we also contribute to better air quality and will stimulate job growth.

Comment
“Governor” Malloy presents a challenging energy program and relates it to job and business growth as well as the environment. Again, in the backup for the action items, Malloy points out the work he did in Stamford and shows how it may be accomplished in each other city and town with state support. “Governor” Foley does not provide any examples outlining how he expects to decrease energy cost or encourage energy efficiency.