On Wednesday State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) issued the following statement expressing his thanks and appreciation to departing Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty for his three years of service to the people of Connecticut:
“When Governor Malloy came into office he set out to remake Connecticut’s energy future, and by selecting Dan Esty to lead this effort he brought one of the best minds in the country into his administration. Dan Esty served on President Obama’s transition team for energy, and he could have gone anywhere in government, the private sector or academia, but Governor Malloy brought him here to Connecticut and the results speak for themselves.
“For the first time in our state’s history, we now have a dedicated energy department, fully attuned to the new, competitive paradigm in the energy sector. Thanks to Governor Malloy’s and Commissioner Esty’s leadership, Connecticut has become a national leader in renewable energy. Our substantial investments in the deployment of competitive renewable energy technologies and the creation of our new green bank, the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority, have a become a model for other states to emulate.
“Since governor Malloy was elected, we have seen a ten-fold increase in the deployment of renewable power in 2013 over 2010. Last year alone, 1,500 residential solar projects and over 240 commercial clean energy projects came online.
“Throughout it all, Commissioner Esty has remained focused on driving down costs to make our state not only cleaner, but more efficient in every sense of the term. He and Governor Malloy have placed Connecticut on a path to a truly cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy future that Connecticut will follow for many years to come.
“I greatly enjoyed my time working with Commissioner Esty as Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee in 2011 and 2012, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”