Connecticut Light & Power officials got taken to the woodshed in March when they met with Essex Economic Development officials.

Fresh off the impact of outages from a spring storm days earlier that dumped 6-to-10 inches of  snow in Essex and neighboring communities, representatives of the utility heard a lot of criticism from the EDC and First Selectman Norman Needleman.

It's unlikely that relations between executives at the utility and town officials have improved since then. Lon Seidman, chairman of the Essex EDC and a local business owner, launched petition drive weeks later in a effort to recover $414 million associated with restoration costs from storms over the past two years.


Change takes time. But it couldn't have made Essex officials too happy that five weeks later, on sunny day in early May, the town had 93 power outages for a short time on Tuesday.

Electric power grid operators ISO New England and the New York Independent System Operator have announced they will host a May 10th symposium on the electric power industry at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston.

The symposium "Navigating Change" will look at current challenges facing the electric power industry as well as how policymakers and utilities companies can meet them.

Gil Quinones, president and chief executive officer of the New York Power Authority will deliver the event's keynote address.

The panel discussions include one that will look how government policies, technology, environmental regulations and the current state of the economy will impact the future of the electric grid. A second panel will examine the role utilities are playing in transforming the electric industry as well as the role that natural gas and renewable energy technologies will play in that process.

New Haven's Clean Cities Coordinator, Lee Grannis, will lead a discussion on clean energy and transportation issues on Thursday at Kroon Hall, home to Yale University's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

The Clean Cities Program is a group related to the U.S. Energy Department that promotes clean energy for transportation. Grannis (shown at left) founded the New Haven Clean Cities Coalition in 1995 and was inducted into the national group's Hall of Fame last October.

 Thursday's program starts at 6 p.m. Kroon Hall is located at 195 Prospect Street in New Haven.

Northeast Utilities' Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday of 36.75 cents per share of the company's common stock.

The dividend is payable on June 28th to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 31, company officials said.  NU has approximately 314 million common shares outstanding. 

News of the dividend pay out comes as equity strategists for Citi Bank named the Hartford-based utility as one of their 11 top dividend paying stock picks

Greenleaf Biofuels recently began producing biodiesel from its plant in New Haven and company officials took State Senator Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, on a tour of the facility with Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Dan Esty.

Meyer (who is shown in the photo at left with Esty) represents the 12th Senate District, which covers Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison and North Branford. He is chairman of the state legislature's Environment Committee.

"Greenleaf will put Connecticut at the forefront of clean, renewable energy production," Meyer said.

Greenleaf Biofuels is projected to produce 10 million gallons a year of biodiesel when it is fully operational, making it the largest such facility in New England. Twenty new jobs will be created to keep the plant running. Additional jobs are expected to be created in the future as the facility expands.

The biofuel production facility is located within the fuel storage tank farm adjacent to New Haven Harbor. The biodiesel that Greenleaf is producing is made from used cooking oil and other types of recycled vegetable oil and animal fats.

Esty said the biofuel plant shows the importance that Gov. Dannel Malloy has placed on developing a clean energy economy.

"Governor Malloy has made clear that Connecticut will not be left behind when it comes to enjoying the benefits of a cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy future,' Esty said. "This plant is a great example of the kind of economic development that comes with this push."

 Wallingford's  Energy Conservation Commission and State Representative Mary Mushinsky will host an energy saving forum on Thursday at the Senior Center on Washington Street.

The program, "Saving Energy, Saving Money" will offer resident advice on how to lower their home heating bills and reduce their energy usage. Speakers expected to take part in the event include:

 - Gene Guilford (shown at left), president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, which represents independent home heating oil dealers.

- Michael Collins, sales manager for Yankee Gas.

-  David  Ljungquist, director of energy efficiency deployment for the Connecticut Energy Finance and Investment Authority. 

  -  Sharon Emmons, customer relations supervisor and conservation/ load management coordinator for the town's Electric Division.

Among the topics that the speakers will address is a new program for financing solar hot water systems as well as how to go about getting an energy audit for your home.

The forum starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call Wallingford  Energy Conservation Commission Chairman Ben Martin at 203-215-0395 or Mushinsky at 203-269-8378.

 The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that was introduced  by 5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty last Friday.

 The Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act would permit the towns of Canton, Avon, and Burlington to operate a pair of small hydropower dams that are currently inactive and generate locally produced power.  This is the third time that Congress has consider this particular issue: Then-5th District Congressman Chris Murphy, a Democrat was successfull in getting ssimilar legislation passed in  the House in 2010 and 2012 only to have the Senate fail to take up the bill.

“This project is a win-win – empowering local communicates in the Farmington Valley and moving our state towards a clean energy future,” Esty said in a written statement released Tuesday afternoon. This was the first bill that Esty, who is a resident of Cheshire, had introduced since being sworn in earlier this month.

The legislation now moves to the full House for consideration. It must also be approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama before the towns can take over

The dams are expected to produce nearly two megawatts of power, enough to power more than 1,500 homes.

Both dams are located on the Farmington River in the Collinsville section of Canton. They are owned by Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, but licenses to operate the dams must be obtained from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

The federal legislation will give the three towns the right to operate the dams by reinstating existing, but inactive FERC licenses.

The dams were built in the 18th and 19th centuries to power the Collins Company, which is shown in the present-day photo above. The company manufactured axes and closed in the 1960s.