Grant belongs with those who need it

6/15/07
The problem started right at the top, with the first two words in the headline: "GE gets."
Fairfield-based General Electric Co. in April reported net income of $4.5 billion for the first quarter of 2007. By any accounting, that’s a lot of money. But Thursday morning brought news that the multinational behemoth was the lucky winner of a $722,000 state of Connecticut grant to help cover the cost of installing solar panels on its headquarters.
Heaven forbid the company foot the bill by itself.
The grant, from the state’s Clean Energy Fund, supported by a charge on commercial and residential electric bills, is designed to encourage the use of renewable power sources, and it’s a grand notion. By all means, the state should be encouraging a move away from fossil fuels and their air-fouling, war-starting side effects.
State officials are clear that the grants are not need-based; all ratepayers are equally eligible. And GE is not the only successful business to take advantage of some green PR; a Staples, a B.J.’s Wholesale Club and other businesses, towns and schools also accepted grants.
But PR works both ways. Yes, we are all happy with GE for making an effort to promote renewable energy, and we applaud their forward-thinking approach. But maybe that state money could go someplace other than the company account.
Surely the business doesn’t need it. In a multibillion-dollar budget, $722,000 is a rounding error. For Plainville High School, on the other hand, a $736,000 green-energy grant will present opportunities and set a sterling example for the educational community. This is where money from this grant belongs.
Similarly, a $46,000 grant to a homeowner could enable environmentally friendly solutions previously undreamed of. The money only goes toward installation, not purchase of the panels, so grant recipients need to have a financial stake of their own in the project.
It’s a good, responsible program, and one that could be a model for future environmental projects. But recipients would do well to consider their options. There must be a school out there they could pass that money along to, right?