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For five years, business, environmental and state organizations have collaborated on regulations to protect water levels in our rivers and streams in a way that’s good for all of Connecticut, over the long run.  Now lobbyists who oppose any cohesive approach to managing our rivers have introduced a bill that would force the five-year streamflow regulation process to start all over. 

If you’ve ever thought that Connecticut just can’t get out of its own way to get anything worthwhile accomplished, this kind of self-serving, anti-collaborative behavior explains why that is too often the case.

Bill 1020, An Act Concerning Water Resources and Economic Development, was discussed in a public hearing of the legislature's Commerce Committee on February 25 (testimony here). In applying a simplistic, one-factor analysis (today’s costs), the Commerce Committee appears to be leaning toward keeping the bill alive by voting it out of committee.

Water companies, which profit by selling us water, want to keep reservoir levels up by preventing the release of water downstream.  Problem is, fish and other aquatic life don’t survive when streams dry out or run low, impacting the rivers they feed into – as well as the tourism and recreational sectors that rely on water. Add some drought to all the other residential and industrial demands for water, and of course rivers and streams take a hit.  If you want to talk economics, let’s be sure to consider the economic costs of failing to manage our waterways.

Water is a resource that’s pretty essential to life as we know it.  You can weigh in.  Take action today to protect Connecticut’s rivers and streams.

Call or email the Commerce Committee to say you want five years of science-based, multi-stakeholder collaboration on streamflow regulations to wrap up now, not start over.

Tell the Commerce Committee you want five years of science-based, multi-stakeholder collaboration on streamflow regulations to wrap up now, not start over:  Reject HB 1020 and let the streamflow regulation process continue to completion this session. 

 

Commerce Committee :  860-240-0380

Dist.	Title	First name	Last name	Capitol phone	Email
19	Rep.	Brian	Becker	860-240-8585	Brian.Becker@cga.ct.gov
73	Rep.	Jeffrey	Berger	860-240-8585	Jeffrey.Berger@cga.ct.gov
151	Rep.	Fred	Camillo	860-240-8700	Fred.Camillo@housegop.ct.gov
47	Rep.	Christopher	Coutu	860-240-8700	Christopher.Coutu@housegop.ct.gov
17	Sen.	Joseph	Crisco	860-240-0189	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Crisco-mailform.html
71	Rep.	Anthony	D'Amelio	860-240-8700	Anthony.DAmelio@housegop.ct.gov
36	Sen.	L. Scott	Frantz	860-240-8800	Scott.Frantz@cga.ct.gov
104	Rep.	Linda	Gentile	860-240-0553	Linda.Gentile@cga.ct.gov
54	Rep.	Gregory	Haddad	860-240-8585	Gregory.Haddad@cga.ct.gov
37	Rep.	Ed	Jutila	860-240-8585	Ed.Jutila@cga.ct.gov
21	Sen.	Kevin	Kelly	860-240-8800	Kevin.Kelly@cga.ct.gov
3	Sen.	Gary	LeBeau	860-240-0511	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/LeBeau-mailform.html
74	Rep.	Selim	Noujaim	860-240-8700	Selim.Noujaim@housegop.ct.gov
61	Rep.	Elaine	O'Brien	860-240-8585	Elaine.OBrien@cga.ct.gov
137	Rep.	Chris	Perone	860-240-8585	Chris.Perone@cga.ct.gov
130	Rep.	Ezequiel	Santiago	860-240-0544	Ezequiel.Santiago@cga.ct.gov
68	Rep.	Sean	Williams	860-240-8700	Sean.Williams@housegop.ct.gov
81	Rep.	Bruce	Zalaski	860-240-8585	Zeke.Zalaski@cga.ct.gov

Norwich Bulletin Profiles Co-Chair David Bingham and CTLCV

Our thanks goes out to Norwich Bulletin reporter Adam Benson for this profile of CTLCV and Co-Chair David Bingham.  Read the full article here.

Enviro Bills Heating Up at the Legislature

As a legislative watchdog, CTLCV works with Connecticut's environmental advocacy groups to identify and highlight important bills that affect our air, water, wildlife, open space, and our health. 

The bills listed below are on our current watchlist.  Please note that this list changes often throughout the legislative session and is updated frequently.  As always, contact CTLCV at 860.236.5442 if you have questions or comments about this list.

