Mayor Bill Finch Thursday morning will unveil a progress report on the BGreen 2020 initiative designed to “modernize the city’s infrastructure, create wealth, intensify urban amenities, enhance environmental quality.” Dan Esty, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is scheduled to attend the announcement at the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School, 60 St. Stephens Rd.
From the mayor:
Mayor Bill Finch and Bridgeport Regional Business Council President Paul Timpanelli will join Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty and BGreen 2020 partner organizations on Thursday morning to release the first progress report documenting how Bridgeport has improved its economy, environment, and quality of life since the BGreen 2020 Initiative began three years ago.
BGreen 2020 is a public/private partnership that in 2010 put together a 10-year plan that laid out strategies to improve the environmental quality and livability of Bridgeport’s parks and neighborhood and to promote the Park City as a location for the development of green industries and green employment.
The report documents progress on nearly all of the plan’s 65 strategies; which range from increased recycling at public schools to the development of an eco-technology park, which hosts renewable energy production and waste processing facilities in the city’s South and West End.
“We created BGreen 2020 to create jobs, save taxpayers’ money and fight climate change. A team of 100 experts and stakeholders came together in 2010 to help move Bridgeport forward to become the cleanest and greenest City in New England,” said Mayor Finch. “In just three years, we have made significant progress are already seeing a great deal of success with a citywide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, new green businesses moving into our eco-technology park, and increased recycling rates.”
Typical Green Mayor MO: Get a lot of high-paid department heads, wealthy corporate types from Westport, University officials and political hacks into a room and be self-congratulatory. In this case UConn and Finch have expended a lot of money and talked a lot of talk, but in reality even his green attempts are ineffective and laughable.
STOP KILLING OUR KIDS, BILL FINCH!
Members of the Toxics Action Center, a Boston-based environmental group, presented an oversized list of more than 100 businesses in the city that signed a petition reading: “We call on PSEG’s CEO Ralph Izzo to give our children and elderly clean air to breathe by retiring the plant and revitalizing the community.”
And how many jobs have been created? How has it increased the tax base? Laudable initiative but insofar as Bridgeport’s taxpayers are concerned it’s been nothing but tax increase after tax increase on Finch’s watch. The guy is delusional as to his record of success.
*** This city’s B-green attempts have been ineffective, laughable and a waste of taxpayers’ money going nowhere so far. It’s nothing more than political pep-talking during business speeches for those who are unaware or just plain under the influence of too much city government kool-aid. What B-green jobs and where? ***