More Transit Cuts Coming, Unless Public Transportation Preservation Act Intervenes

– By Michael Wysolmerski, Summer Intern from Yale, 
michael.wysolmerski@ctlcv.org

Just last week, the New York Daily News reported that the MTA has cut the Metro-North 1:34 p.m. express from Grand Central to New Haven, the 2:33 express from New Haven, and the 1:15 a.m. train from Grand Central to Stamford—even though Connecticut, according to a Hartford Courant article, will pay $200,000 to avoid further Metro-North cuts in the state.

The federal Public Transportation Preservation Act (S 3412/HR 5418) could come to the rescue. The bill, which was introduced by Senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Frank Lautenberg, Robert Menendez, and Chris Dodd, would provide $2 billion in federal aid to transit agencies across the country that are cutting service and raising fares.

The Public Transportation Preservation Act, according to a press release on Senator Schumer’s (D-NY) website, would provide approximately $345 million for the NYC-NJ-CT urbanized area, which includes southwestern Connecticut, and prevent cuts and higher prices on the Metro North Railroad. More specifically for Connecticut, according to calculations done by Michelle Ernst, TSTC’s staff-analyst, the Connecticut Department of Transportation stands to receive approximately $36 million, while other Connecticut transportation agencies would receive around $2 million, bringing the total funding to the state to around $37 or $38 million.

According to TSTC, the money from the bill could only be put towards transit operations. No capital construction projects could receive funding.

Not only would the bill help preserve public transportation systems, but it would create approximately 72,000 high quality green jobs, according to figures from the American Public Transportation Association.

The bill is rapidly gaining momentum in the Senate, as it now has 11 co-sponsors, yet there are currently only two co-sponsors in the House. According to the TSTC, New York advocates of the bill are urging their representatives to co-sponsor the bill in the House.

Transportation for America urges voters to “keep flooding our senators with letters and calls,” and released an action alert that calls for senators to cosponsor the bill.

Click here to tell your senators to support emergency transit funding and keep America's transit systems running.

RGGI Auction Price Falls Further

– By Michael Wysolmerski, Summer Intern from Yale, 
michael.wysolmerski@ctlcv.org

According to a June 11 Environmental Leader article, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction price of CO₂ allowances for the first three-year control period (2009-2011) fell 9%, from $2.07 to $1.88, from the March 10 auction to the most recent auction, held on June 9.

This is the second consecutive drop in the price of CO₂ allowances, down from $3.23 per allowance at the June 2009 auction. The latest auction brought in more than $80.4 million.

The article blames the drop in power demand due to the recession for the decline in prices. According to the Wall Street Journal, the low price of natural gas and the lack of support of RGGI from federal proposals for a national CO₂ emissions cap further contributed to the lower price. A federal program would probably not supply a premium for regional allowances that would eventually be combined into the federal program.

As the article states, a study released by Environment Northeast projects that the RGGI states--Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont--could lose $3 billion in revenue in the aggregate if the Kerry-Lieberman Senate climate bill is passed. The Kerry-Lieberman bill, entitled the American Power Act, would establish a national cap-and-trade program.

RGGI’s website describes its program as the “first mandatory, market-based CO₂ emissions reduction program in the United States.” The ten participating states will require a 10 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions from the power sector by 2018.

Each state has its own CO₂ Budget Trading Program that is connected to the other states via CO₂ allowance reciprocity, meaning that a power plant can use an allowance issued by any of the states to meet its state program. The program also sets up an emission auction and trading system, so power generators can buy and sell CO₂ emissions allowances. The states then are to use the auction proceeds to support “low-carbon-intensity” solutions.

The Environmental Leader notes that the total proceeds from RGGI auctions are now more than $662.8 million, and that states are investing 60% of the proceeds in energy efficiency.

In Connecticut, that investment percentage is even higher. According to the RGGI website’s Connecticut investment page, Connecticut invests 69.5% of its auction proceeds in energy efficiency programs supervised by the Energy Conservation Management Board (ECMB) and administered by Connecticut Light & Power, United Illuminating, and the Connecticut Municipal Electrical Energy Cooperative. Furthermore, 23% of the proceeds go towards Connecticut Clean Energy Fund sponsored renewable energy programs. The fall in auction prices is clearly detrimental to alternative energy funding, and the issue sheds light on the interesting, perhaps unintended, play between federal and regional proposals that have similar goals.

Clean Energy Plan Going on Tour

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund has drafted its 2011-2012 plan for programs and investments and invites the public to information sessions on it.  Public  information and comment sessions will take place on June 28, 29 and 30, in Essex, Westport and Hartford. 

