Fuel Cells, State Bureaucracy and Global Warming

23. February 2010 by admin.

Yesterday I read an article in Sunday’s Hartford Courant titled “Fuel Cells Need a Way to Shine”.  It is a great example of government in action. A developer wants to build a “green” building to achieve LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  Basically, he wants to have his 32-story 500-unit apartment building use non-polluting energy sources for its electricity needs.   

He was promised a $900,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to cover half the cost of the power generating equipment.  The extra electricity that is produced can then be sold back to the local power company, a win-win for both parties as the power company can use the extra power to sell. In steps another state agency, the Department of Public Utility Council, and denies him permission to go through with the proposal. 

He found a work-around solution, which was clearly within the law and was turned down again, mainly because his plan was ”novel”, “precedential”, and new territory for the DPUC.  Talk about a Catch-22. Sometimes one wonders why we have so many government agencies and government regulations.  Perhaps it’s just another way to reward friends and backers of elected public officials with a cushy job that requires no experience or educational background and even less intelligence. 

Hmmm, perhaps I have just hit on a way for the Federal and state governments to balance their budgets, get rid of 80% of their bureaucracy.

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