Connecticut Construction Leader Calls For Resignation Of Clean Energy Fund Chairman Tim Bowles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 23, 2009 --

(Hartford, CT) -- The Connecticut Laborers’ District Council announced today that Keith Brothers, business manager, Connecticut Laborers’ Local 547 and president, New London-Norwich Building & Construction Trades Council, has called for the immediate resignation of Timothy Bowles, chairman, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), because of Bowles’ abrupt opposition to continuing the democratic process for approving the development of the Plainfield energy project. Bowles has openly refused to schedule a vote on a “bridge” loan for the power plant operators through his control of the CCEF Board’s official meeting agenda.

“Chairman Bowles has notified me that he, without any hesitation, opposes any vote on providing a bridge loan to Plainfield Renewable Energy LLC, which is the chosen developer of the Plainfield power project. He adamantly refuses to place this important measure on the board’s agenda for consideration. In my opinion, this is politics at its worst and Timothy Bowles should consider resigning immediately as chair of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund,” explained Brothers.

Slated for a 29-acre site in Plainfield, CT, the 30 megawatt wood-fueled power plant will provide Connecticut with renewable electrical power for over 30,000 homes and create hundreds of new jobs. It will use wood from a variety of sources such as trees, pallets and recycled waste wood while reducing the uses of fossil fuels and producing energy from a sustainable source. Recently, Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection cleared the way for construction of the wood-burning power plant. The department also rejected a motion by environmental activists to reconsider the permits needed for the plant.

“This is a model project for our state’s construction industry which will create hundreds of jobs for our working families’ right here in the state. This shovel-ready project has passed all major zoning and environmental reviews. We need now to move ahead with the development of this project without delay,” said John Olsen, president, Connecticut AFL-CIO (www.ctaflcio.org).

“Considering the challenges of our present economy, unemployment rate and number of businesses that are closing, there definitely is no room for petty politics. Chairman Bowles is putting himself and his relationships ahead of new jobs for our working families. We are talking about hundreds of jobs and additional tax revenues for the state through the development of the Plainfield power plant,” said Charles LeConche, business manager, Connecticut Laborers’ District Council (www.CTLPL.com). “It seems Bowles has his own agenda which consists of limiting the voice and vote of all Connecticut citizens. Perhaps his agenda includes his own political ambitions.”

According to its Web site, Plainfield Renewable Energy (www.PRELLC.net) is a joint venture between Decker Energy International and NuPower LLC, dedicated to developing Connecticut's leading renewable energy project. The Plainfield project will produce renewable power from biomass fuels while protecting the fragile environment by creating fewer pollutants and conserving limited fossil fuels, among many other benefits.

“It’s imperative to get the Plainfield power plant project going. There are many Connecticut companies and workers that will benefit from the development of this long-term project,” concluded Don Shubert, president, Connecticut Construction Industries Association (www.ctconstruction.org).

The Connecticut Laborers’ District Council, a member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, represents approximately 8,000 members employed in the construction industry and other building and trade fields throughout the state. The Laborers’ International Union of North America, founded in 1903 largely by immigrant workers, includes more than 800,000 members who work in construction and hazardous materials remediation, as well as in healthcare, the U.S. Postal Service and other public service sectors of the economy. For more information, visit www.ctlpl.com or call 860.296.8697.

More information can be found online at http://www.ctlpl.com

charles leconche     connecticut laborers     keith brothers     leconche     liuna     Plainfield     tim bowles