The comprehensive clean energy plan covers the gamut of renewable energy issues, including everything from high-performance schools, net zero energy homes, and education and training, to on-site renewable distributed generation,  emerging renewable energy technologies, and financing programs. The comprehensive plan is available online at www.ctcleanenergy.com/comprehensiveplan.

Public Meeting Schedule

• Monday, June 28, 2010
  6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  Essex Town Hall Auditorium
  29 West Avenue
  Essex, CT
• Tuesday, June 29, 2010
  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
  Westport Town Hall, Auditorium
  110 Myrtle Avenue
  Westport, CT
• Wednesday, June 30, 2010
  11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  Legislative Office Building, Room 1A
  Hartford, CT

Public comments may also be sent by email or mail by July 14th to:

Connecticut Clean Energy Fund
200 Corporate Place, 3rd Floor
Rocky Hill, CT  06067
Attn: Loyola French
comprehensiveplan@ctcleanenergy.com

Connecticut’s Cycling & Pedestrian Efforts Continue

– By Nichole Strack, Summer Intern from Trinity College. nichole.strack@ctlcv.org

Connecticut’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Committee met this past Tuesday, June 8 at the Capitol Region Council of Governments to report its progress on implementing its Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan.

Since March 9, 2010, the committee has established a Bicycle Education Program at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in several regions. The committee and the CCBA have provided workshops for Physical Education teachers and a fleet of bikes available for the older age group. Specifically, programs will be held this summer at the Boys and Girls Club in South Hartford and classes will be offered in Windsor as well.

As summer draws to a close, the CCBA will begin its transition to Bike Walk Connecticut to advocate for all bicyclists and walkers in Connecticut. It will seek active involvement of other bicycle and walking groups, build strong relationships with bike shops and other businesses, and place a extra emphasis on walking. The committee was also pleased to report Simsbury’s transformation into a Bicycle Friendly Community and its on-going involvement in completing the gaps in the East Coast Greenway, specifically in East Hartford and Bloomfield.

The committee went on to discuss the inclusion of sharrows—shared lane markings—in the 2009 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The purpose of sharrows is to assist bicyclists with lateral positioning when a shared lane is next to on-street parallel parking or in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle. They also alert road users of bicyclists’ likely locations, encourage the safe passing by motorists and reduce the incidence of wrong-way riding.

Another key topic of discussion was skateboards. Connecticut law currently treats skateboarders and skaters the same as bicyclists. In effect, bicycles, roller skates, sleds, skateboards, coasters and other toy vehicles are all permitted to share the road—leading to increased accidents. In addition to the problems posed by these regulations, a lack of data reporting pedestrian accidents burdens the CCBA and the committee’s mission to facilitate improvements for bicyclists and other pedestrians. The data is needed to prove a problem truly exists and also to persuade lawmakers to reconsider their treatment of skateboards and “toy vehicles.”

While CCBA and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Committee continue to make significant advances for bicyclists and walkers across Connecticut, they still face significant challenges in ensuring safe bicycle traffic (see below, for example).

For more information on how to get involved, visit http://ctbikepedplan.org/and http://www.connbikes.org.

Only the Sustainable Survive

– By Nichole Strack, Summer Intern from Trinity College. nichole.strack@ctlcv.org

As BP’s tragic oil spill ignites worldwide outrage, other corporations seek to secure an environmentally-friendly reputation among the consuming public. CBIA’s 2010 Sustainability Conference, held on Wednesday June 9, 2010, served as a welcome reminder that even in a down economy, sustainable business activity is not as far-fetched as some corporations believe. Michael Ellis, Senior Associate of GreenOrder, presented current sustainability trends among businesses and predictions for the future using results from CBIA’s 2010 Survey on Sustainability and Connecticut Business. Two panel discussions followed—highlighting the value  companies place on “taking their sustainability initiatives to the next level.” Recycling paper or eliminating waste within facilities is not enough to compete in our transforming “green marketplace.”

Results from CBIA’s 2010 survey, coupled with speakers representing AT&T, IBM Corporation, and Microsoft, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, TelecommuteConnecticut/CTRideshare, and Oakleaf Waste Management demonstrate a strengthened commitment to sustainability principles.

The key findings from CBIA’s Sustainability survey report the majority of Connecticut companies have adopted “green” business strategies—mostly in the area of energy efficiency.

CBIA first began following green business trends in 2007 when only 47% of Connecticut companies reported going green. The number climbed to 59% in 2008, and jumped to 73% in 2009. This figure increased by only 1% over the last year—possibly implying that corporate sustainability has “reached a saturation point, at least for now.”

