{"id":483,"date":"2018-08-13T20:11:30","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T20:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/?p=483"},"modified":"2022-09-16T15:31:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T15:31:42","slug":"immediate-release-no-clothes-efficiency-allies-respond-to-states-claims-in-energy-funds-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/2018\/08\/13\/immediate-release-no-clothes-efficiency-allies-respond-to-states-claims-in-energy-funds-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Immediate Release &#8211; \u201cNo clothes\u201d: Efficiency allies respond to State\u2019s claims in Energy Funds lawsuit &#8211; 8\/13\/2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Immediate Release<\/strong><br \/>\nAugust 13, 2018<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Contacts:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laura McMillan, CT Fund for the Environment (Plaintiff), 540-292-8429<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leticia Colon de Mejias (Plaintiff), 860-690-5522<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mike Trahan, Solar Connecticut, 860-256-1698<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>\u201cNo clothes\u201d: Efficiency allies respond to State\u2019s claims in Energy Funds lawsuit<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Electric ratepayers, efficiency employers, environmental organizations continue push to restore efficiency, clean energy funds<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hartford, Conn. \u2013 The lawsuit to restore $145 million in Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy funds is moving swiftly through the U.S. District Court system as today the Plaintiffs and Defendants each filed responses to the others\u2019 motions for summary judgment. The Plaintiffs\u2019 response&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-08-13-Plaintiffs-Reply-Brief-Filed-Version.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-08-13-Plaintiffs-Reply-Brief-Filed-Version.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG_uviKqIHfEoVt5a1CyJIoz8X1lw\">may be read here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy efficiency businesses, clean energy businesses, environmental nonprofits, and utility ratepayer organizations filed a federal lawsuit on&nbsp;<span data-term=\"goog_1964154892\">May 15<\/span>&nbsp;to repeal the legislative sweep of Connecticut\u2019s energy efficiency and clean energy plan funds, and to prevent future diversions of ratepayer funds. Attorneys from the firms of Holland &amp; Knight in New York City and Hartford-based Feiner Wolfson, representing the Plaintiffs, filed briefs on July 20 with the goal of allowing U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to render a speedy decision on the merits of the case. State attorneys for the Defendants\u2014the Governor, Treasurer, and Comptroller of the State of Connecticut\u2014submitted their own summary judgment motion papers at the same time.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvery one of the Defendants\u2019 claims is incorrect, and not supported by the facts in the record,\u201d&nbsp;<strong>said Attorney Stephen J. Humes, partner at Holland &amp; Knight<\/strong>. \u201cThe Defendants created fanciful arguments about lack of contracts and damages out of whole cloth to cloak the absence of a basis to support the sweeps. And to deny the sweeps have had a negative impact on ratepayers and businesses is to ignore the evidence in front of their own eyes. In Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s 1837 tale&nbsp;<em>The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em>, a child observing the monarch parade in his invisible clothes declares: \u2018But he isn\u2019t wearing anything at all!\u2019 The Court should likewise see through the Defendants\u2019 justifications and perceive that their claims offer no rational basis supporting these illegal sweeps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Plaintiffs\u2019 brief notes that:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The efficiency and clean energy charges constitute a contract between the electric distribution companies and their&nbsp;customers to&nbsp;fund energy efficiency and clean energy projects to benefit ratepayers. The July 20 brief from the Defendants points to previous much smaller sweeps in 2003 and 2005, to argue ratepayers should have expected the diversion of their funds. As the Plaintiffs have noted previously, a few prior acts of petty theft do not justify grand larceny.<\/li>\n<li>The funding sweep takes away the benefits ratepayers were supposed to receive from energy efficiency and clean energy projects. Funding available for efficiency projects in 2017 was 17 percent lower than budgeted, and for 2018 it is projected that spending will be a devastating 39 percent below expectations. This has already resulted in layoffs in the efficiency industry and will soon lead to potential customers being turned away.<\/li>\n<li>The judge should be skeptical of the sweeps as they benefitted the state at the expense of ratepayer contracts.