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CT throws a lifeline to fuel cells, waste to energy
A new law passed by the state legislature without much fanfare could have a major impact on Connecticut's energy industry, providing a potential lifeline to two important, but struggling sectors: fuel cells and waste-to-energy power plants.
While the two sectors are vastly different, the law provides one common benefit: the chance for more business and revenue.
For fuel cells, the law tees up a sizable opportunity to win coveted long-term power-purchase contracts with utility companies.
And for waste-to-energy plants, policy tweaks could help drive up long-stagnant prices of renewable energy credits, which plants earn and sell to reap a secondary revenue stream.
The stakes are high for both sectors, which employ thousands of workers in the state but have experienced layoffs and cutbacks recently due to slower demand.
In December, for example, Danbury's FuelCell Energy said it was cutting 96 jobs, or 17 percent of its workforce, as a result of weakened demand for its products. It, along with all other fuel cell manufacturers in Connecticut, also lost out last year on major long-term energy contracts put out to bid by the state.
Meantime, a trash-to-energy plant in Wallingford recently closed.
Energy attorney Lee Hoffman recently told an industry crowd that Public Act 17-144, which was signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on June 28, could be a boon to both sectors. "It has so much in it," said Hoffman, who practices at Pullman & Comley in Hartford. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction To Begin On $30M Albany Avenue Overhaul
When the shovels hit the dirt on Albany Avenue in the coming weeks, they'll have nearly two decades of history driving them.
After years of stalled efforts due to logistical roadblocks and funding issues, a $30 million, one-mile streetscape project will enter its construction phase on the North End artery late next week, officials said Thursday.
The project, formally announced during a public hearing in January, is being funded by a combination of federal and state money, an "80-20 split," according to state officials. The work will stretch from Homestead Avenue to Bedford Street.
Contractors have been busy on the avenue since the spring, clearing trees, surveying and generally preparing for the major demolition work. They'll switch to replacing sidewalks, improving drainage and installing conduits for improved traffic signals, working on a 2,000-foot stretch on the south side of the avenue — from Homestead Avenue to Woodland Street — through the end of November. "Our intention is to do the work in sections and make sure the area is buttoned up before moving onto the next," said Donald Ward, the assistant district engineer for DOT in Greater Hartford. "Some inconvenience is inevitable when you take on a project of this size, but we're doing everything we can to minimize it for the homeowners and residents in the area."
Part of those efforts are built into the contract for the project, funded and approved by city officials. The plan includes specific strategies for mitigating traffic, including limiting the work that crews can do on roadways from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Mark St. Germain, a supervising engineer for DOT.
One lane of traffic will be open in each direction during those hours, St. Germain added.
And because Albany Avenue thrives as a major business corridor, special attention has been given to the √people who own storefronts along the work zone. DOT has sought their input throughout the planning process and will take pains to ensure pedestrians still have access to the businesses, installing signs and directing traffic when necessary, Ward said.
"There are very interested groups that have been vocal, and that's great," Ward said. "We've been told all along that people have been concerned with this project, and we realized this is a special project, one that we need to pay close attention to." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Work On Massive Hartford Sewage Tunnel Underway
It is the biggest, most expensive project of its kind in Connecticut history: a $279.4 million, 4.1 mile-long tunnel dug through solid rock 200 feet below the streets of the capital city. And it's all about sewage.
Work already has begun on this extraordinary venture, which is intended to stop millions of gallons of polluted storm waters and untreated sewage from being flushed every year into the Connecticut River and down into Long Island Sound. During major storms — which climate scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense — rainwater overwhelms Hartford's drains and sewage treatment system, and contaminated water floods directly into streams and the river. When those pollutants reach the Sound, they spur "blooms" of algae that create broad areas of oxygen-depleted "dead zones," while bacteria washed into the Sound often force beach closures.