As added support to these findings, the representatives of AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft reported their respective companies have shifted away from thinking only in the short term and adopted a long-term analysis of energy costs. Furthermore, each of the three has adopted Smart Grid policies and were happy to report substantial returns on their investment in energy-conserving initiatives. 

The environmental community applauds these businesses for their proactive attitudes and sense of corporate responsibility—yet work is still needed. Upfront costs and lack of knowledge are the two primary obstacles companies face in their efforts to “go green.” Many business leaders remain unconvinced that consumers are truly willing to put environmental concerns ahead of their wallets. In addition to these concerns, corporate leaders still have an incentive to think only in the short-term in regards to energy costs. Should the government decide to put a price on carbon, the externality posed by carbon dioxide will be internalized within the company’s operations costs and they will no longer be inclined to ignore the serious energy issue our country faces.

Environmentalists must continue their efforts to inform the pubic on the importance of this issue. More importantly, we must persuade our policy-makers to more vigilantly pursue a clear, all-encompassing energy policy that forces corporations to view sustainability not as an unaffordable luxury, but as a sound, if not essential, business practice for a 21^st century, global economy.

Connecticut’s Farmland: We Can Save It, and We Should

– Michael Wysolmerski, Summer Intern from Yale University. michael.wysolmerski@ctlcv.org

In a June 7 editorial titled “Keep Saving Farmland,” the Hartford Courant expresses some optimism about the prospects of farmland preservation, noting that the 2005 Community Investment Act, a 2007 lump sum bonding program committing $10 million annually to farmland preservation, and “other government and private funds, have created real momentum” in the effort to save Connecticut’s farmland. Yet, the picture is not completely optimistic. The editorial notes that Governor Rell and legislative leaders removed $5 million from the Community Investment Act for both this year and next in an effort to balance the state’s budget.

This action threatens to slow the already inadequate progress of farmland preservation, as the state is still losing more farm acreage than we are saving despite an increase of preservation from 675 to 1,370 acres from 2008 to 2009, raising the total conserved farmland to 34,500 acres, according to the State of Connecticut Farmland Preservation Program.

Yet, in the past five years alone, the state has lost an estimated 45,000 acres. As the article notes, at this rate, the state will not reach its goal, established by the Department of Agriculture, of protecting 130,000 acres of farmland until the 22^nd century. DEP has a separate goal of conserving 21% of the state’s land, or 673,210 acres, by 2023 as open space.

Connecticut’s farmlands are vitally important to the state. According to the Working Lands Alliance’s website, farms offer habitats for wildlife, generate tax revenue, provide jobs, slow suburban sprawl, promote tourism by creating “scenic vistas and open space,” supply a natural water purification system, and generate locally grown foods that increase long-term food security. Given these numerous advantages, farmland preservation should be a high priority for the state. And, despite the seemingly daunting statistics and graphs, our preservation goals seem within reach.

According to the CEQ’s 2009 Annual Report, the preservation of at least 2,000 acres annually, a level that could be achieved as early as this year, would be enough to attain the preservation goal. Furthermore, the statistics indicated in the report do not include land that nonprofit organizations and individual towns protected without state assistance, suggesting that, according to the CEQ Annual Report, actual acreage protected could be higher than reported.

With progress being made and with our preservation goals seemingly within reach, the decision of the legislature and Governor Rell to cut funding from the Community Investment Act threatens not only to counteract the gathering momentum of farmland preservation but also to cause Connecticut to lag behind other New England states in percentage of farmland preserved.

Connecticut and other New England states all have variations of programs that acquire development rights on farmland, purchase conservations easements, or, in the case of Massachusetts, pay farmers the difference between the “fair market value” of lands and the “agricultural value” of their farmland in exchange for a deed restriction protecting the property. Since Connecticut’s funds for the purchase of development rights come mostly from the Community Investment Act, cutting these funds will directly hinder the ability of the state protect land. Currently, with 8.5% of our total farmland preserved, the state ranks third, behind Massachusetts (12%) and Maine (9.13%) of New England states in farmland preservation. The cut in funding threatens to stop the progress that has been made, which could cause the state to lag behind its neighbors.

As such, the Courant editorial is spot on when it asserts that, despite the current budget deficit, the state “shouldn’t touch this money; certainly should not touch any more of it.”