LCV Releases National Environmental Scorecard

A Message from Gene Karpinski, President, League of Conservation Voters

The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has just released its 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, which provides objective, factual information about the most important environmental legislation considered and the corresponding voting records of all members of the second session of the 111th Congress.

How did our members of Congress vote on 2010’s major environmental bills? Click here to view our just-released 2010 National Environmental Scorecard and see how members of Congress measure up.

The 111th Congress started off with great promise for the environment, most significantly with House passage of comprehensive energy and climate legislation. As the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard reflects, the successes of 2009 were followed by an incredibly disappointing second session in 2010.

Indeed, the most important votes of 2010 are the ones that didn’t happen: first and most importantly, the Senate failed to even begin debate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill that would have created jobs, increased America’s energy independence, and protected the planet from carbon pollution; next, the Senate failed to respond to the greatest disaster in our nation’s history — the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Click here to view the LCV 2010 National Environmental Scorecard and see how your members of Congress voted on key environmental issues.

While the lack of progress in 2010 is highly disappointing, LCV applauds those members of Congress who fought to protect public health and the environment and reduce our nation’s dangerous dependence on oil. Conversely, the 2010 Scorecard clearly exposes those members who put corporate polluters and other special interests ahead of the health and well-being of all Americans by opposing efforts to protect the environment.

Despite the disappointments of 2010, LCV will continue to work for environmental policies that protect our planet for future generations. LCV will also fight to protect the EPA and hold accountable those who seek to undermine our environmental protections. And LCV calls on you to contact your elected officials to urge them to support critical environmental legislation and oppose efforts to cripple the EPA in 2011 and beyond.

Please help educate everyone you know about how members of Congress voted on the environment last year. After viewing the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, please spread the word by forwarding this to your friends and family.

Bus Rapid Transit Makes for a World’s “Most Visionary City”

Travel + Leisure magazine’s recent feature on the “The World’s Most Visionary Cities” put Curitiba, Brazil on the list for its Bus Rapid Transit system.

In most metropolises, walking is faster than taking the crosstown public bus. Not so in Curitiba. In the 1960s, city planners examined their growing town and, to curtail congestion, implemented a comprehensive public-transportation scheme: Bus Rapid Transit. To speed up loading of the long, centipede-like buses, passengers—more than 80 percent of the population—pay low-cost fares beforehand (about 40 cents a ride, with unlimited transfers). The frequently arriving fleet speeds down dedicated streets unimpeded.

It's often cited as the ideal public transport system.

 

Other cities make the list for green reasons, like urban farming, bike-share programs, and electric vehicle charging stations.

The proposed Hartford-New Britain busway would include bus rapid transit.

More at:  http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-most-visionary-cities

Film “Carbon Nation” Focuses on Solutions, Not Blame

Filmmaker Peter Byck discovered that focusing on getting people to believe in climate change isn’t the way to enact clean, green energy solutions.  Watch what he has to say:

(If the video controls don’t show up on their own, slide your mouse over the image above to make them appear.)

GOVERNOR MALLOY SELECTS DANIEL ESTY TO HEAD NEWLY FUSED DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

- Links to early news coverage at bottom of post

- Contents of the Governor’s press release follow:

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today named Yale professor Daniel C. Esty to be the commissioner of his new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), an agency that will consolidate Connecticut's widely dispersed energy functions, including the Department of Public Utility Control, with the Department of Environmental Protection to allow for a more effective coordination of state energy and environmental policies.

"Reducing the number of state agencies by consolidating all of our energy functions into one unit will be unprecedented in the state and will bring with it a number of benefits," Governor Malloy said.  "I am glad that Dan Esty has agreed to accept this challenge, and with it, the directive to better integrate and coordinate our state's energy and environmental policy in order to strengthen our ability to protect the environment; to clean, conserve and lower the cost of energy; and to set the table for rapid and responsible economic growth. His experience advising private companies and the President of the United States, coupled with his knowledge of environmental law and policy is second-to-none, and I know this new department will be on the cutting edge of environmental and energy policy with Dan at the helm."

"It is an honor to have been selected to lead this newly-formed agency, especially as it undergoes a major transition," Esty said.  "The state is undoubtedly in a period when we need to make serious changes to our energy policies that are fully engaged with a target of lowering costs for both individuals and businesses.  The job creation benefits that will result from fixing the state's energy system are a significant factor in boosting economic development here at home."