The tunnel, being constructed by the Metropolitan District with taxpayer grants and loans, will be able to capture up to 41.5 million gallons of polluted water and hold it until it can be cleaned at the MDC's sewage treatment plant. "It's a basic public health issue," Roger Reynolds, legal director for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound, said of the need to stop raw sewage overflows during big storms. "We need to be handling our sewage other than by dumping it into our waterways."
Under federal law, Connecticut is required to clean up these sewer overflows. The MDC's long-term plan to solve the problem calls for spending $2.4 billion to improve the Hartford area's sewers and treatment systems, using a combination of state grants and funding from MDC ratepayers.
That huge cost is one reason Connecticut officials and environmental groups have been pushing hard to get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require Springfield and several other upstream Massachusetts cities to prevent their sewer overflows from contaminating the water that flows down the Connecticut River and into the Sound. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Boater: Construction delays in Branford River Boat Launch a “mess and debacle’
BRANFORD >> Upgrades to the Branford River State Boat Launch were only supposed to take four months. Now, closing in on a year and $1.5 million in federal and state funding since the boat ramp closure, there is still a crane and barge on the river where residents’ boats should be loading in.
And, much to the dismay of locals, there is still no set date for when the launch will reopen.“We’re reluctant to say how long this is going to take,” Eric Ott, director of the engineering and support services division at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said this week. “We’ve done hundreds of boat launch projects. Never has it been as complicated as this.” The DEEP boating division receives complaints almost daily regarding the launch closure, said Dennis Schain, communications director of the DEEP. “Our focus has been getting it so it can be used,” Schain said.
The initial renovations on the Branford River State Boat Launch, which allow for two boats to be launched at once with a floating dock in the middle, were completed relatively on the four-month planned schedule, after the ramp was closed last July 2016, Ott said. Renovations began in summer last year due to permitting timelines and needing four months of good weather to complete the project, he said.“We were forced to take some of the (boating) season,” Ott said. “There’s never a good time.”But, in fall, during the final stages of the work, inspectors noticed that the base of the launch had moved due to settling in the soil underneath the launch where it was anchored. According to a report completed by Triton Environmental Inc. about the damage, the interlocking blocks at the base of the ramp separated from the concrete ramp panels by approximately two feet. This would be a safety risk for boaters as their trailers likely would get stuck at low tide, unable to get back out, Ott said. Even though the soil tests prior to the renovations showed the soil would not be ideal for the project, Ott said, the engineers and designers decided to proceed with the initial project anyway. They had not expected the soils to be quite as bad, he said. Ott said it is now believed that the weak soils contributed to the movement and separation at the base of the ramp.The settling of the soil and movement of the ramp has forced the price tag of the project up from $1.2 million to $1.5 million and counting, and the timeline to extend much longer than the initial 120 days of construction. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Fund Manager Q&A: Global Infrastructure Funds
The prospect of a big federal government ramp-up in infrastructure spending has helped lift shares in companies that may play a role in overhauling the nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and airports.
President Donald Trump recently announced initiatives aimed at speeding the approval process for such projects. But the centerpiece of his plan would use $200 billion in government money to attract enough private investment to raise $1 trillion for infrastructure projects.
How much of that plan ends up making it into law remains to be seen. Regardless, investors looking to bet on such an increase in infrastructure spending should also consider companies outside the U.S., said Josh Duitz, portfolio manager of the Alpine Global Infrastructure Fund (AIAFX).
His fund focuses on companies worldwide that win contracts to modernize and operate infrastructure projects in public-private partnerships. It is up 14.9 percent this year, according to FactSet.
Duitz spoke with the AP about how companies in Europe and elsewhere stand to benefit from increased spending on infrastructure projects in the U.S. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Why do you see companies overseas benefiting from increased U.S. infrastructure spending?
A: If the Trump administration actually does what it says, they talk about really using the private sector to invest in infrastructure. In the private sector, we're talking about privatization and using public-private partnerships.
