Veteran Rep. T.R. Rowe and first-term Rep. Tony Hwang lost small but won big Wednesday night. At midnight, the bill that would have required the Siting Council to hold public hearings on fuel-cell projects for “public safety” issues, such as the project targeted for the historic Nichols section of Trumbull, died on the vine in the Senate. But another bill, even better, passed and will allow the Danbury-based Fuel Cell Energy to relocate without going back to step one in the review process.
“It was Senate Bill 201,” Rowe recalled as the crowd was filing out of the House. “It was language that would allow the fuel cell company, FCE, the opportunity to resite their proposal on an expedited basis. It doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything but it’s as close to that as we could do with legislation.”
Hwang said it was a team effort. “The neighborhood worked their butt off and it showed,” he said. “It wasn’t certain to the last minute. You don’t ever take anything for granted and the people made it worthwhile to make it a win-win for everybody. T.R. was fantastic.” Sen. Anthony Musto was the man upstairs for the Trumbull folks.