Graphs from the Council on Environmental Quality 2009 Annual Report, Farmland page, at http://www.ct.gov/ceq/cwp/view.asp?a=3884&Q=456290

Plan for Intercity and High Speed Rail: Travel Quickly and Efficiently while Reducing Carbon Footprint

- By Erin Bourgault, CTLCV Summer Intern from Bates College. erin.bourgault@ctlcv.org

Tired of traveling on congested highways? Due to population growth, if everyone continues to drive their own cars on the highways, it is likely that the congestion will only increase. In the Northeast, with so many states close together, there is the potential for people to travel quickly and efficiently while reducing their carbon footprint. Today most people decide to travel in individual cars within the Northeast Corridor because many of the public transportation options are slow, infrequent, or expensive. However, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), after receiving federal funding of $40 million through the American Reinvestment and Recoveries Act (ARRA) in January 2010, is working with the states of Massachusetts and Vermont to develop Intercity and High Speed Rail in the Northeast. At a public information meeting at Hartford’s Union Station on June 3^rd, Jim Redeker, the Bureau Chief of Public Transportation in CTDOT presented the 2030 Vision for High Speed, Intercity, and Regional Rail Service, available at www.nhhsrail.com.

There are two new plans for the Intercity and High Speed Rail, seeking to improve mobility and connectivity within the Northeast. The first line extends from NYC-New Haven-Hartford-Springfield-Boston. The second line extends from Springfield-Brattleboro-Burlington-Montreal.

According to Redeker, the Northeast is the most congested air traffic corridor. The Northeast also has an extremely high population density. With the plan for Intercity and High Speed Rail, people can choose a reliable and fast way to travel and reduce automobile, truck and air congestion. In addition to making trains faster, the project also aims to greatly increase the number of trains on the tracks, making trains a more convenient way to travel. Further, the plan will create more intercity and commuter stations.

With this new Intercity and High Speed Rail plan, the Northeast can set an example for the rest of the country with its fast, reliable, and convenient transportation, as well as the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion due to the use of public transportation.

Two additional public informational meetings will take place on:

• Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 6pm
  City of New Haven – Hall of Records, G2 Hearing Room, 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT.
• Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 6pm
  Brattleboro Savings and Loan Bank, 221 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT

Click here for the Intercity and High Speed Rail Informational Meeting Presentation.

Thurs June 3 in Hartford & Wed June 9 in New Haven – Info Session on High Speed Rail

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is holding a series of public informational meetings in conjunction with MassDOT and Vermont DOT to discuss a 2030 Vision for High Speed, Intercity, and Regional Rail Service along two broad corridors:

-  New York City-New Haven-Hartford-Springfield-Boston, and

-  New York City-New Haven-Hartford-Springfield-Vermont-Montreal.

The meetings will include a more detailed discussion of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) segment of the corridors.

Development of the NHHS segment is critical to both of the two broader corridors, since trains serving both corridors will share this segment. The NHHS segment has been the subject of a more detailed study of commuter rail services over the last few years. The meetings will provide an update on that commuter study as well as an explanation of the differences between high speed rail and commuter rail service.

The improvements being proposed along the NHHS segment of the corridor are the first major step in the broader rail vision and will include modifications to existing stations, construction of new stations, and improved rail service – both in efficiency and frequency. The multi-state collaboration that already is occurring among Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont should position us well to compete for and receive additional federal funding for High Speed, Intercity Passenger, and Regional Rail Service under the American Recoveries and Reinvestment Act.

Four public informational meetings will take place on: 

• Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 6pm
  Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 2nd Floor, 60 Congress Street, Springfield, MA.
• Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 6pm
  Hartford Union Station, One Union Place, Hartford, CT.
• Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 6pm
  City of New Haven – Hall of Records, G2 Hearing Room, 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT.
• Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 6pm
  Brattleboro Savings and Loan Bank, 221 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT

Take a Hike! Trails Day is this Weekend

This weekend (June 5th & 6th), there will be 162 trails day events
taking place in 88 towns around the state. Events include walking,
biking, paddling, geocaching, running/fitness, birding, and
nature/education.

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association is coordinating this event for the 18th year, and  once again, Connecticut is hosting more Trails Day events than any other state in the nation.

If you haven't yet selected where you might venture this weekend, please take a look at the Connecticut Trails Day 2010 Celebration booklet at  http://www.ctwoodlands.org/CT-TrailsDay2010.

In addition to listing the many events, the Trails Day booklet includes information on their difficulty (Easy, Moderate, or Challenging), and identifies those that should meet many special needs (family-friendly, universal access, novice, experienced, leashed dogs permitted, or no dogs permitted).

Enjoy the weekend, and don't let a few potential raindrops keep you inside!