A New York solar company that has previously sued Connecticut over the state’s energy purchases has filed another lawsuit against the proposed pact between Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to buy more renewable energy.
Allco Finance Ltd., which sued the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection in 2013 over the state’s contract to buy power from a Maine wind farm, claimed in its latest lawsuit filed April 26 that the tri-state agreement violates the federal government’s exclusive right to buy wholesale electricity. In a separate complaint in the same lawsuit, Allco also claims Connecticut’s preference toward in-state renewable energy violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
In the new lawsuit, Allco specifically lists DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee as a defendant, as well DEEP and the three commissioners of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Rhode Island and Massachusetts are not listed in the suit.
Klee also was a defendant in the 2013 lawsuit, as was former DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty. The judge in the 2013 lawsuit ultimately ruled in favor of Connecticut.
In the new lawsuit, Allco asked the U.S. District Court for Connecticut to stop the three states from soliciting any more proposals for renewable energy contracts.