Esty is one of the world's leading experts on environmental strategy.  He has advised top executives from dozens of companies around the world on environment and sustainability issues, and served as an advisor on energy and environmental issues for President Obama's campaign and as a member of his Presidential Transition Team. A former senior official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Esty is the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University. He is also the Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale.

Esty has written books and articles on environmental strategy, competitiveness, policy reform, and regulation.  Esty's recent prize-winning book with Andrew Winston, Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, argues that sustainability has become a critical element of corporate strategy.  He holds a B.A. from Harvard, an M.A. from Oxford, and a law degree from Yale.

Creating the new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will enable the state to continue its environmental conservation and regulation functions and to couple them closely with energy policy and pricing.  Organizationally, the state's energy policy will become centralized in the agency through the creation of two new bureaus: the Bureau of Energy Policy and Efficiency, responsible for the development and analysis of state energy policy, and the Bureau of Utilities Control, formed by transferring the Department of Public Utility Control.

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Contact:  David Bednarz | Deputy Press Secretary, Governor Malloy  |  860. 524.7315 (o)  |  860.770.9792 (c)

Early News Coverage:

1. http://ctmirror.org/story/11459/malloy-names-yale-prof-obama-adviser-environment-commissioner
2. http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2011/02/daniel-esty-yale-professor-rho.html
3. http://blogs.courant.com/rick_green/2011/02/dan-esty-new-malloy-commish-is.html
4. http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/yale_professor_named_to_head_enviro-energy_department/
5. http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Malloy-picks-Yale-professor-Daniel-Esty-to-lead-1007254.php
6. http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Malloy-picks-Yale-professor-Daniel-Esty-to-lead-1007254.php
7. http://www.theday.com/article/20110210/NWS12/110219992/1047
8. http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news16808.html

Malloy Proposes Combining DEP with Energy

LOTS of stories are out today following yesterday’s late afternoon announcement that Governor Malloy proposes combining the Department of Environmental Protection with energy management functions.

Note this quote from Senator John McKinney:

“McKinney, who said that DEP has been underfunded for years, said he wants to see how many resources go to environmental protection under the merger plan.

"As someone who cares about DEP and what they do...I want to make sure DEP is not lost," he said.”  Malloy to consolidate DEP, DPUC; The Connecticut Mirror.

Take your pick of stories covering this important proposal in:

• The Connecticut Mirror
• Hartford Business Journal
• CT News Junkie
• New Haven Register
• Hartford Courant
• New London Day

Keeping Up with Congress on Clean Air

TODAY’S New York Times carries an editorial on current efforts in Congress to weaken the EPA and its management of air polluters.

Although “the rules under siege in Congress will help clean the air, reduce toxic pollution in fish and slow emissions of greenhouse gases,” the editorial finds, “one or another of these bills has a real shot in the Republican-controlled House.”

The editorial provides a good summary of where things stand:  Clean Air Under Siege - NYTimes.com.

This Weekend–Talk It Up! Send Your Support for the Bill to Keep Municipal Land Open for Recreation

Since the weather might keep you inside for a bit this weekend, why not take the opportunity to voice your support for the bill (SB 831) that would limit municipal liability and keep recreational lands open?

A Bit of Background:

Last summer hundreds of people, if not a thousand or so, rallied against the $2.9 million verdict awarded to an experienced cyclist who collided into a gate at the West Hartford reservoir.  The gate had been there, and was routinely closed, for the better part of 30 years.

In a pre-emptive effort, outdoor enthusiasts spoke out to keep open space properties like the West Hartford Reservoir open to recreational users and to limit towns’ exposure to frivolous lawsuits and verdicts like the one awarded to this particular cyclist.

Now a bill that would do just that is starting its way through the legislative process.  The Environment Committee held a public hearing on the bill on January 31.  Next the committee will decide what to do with the bill:  report the bill favorably, defeat it, or  ignore it. 

What Can I Do?  You can send a brief email message to the legislature’s Environment Committee stating your support for keeping town lands open to recreational use and for limiting municipality liability.

Is my message really going to make a difference?  Yes!  Many people are surprised to learn how impactful their statements to legislators really are.  Oftentimes, the only people who speak up about a bill are the ones who oppose it, which leaves legislators with the impression that a bill doesn’t have much support.  Our legislators aren’t mind readers--give them something to work with!