Europe is way ahead of the United States in terms of privatizing infrastructure, in terms of the private sector owning the toll roads, airports and roads. So, we do think European companies will benefit from that, even though it's a U.S. plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
At Halfway Point, Dunkin' Donuts Park Has Exceeded Expectations
Although their record on the field doesn't reflect it, the Yard Goats have been a smashing success at the gate as the first half of their first season in Dunkin' Donuts Park comes to end.
On their last homestand the Yard Goats passed 200,000 in paid attendance and now sit at 212,377 for their first 40 home dates, an average of 5,309. That is third among the Eastern League's 12 teams.
On the weekends, a ticket to one of their games is a tough get as the team routinely plays to sold-out standing room only crowds. Sunday's game against Portland drew 6,850 fans, tying opening night for the largest crowd.
And this is to see a team that hasn't played .500 baseball since the sixth game of the season and won consecutive games for the first time since May 28-31 during last week's homestand.
The crowds have surpassed even the most optimistic hopes of general manager Tim Restall.
"It's surpassed our expectations," Restall said. "I guess we thought we would be right around there, but when you put numbers on a piece of paper and then implement it by bringing actual fans into the ballpark it's a totally different experience.
"What else has surpassed our expectations is the experience of introducing fans to the ballpark. We are getting a lot of positive feedback about our game day staff. Think about it: There are thousands of people coming to the ballpark for the first time every game and when you don't know where you are going, you are suddenly greeted by someone to help you. We welcome people in like we're welcoming them to your living room. "
Once at the games, the crowds have been jamming the expansive concourses that surround the playing field, partaking in the many available drink and food options, which by the second inning tend to fill the stadium with intoxicating aromas. And those fans are usually wearing Yard Goats gear. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
It is the biggest, most expensive project of its kind in Connecticut history: a $279.4 million, 4.1 mile-long tunnel dug through solid rock 200 feet below the streets of the capital city. And it's all about sewage.
Work already has begun on this extraordinary venture, which is intended to stop millions of gallons of polluted storm waters and untreated sewage from being flushed every year into the Connecticut River and down into Long Island Sound. During major storms — which climate scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense — rainwater overwhelms Hartford's drains and sewage treatment system, and contaminated water floods directly into streams and the river. When those pollutants reach the Sound, they spur "blooms" of algae that create broad areas of oxygen-depleted "dead zones," while bacteria washed into the Sound often force beach closures.
The tunnel, being constructed by the Metropolitan District with taxpayer grants and loans, will be able to capture up to 41.5 million gallons of polluted water and hold it until it can be cleaned at the MDC's sewage treatment plant. "It's a basic public health issue," Roger Reynolds, legal director for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound, said of the need to stop raw sewage overflows during big storms. "We need to be handling our sewage other than by dumping it into our waterways."
Under federal law, Connecticut is required to clean up these sewer overflows. The MDC's long-term plan to solve the problem calls for spending $2.4 billion to improve the Hartford area's sewers and treatment systems, using a combination of state grants and funding from MDC ratepayers.
That huge cost is one reason Connecticut officials and environmental groups have been pushing hard to get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require Springfield and several other upstream Massachusetts cities to prevent their sewer overflows from contaminating the water that flows down the Connecticut River and into the Sound. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Boater: Construction delays in Branford River Boat Launch a “mess and debacle’
BRANFORD >> Upgrades to the Branford River State Boat Launch were only supposed to take four months. Now, closing in on a year and $1.5 million in federal and state funding since the boat ramp closure, there is still a crane and barge on the river where residents’ boats should be loading in.
And, much to the dismay of locals, there is still no set date for when the launch will reopen.“We’re reluctant to say how long this is going to take,” Eric Ott, director of the engineering and support services division at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said this week. “We’ve done hundreds of boat launch projects. Never has it been as complicated as this.” The DEEP boating division receives complaints almost daily regarding the launch closure, said Dennis Schain, communications director of the DEEP. “Our focus has been getting it so it can be used,” Schain said.
