[Darksky]Dark Sky versus Utility - Dark Sky Prevails

[Jan Hollan <jhollan@amper....muni.cz>]

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Date: 26 Jan 2002 11:22:22 -0000
From: OutdoorLighting-Forum@yahoogroups...
To: OutdoorLighting-Forum@yahoogroups...
Subject: [OL-Forum] Digest Number 392

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Message: 4
   Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 18:51:11 -0800
   From: "Leo Smith" <leo@smith...>
Subject: Dark Sky versus Utility - Dark Sky Prevails

After the Connecticut legislature passed the full cutoff streetlight
statute, the utility company contacted municipalities and tried to get
municipalities to exercise a waiver provision to exempt the town from
complying with the full cutoff requirements.37 of 146 municipalities
followed the advice of the utility company and signed the waiver. (The
utility comapny actually submitted a template for the waive that the
muncipality could copy over onto the official letterhead...)

Today's Hartford Courant article on Page 2 of the Connecticut section
headlines:
Legislator Accuses CL&P Of Undermining `Dark Skies' Law
http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-lights0125.artjan25.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dlocal

This morning DPUC held the hearing on their investigation into DPUC
practices regarding the letter. In a nutshell...It was a beautiful thing...

Representatives Ruth Fahrbach and Jim O'Rourke both appeared and testified
that CL&P's letter to the towns was grossly misleading and contradicted the
intent of the legislaure. I also testified.

The Commissioner hearing the case remarked at one point that the letter from
CL&P suggesting the waiver to circumvent the act was one of the worst things
he had ever seen in his tenure as Commissioner.

Rep. O'Rourke will be asking for the DPUC to impose a fine on CL&P, and to
have DPUC order CL&P to retract the letter and send the waivers back to the
towns with a note stating that the waivers do not meet the requirements of
the law.

Things are looking good for Dark Sky in Connecticut with staunch support
from legislators and from the state DPUC...

Leo Smith