Conn. Sued Over Clean Energy, Efficiency Fund Sweep
The Connecticut Fund for the Environment and other entities filed a lawsuit against state officials over the General Assembly's decision to take a mass amount of funding away from clean energy and energy efficiency programs in order to plug a budget deficit. Partner Stephen Humes and Senior Counsel Patrick Sweeney are part of the team that is representing the plaintiffs.
Mr. Humes commented on the governor's apparent support of the suit. He also told Law360, "As lawyers filing a lawsuit go, it is the height of unusual for the first named defendant to issue a statement acknowledging the legitimacy of the case less than two hours after the lawsuit was filed and before having been served."
The Fund's overall argument is that decreasing funding for energy programs in order to benefit Connecticut's budget and general fund is a disservice to the region; this money currently helps minimize peak electricity demand, stabilize the energy grid, support renewable and local energy jobs and even help lower income families save money on their energy bills.