Okay.  Where do I send it?  Email your message to jason.bowsza@cga.ct.gov.  He’s the clerk for the Environment Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly. Copy and paste the address to avoid misspellings.

What do I say? Put “Testimony in Support of SB 831” in the subject line of your email.  Ask the Environment committee to support Senate Bill 831.  Explain why you want municipal land to stay open for your own recreational use.   Be brief.  Be polite and respectful.  Say thank you.  Remember that your message will be testimony that will be posted online.  Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the newspaper. Be sure to include your name and town of residence.

I’d still like to know more.  Good for you!  Be informed.  The Connecticut Forest and Park Association and Save Our Trails has a good one-page backgrounder entitled WHY DO WE NEED RECREATIONAL LIABILITY FOR MUNICIPALITIES?

Thanks for speaking up for smart, sustainable environmental policies for Connecticut.

Research Confirms President Obama's SOTU Remarks: Smart Transportation Spending Creates Jobs, Grows the Economy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2011

Susan Merrow, Chair, 1000 Friends of Connecticut 860-367-1687, amerrow@snet.net Kirsten Griebel, CTLCV Education Fund 860-670-0621, 860-236-5442, kirsten.griebel@ctlcv.org Alex Goldschmidt, Smart Growth America 202-207-3355 x112, agoldschmidt@smartgrowthamerica.org

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CT Ranks First in report that shows investing in repair and maintenance projects and public transportation can help Connecticut revitalize America's transportation system and rebuild the economy.

Connecticut, February 4, 2011 - A new report released by Smart Growth America (SGA) provides Connecticut with a roadmap to pursue President Obama's call to repair our crumbling roads and bridges and invest in public transportation to jumpstart the economy. The report, which highlights how well states created jobs using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) flexible transportation dollars, provides Governor Malloy, the Department of Transportation, and the legislature with a smart investment strategy to get more jobs from the same number of transportation dollars and help rebuild the economy effectively.

Connecticut ranked first, based on how well we used our portion of the $26.6 billion in flexible ARRA transportation dollars to create jobs. The report was released two years after the passage of ARRA and a week after President Obama's State of the Union Address and his clarion call to rebuild America and create jobs.

"Smart Growth America commends Connecticut for using its federal stimulus funding to maximize job creation," Geoff Anderson, President/CEO of Smart Growth America said. "Connecticut should continue on this same path of smart, fiscally responsible transportation policies when it considers its 2011 transportation budget. If Connecticut continues to allocate the majority of its transportation dollars in its new budget to the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, and expanding access to public transportation, the state can save money and put people back to work."

Connecticut leaders understand that rebuilding our economy is the most significant challenge of our generation. As the President said in his address, "To attract new businesses to our shores, we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods and information...America is the nation that built the transcontinental railroad, brought electricity to rural communities and constructed the interstate highway system. The jobs created by these projects didn't just come from laying down tracks or pavement. They came from businesses that opened near a town's new train station or the new off-ramp." This report analyzes state-reported ARRA data and finds that wise spending of transportation dollars produces immediate results in terms of jobs.

The states that made the best use of funds invested in public transportation projects and maintained and repaired existing roads and bridges. The states that ranked poorly focused on building new roads and bridges.

Connecticut spent 100 percent of its ARRA transportation funds on repairing and maintaining roads and bridges; nothing on building new ones; and 9.1 percent on public transportation and non-motorized projects such as trails, bicycle projects and pedestrian projects.

"We're proud that Connecticut "fixed it first" and created jobs critical to our state's recovery. We urge even greater emphasis on mass transit funding, which has a triple benefit: it creates jobs, gets people to their jobs, and improves the quality of life for all of us," said 1000 Friends of Connecticut Chair and CTLCV Director Susan Merrow.

. . . . .

"We have seen a gradual shift in Connecticut toward investments in public transit where we get the biggest bang for the buck - dollar for dollar, public transportation projects create the highest percentage of jobs. These investments are good for both the economy and the environment," added Lori Brown, Executive Director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters.

SGA determined its rankings by assessing how states invested their ARRA flexible transportation dollars, as reported by the states themselves to Congress.

Historically, repair work on roads and bridges generates 16 percent more jobs per dollar than new bridge and road construction. Repair and maintenance projects spend money faster and create jobs more quickly than building new roads because they employ more kinds of workers, spend less money on land and more on wages, and spend less time on plans and permits.

