Leading legislator makes major offshore wind announcement to packed house at Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut offshore wind breakfast
Senator Paul Formica (R-20) chose a packed-house business leader breakfast hosted recently by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut to make a major announcement on offshore wind development: the Energy and Technology Committee recently agreed to work on legislation to add 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity.
More than 130 joined the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut for a bi-partisan panel on the economic opportunities of offshore wind. Business, industry, political and environmental leaders heard from a high-powered panel of experts, including:
New London Mayor Michael Passero;
Acting Commissioner of the CT Department of Economic and Community Development David Kooris;
Deputy Secretary of State and Chairman of the CT Port Authority Scott Bates;
Republican Senator and Co-Chair of Appropriations and Energy and Technology Committees Paul Formica;
Orsted US Offshore Wind Head of New England Markets Matthew Morrissey;
Vice President of Business Development at Eversource Michael Ausere; and
Senior Policy Advocate for Acadia Center Deborah Donovan.
Pictured (left to right): Tony Sheridan (President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut), Amy McLean Salls (Senior Policy Advocate and Connecticut Director at Acadia Center), Matthew Morrissey (Orsted US Offshore Wind Head of New England Markets), Jessica Bergman (New England Programs and Engagement Director at Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy), Michael Passero (Mayor of New London), Deborah Donovan (Senior Policy Advocate at Acadia Center), Emily Lewis O'Brien (Senior Policy Analyst at Acadia Center), John Humphries (Organizer at CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs), Scott Bates (Deputy Secretary of State and Chairman of the CT Port Authority), Paul Formica (Republican Senator and Co-Chair of Appropriations and Energy and Technology Committees), and David Kooris (Acting Commissioner of the CT Department of Economic and Community Development).
Get the full story at the links below!
News Coverage:
In addition, The Day ran a news article:
Click here for the full story. Excerpts:
"The announcement, made at a Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut breakfast, sparked applause..."
"We need to be a player in the game," Formica said. "We can develop New London and we have an opportunity ... to really focus on this new and emerging industry. Two-thousand megawatts is realistic and I think it sends a clear message that we are ready to jump into this industry and support it with everything that we have."'
Finally, The Day editorial board wrote about the news from the Eastern CT Chamber's event:
Read the full text of the editorial here. Excerpts (emphasis added):
"If a decade down the road an ever-expanding offshore wind industry is one of the major economic engines for Connecticut, with the New London port serving as its nexus, Tuesday's extraordinary gathering of state and local leaders might be viewed as the point the talk turned serious."
"The bipartisan panel of business, political and environmental leaders who attended the business breakfast, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticutat the Holiday Inn in New London, delivered a collective message that the state is prepared to be a serious player in the competition to capitalize on this opportunity."
To learn more about offshore wind opportunities in your state please contact Jessica Bergman at Jbergman@sfchamber.com.