<\/li>\n<li>Transferring the dollars raised from electric distribution company (EDC) customers\u2019 bills to the state General Fund violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;Amendment by effectively imposing a new tax on EDC customers but not on municipal electric customers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to the 2017 raids, energy efficiency dollars have created more than 34,000 local energy efficiency jobs, built up the state&#8217;s solar industry, increased the Gross State Product, and added millions to the green energy economy. The State\u2019s Plan to invest in energy efficiency consistently has reduced energy demand year after year, lowering air pollution and water pollution, and strengthening the energy grid to protect vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast, the raids have led to extensive layoffs and efficiency dollars running out. Programs may close for the year as early as September, denying Connecticut residents access to their money that can make their homes less leaky and drafty and lowering their energy bills just when those pre-winter upgrades are needed most.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe theft of these funds has undermined successful programs that were benefiting the whole state of Connecticut and has already resulted in thousands of layoffs and several business closures. I have personally been forced to lay off several employees due to this irresponsible action by our state leaders,\u201d&nbsp;<strong>said Leticia Colon de Mejias, chair of Efficiency For All (EFA) and founder\/owner of Energy Efficiencies Solutions<\/strong>. \u201cAs a ratepayer, employer, environmental activist, and concerned mother, I stand strongly against this illegal state action to tax our electric and gas bills, tax nonprofits, and misdirect ratepayer dollars away from our state energy demand reduction plan. Leaders must be held accountable, and must halt the ongoing damage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With today\u2019s filing, the case is now in the hands of U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">###<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Background:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Memo-of-Law-in-Support-of-MSJ-v7-FINAL.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Memo-of-Law-in-Support-of-MSJ-v7-FINAL.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFvjyffcwI426Q6WxPEGxbPd7xDDA\">July 20 Motion for Summary Judgment<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/FINAL-complaint-filed-5-15-18.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/FINAL-complaint-filed-5-15-18.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEJgOnzRG1AGLfmTLAWemXqtquLNw\">May 15 Complaint<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-15-EE-CE-funds-lawsuit-filing.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-05-15-EE-CE-funds-lawsuit-filing.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGkTimHPLUtS6Jv7zg877kUAR8UOg\">Press release on filing of lawsuit<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/2018.06.13_Energy-Efficiency-v-Connecticut-overview-formatted.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/2018.06.13_Energy-Efficiency-v-Connecticut-overview-formatted.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFtNVqpbJmnA1B39YXnwWndHWkhrA\">Summary of case and background<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More information can be found at&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.efficiencyforall.org\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.efficiencyforall.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG37fg9q0gInhoMd5Poc-q-Q3PFjA\">www.efficiencyforall.org<\/a><\/u>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.ctenvironment.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534271472749000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGsRV0p4pkHGVlOlSGLo1l-wowEyA\">www.ctenvironment.org<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>To speak with contractors who are experiencing direct harm or staff who were let go, please contact Leticia&nbsp;Colon de Mejias<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>at 860-690-5522.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immediate Release August 13, 2018 Contacts: Laura McMillan, CT Fund for the Environment (Plaintiff), 540-292-8429 Leticia Colon de Mejias (Plaintiff), 860-690-5522 Mike Trahan, Solar Connecticut, 860-256-1698 \u201cNo clothes\u201d: Efficiency allies respond to State\u2019s claims in Energy Funds lawsuit Electric ratepayers, efficiency employers, environmental organizations continue push to restore efficiency, clean energy funds Hartford, Conn. \u2013 &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/2018\/08\/13\/immediate-release-no-clothes-efficiency-allies-respond-to-states-claims-in-energy-funds-lawsuit\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Immediate Release &#8211; \u201cNo clothes\u201d: Efficiency allies respond to State\u2019s claims in Energy Funds lawsuit &#8211; 8\/13\/2018&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1349,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483\/revisions\/1349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efficiencyforall.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}