The initial renovations on the Branford River State Boat Launch, which allow for two boats to be launched at once with a floating dock in the middle, were completed relatively on the four-month planned schedule, after the ramp was closed last July 2016, Ott said. Renovations began in summer last year due to permitting timelines and needing four months of good weather to complete the project, he said.“We were forced to take some of the (boating) season,” Ott said. “There’s never a good time.”But, in fall, during the final stages of the work, inspectors noticed that the base of the launch had moved due to settling in the soil underneath the launch where it was anchored. According to a report completed by Triton Environmental Inc. about the damage, the interlocking blocks at the base of the ramp separated from the concrete ramp panels by approximately two feet. This would be a safety risk for boaters as their trailers likely would get stuck at low tide, unable to get back out, Ott said. Even though the soil tests prior to the renovations showed the soil would not be ideal for the project, Ott said, the engineers and designers decided to proceed with the initial project anyway. They had not expected the soils to be quite as bad, he said. Ott said it is now believed that the weak soils contributed to the movement and separation at the base of the ramp.The settling of the soil and movement of the ramp has forced the price tag of the project up from $1.2 million to $1.5 million and counting, and the timeline to extend much longer than the initial 120 days of construction. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Fund Manager Q&A: Global Infrastructure Funds
The prospect of a big federal government ramp-up in infrastructure spending has helped lift shares in companies that may play a role in overhauling the nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and airports.
President Donald Trump recently announced initiatives aimed at speeding the approval process for such projects. But the centerpiece of his plan would use $200 billion in government money to attract enough private investment to raise $1 trillion for infrastructure projects.
How much of that plan ends up making it into law remains to be seen. Regardless, investors looking to bet on such an increase in infrastructure spending should also consider companies outside the U.S., said Josh Duitz, portfolio manager of the Alpine Global Infrastructure Fund (AIAFX).
His fund focuses on companies worldwide that win contracts to modernize and operate infrastructure projects in public-private partnerships. It is up 14.9 percent this year, according to FactSet.
Duitz spoke with the AP about how companies in Europe and elsewhere stand to benefit from increased spending on infrastructure projects in the U.S. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Why do you see companies overseas benefiting from increased U.S. infrastructure spending?
A: If the Trump administration actually does what it says, they talk about really using the private sector to invest in infrastructure. In the private sector, we're talking about privatization and using public-private partnerships.
Europe is way ahead of the United States in terms of privatizing infrastructure, in terms of the private sector owning the toll roads, airports and roads. So, we do think European companies will benefit from that, even though it's a U.S. plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
At Halfway Point, Dunkin' Donuts Park Has Exceeded Expectations
Although their record on the field doesn't reflect it, the Yard Goats have been a smashing success at the gate as the first half of their first season in Dunkin' Donuts Park comes to end.
On their last homestand the Yard Goats passed 200,000 in paid attendance and now sit at 212,377 for their first 40 home dates, an average of 5,309. That is third among the Eastern League's 12 teams.
On the weekends, a ticket to one of their games is a tough get as the team routinely plays to sold-out standing room only crowds. Sunday's game against Portland drew 6,850 fans, tying opening night for the largest crowd.
And this is to see a team that hasn't played .500 baseball since the sixth game of the season and won consecutive games for the first time since May 28-31 during last week's homestand.
The crowds have surpassed even the most optimistic hopes of general manager Tim Restall.
"It's surpassed our expectations," Restall said. "I guess we thought we would be right around there, but when you put numbers on a piece of paper and then implement it by bringing actual fans into the ballpark it's a totally different experience.
"What else has surpassed our expectations is the experience of introducing fans to the ballpark. We are getting a lot of positive feedback about our game day staff. Think about it: There are thousands of people coming to the ballpark for the first time every game and when you don't know where you are going, you are suddenly greeted by someone to help you. We welcome people in like we're welcoming them to your living room. "
Once at the games, the crowds have been jamming the expansive concourses that surround the playing field, partaking in the many available drink and food options, which by the second inning tend to fill the stadium with intoxicating aromas. And those fans are usually wearing Yard Goats gear. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE