Branford First Selectman James B. Cosgrove Appointed To Connecticut Green Bank Board

From The Connecticut Green Bank:

BRANFORD, CT — The Connecticut Green Bank announced the recent appointment of Branford First Selectman James B. Cosgrove to its Board of Directors by House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora.

"Jamie has provided strong leadership and fiscal management to Branford as First Selectman by drawing on his business background, and that experience is a great addition to the Green Bank’s Board," Candelora said.

Cosgrove has served as First Selectman since 2013, after previously serving on the town’s Board of Selectmen, 2011 to 2013, and Representative Town Meeting, 2009-2011. Cosgrove has significant experience in project management, budgeting, contracting, and negotiating from his career in the construction industry.

“We thank House Republican Leader Candelora for his appointment of Jamie Cosgrove to our Board,” said Green Bank Board Chairwoman Lonnie Reed. “His valuable talents include hands-on experience addressing the countless challenges often encountered by municipalities as they pursue, adopt, and administer clean energy objectives and environmental infrastructure projects.”

Under Cosgrove’s leadership in Branford, the town has developed policies and programs that protect the environment and build a more sustainable and resilient community. Cosgrove supported the town’s draft energy plan, created by the Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee to guide the town toward greater energy efficiency and sustainability. In 2020, the town established an office of Sustainability and Compliance to coordinate and lead the town’s ambitious energy efficiency goals, improve environmental quality and enhance the overall well-being of the town. In 2024, two elementary schools added solar panels which are projected to save the town more than $200,000 over 20 years. Other projects completed by the town include the installation of solar panels at the Transfer Station, Branford High School and Fire Headquarters, also site to a geothermal energy project; a 4.3 solar farm located at Tabor Drive; several lighting efficiency projects; acquisition of EV fleet vehicles and the installation of EV chargers on town owned properties. In addition, the town has entered into two significant net metering agreements to supply energy credits to eight town owned facilities.

For more information about the Green Bank’s governance, please visit https://www.ctgreenbank.com/about-us/governance/.

About the Connecticut Green Bank

The Connecticut Green Bank was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2011 as the nation’s first state-level green bank and has since supported the creation of more than 30,000 green jobs in the state, while reducing the energy cost burden on over 71,000 families, businesses, and nonprofits. The Green Bank’s vision is a planet protected by the love of humanity and its mission is to confront climate change by increasing and accelerating investment into Connecticut’s green economy to create more resilient, healthier, and equitable communities. This is accomplished by leveraging limited public resources to scale-up and mobilize private capital investment into Connecticut. In 2017, the Connecticut Green Bank received the Innovations in American Government Award from the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation for their “Sparking the Green Bank Movement” entry. To date, the Green Bank has mobilized more than $3 billion into the State’s green economy. This has reduced the energy costs for thousands of families and businesses, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and worsen public health. In 2021, the Green Bank’s model was expanded to include new areas of environmental infrastructure, related to climate adaptation and resiliency, land conservation, parks and recreation, agriculture, water, waste and recycling, and environmental markets, including carbon offsets and ecosystem services.

For more information about the Connecticut Green Bank, please visit www.ctgreenbank.com.