Good afternoon:
I would like to begin this morning by thanking all of you for joining us today.
First, let me begin by introducing Congressman Jim Himes and State Senator Anthony Musto.
We are here today to express our profound thanks to the efforts of so many people who made today a reality.
In February of this year, Fuel Cell Energy began the process of seeking application to the Connecticut Siting Council for the construction of a fuel cell plant on this very site. The Nichols section of Trumbull is one of the most historic in the region.
When faced with this prospect, the Town of Trumbull went to work in trying to negotiate a favorable solution with Fuel Cell Energy.
Today would not have been possible without the help and support of Governor Jodi Rell and Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Joan McDonald. When the Governor stated her preference that an alternate location be found for Fuel Cell Energy, the Governor’s office and DECD went to work to find an alternate location for the company to construct this facility.
I especially would like to thank our Public Works Director, John Marsilio, for his efforts to work with state officials in identifying potential alternate locations for this facility, as well as assisting me at the local level in coordinating our strategy.
I want to thank Congressman Jim Himes for being one of the first officials to come to our aid. His efforts resulted in additional support from other state and federal officials.
So many other officials came to our aid, including Senators Debicella and Harris, Secretary of State Susan Bysciewicz, Congressman Rob Simmons, Mayor Dan Malloy, representatives from the office of Senator Dodd and Lieberman, as well as countless other officials at the local level.
But there are three groups that I especially wish to thank for all of their hard work.
First, I want to thank our legislative delegation, which includes Representative Rowe, Representative Hwang and Senator Musto. Your hard work made the enabling legislation a reality, which allows this company to work with the DPUC to find an alternate location for this facility in an expedited manner.
Second, I wish to thank Fuel Cell Energy and its CEO, R. Daniel Brdar. I commend you for recognizing the concerns of our community and working with the Connecticut General Assembly to find an alternate location. Your pro-active efforts addressed Trumbull’s concerns while identifying a plan that is supportive of Connecticut’s fuel cell industry. You have acted as a good corporate citizen and shown respect for our residents. On behalf of the Town of Trumbull, I thank you for the cooperation you have shown throughout this process.
And last, but certainly not least, I have to thank the Trumbull residents who led this effort and rallied community support. I am so incredibly proud of Edna Collucci, Keith Klain, Richard Moore, Fred Marra and Anne & Michael Berte. In my State of the Town address last month, I indicated that the State of our Town was strong, because her people were strong. These residents demonstrated that strength. They worked in an organized and constructive manner. Because of their efforts and the cooperation of Fuel Cell Energy, a positive outcome has been reached.
As a Town, we came together and worked as Team Trumbull. We checked our party affiliations at the door and we focused on doing what was right for our Town. We worked constructively with Fuel Cell Energy and we sought a solution that worked for everyone.
As Congressman Himes will tell you, in public service you have some great days and you have some tough days. Today is a great day for our Town. So again, a big thank you goes out to all the parties who made this a reality.