FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNAL YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS | westfaironline.com
August 19, 2013 | VOL. 49, No. 33
CHALLENGE COULD ZAP ENERGY RATES
FCBJ this week DISASTER TIME Short-term investments and long-term benefits are oil and water … 12
BY JENNIFER BISSELL
A BIRDY TOLD ME Social media enters the world of investing … 15
jbissell@westfairinc.com
C
IT BEATS JAIL For two months, Connecticut will oblige those late on their taxes … 16
SPACE to
FCBUZZ Recalling the greasers and drive-ins of the 1960s in a movie that launched a dozen careers … 18
PRACTICE daY PitNEY moVES acroSS toWN PaGE 8
MEDIA PARTNER
Attorneys Amy Wilfert, left, and Lorraine Slavin on the wrap-around porch of their new Greenwich law office.
Funding gusher venture money soars; ny rules roost BY JENNIFER BISSELL jbissell@westfairinc.com
VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS in Fairfield and New Haven counties more than doubled in the second quarter of 2013 compared with Q2 last year, according to a recent report. Thirteen companies received a total of $31 million last quarter, according to a MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the
National Venture Capital Association. The increase in funding is a positive sign of economic growth for the counties, but eastern Connecticut is not the only region to see an increase. As a percentage of total venture capital dollars spent in the New York metro, Connecticut made up only 4 percent of all money spent. Lower Fairfield County made up only made up 1.4 percent. “Growth in the region has been very
onnecticut customers could save as much as $40 million annually, if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission agrees to lower the threshold on how much money investors are allowed to make with electric transmission companies. New England officials are challenging federal regulations that allow transmission companies, such as Northeast Utilities and United Illuminating, to earn an 11.14 percent return on equity, while local utility companies regulated by the states like Connecticut are allowed a 9.2 percent ROE. “For years, New England utilities have been receiving exorbitant returns from customers for transmission lines,” Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz said in a statement. “As anyone with a bank account knows, returns of over 11 percent are out of step with current financial conditions.” Transmission lines are wires on utility poles as opposed to smaller utilityowned wires directly connecting homes. In Connecticut the two wires are usually owned by the same parent company. Several New England officials, including the Connecticut attorney general and representatives from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, challenged the transmission ROE nearly two years ago to limit what they viewed as “excessive” profits. Earlier this month, a federal administrative judge issued a preliminary deci-
» Funding, page 5
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MARINELLO CODIFIES BEAUTY
» Energy rates, page 6
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