Additionally, historical investments in public transportation have generated 31 percent more jobs per dollar than new construction of roads and bridges. SGA's analysis of ARRA spending shows that even more jobs were created with public transportation spending - these projects generated 70 percent more jobs per dollar than new highway construction.

"Our new administration in Hartford and new leadership at Department Of Transportation have a chance now to build on this good news and firmly establish the connection between wise spending on transit, fixing existing infrastructure, and growing smart," Merrow concluded.

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For the complete report, go to http://smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/lessons-from-the-stimulus.pdf.

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Smart Growth America is the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide. From providing more sidewalks to ensuring more homes are built near public transit or that productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth helps make sure people across the nation can live in great neighborhoods. For additional information, please visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org.

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A Fiscal Conservative, Congressional Transportation Committee Chair Mica Sees Transit as Efficient Investment

Could the tides be turning on high speed rail?

Our partner, Transportation for America, reports that Florida Republican John Mica could be a key ally on high-speed rail.

T4America turned up this impressive 2009 statement from Mica:

“If you’re on the Transportation Committee long enough, even if you’re a fiscal conservative, which I consider myself to be, you quickly see the benefits of transportation investment. Simply, I became a mass transit fan because it’s so much more cost effective than building a highway. Also, it’s good for energy, it’s good for the environment – and that’s why I like it.”

Read the full T4America article here:  Florida Republican John Mica could be a key ally on high-speed rail.

Because of its impact on climate change, greenhouse gas pollution, energy security, sprawl, public health and the nascent green jobs sector, promoting sustainable transportation options is one of CTLCV’s current focus areas.

Talk It Up! Make Your Support for the Community Green Fund Bill Heard

– contact David Bingham for more details

Could your town use some work on its:

• Energy conservation and efficiency?
• Storm sewers?
• Brownfield remediation and redevelopment?
• Air and water quality?
• Alternative Energy production?
• Historic preservation?
• Open space preservation?

If so, you should be interested in SB 834, An Act Concerning Municipal Open Space Priorities and Funding for the Purchase of Such Properties.  That’s a bill that would give cities and towns the authority, if they so choose, to enact a conveyance fee of 1% on real estate buyers.  The collected fees would be placed in the town’s dedicated fund for conservation purposes, such as OPEN SPACE AND FARMLAND PURCHASE.  The fees could also be used to fund projects FOR CONSERVATION OF AIR, WATER, ENERGY AND CULTURAL RESOURCES.

Funding for such local initiatives tends to get delayed indefinitely while the environment suffers. Funding such projects is essential for sustainable communities.  And it means green jobs.

Some well-financed interest groups, such as realtors and builders, that are expected to call their legislators and fight this bill, even though the evidence in other states is that "green communities" help sustain land and development values. 

To counteract opposition, it will be critical for constituents to let their legislators know about conservation projects in their districts that could use seed money from a Community Conservation Fund if enabled by SB 834.

SB 834 was raised for a hearing on 1/31/11 by the Environment Committee.  Now the committee needs to vote to move the bill forward.  The wording of the bill currently vague, but is expected to be tightened up before a vote in the Environment Committee.

Those interested in helping get local funding for such projects should let their legislative representatives and senator know with a brief email or call that they wish this bill to be passed. Members of the Environment Committee are listed below.  Their individual contact information is available here.

• Sen Meyer, Edward S-12
• Sen Maynard, Andrew S-18
• Sen Roraback, Andrew S-30
• Rep Roy, Richard 119
• Rep Davis, Paul 117
• Rep Chapin, Clark 067
• Rep Backer, Terry 121
• Rep Camillo, Fred 151
• Rep Greene, Leonard 105
• Rep Hennessey, John 127
• Rep Hurlburt, Bryan 053
• Rep Hwang, Tony 134
• Rep Luxenberg, Geoff 012
• Rep Megna, Robert 097
• Rep Miller, Lawrence 122
• Rep Miner, Craig 066
• Rep Moukawsher, Edward 040
• Rep Mushinski, Mary 085
• Rep Piscopo, John 076
• Rep Rose, Kim 118
• Rep Ryan, Kevin 139
• Rep Shaban, John 135
• Rep Urban, Diana 143
• Rep Willis, Roberta 064
• Rep Wood, Terri 141
• Rep Wright, Christopher 077
• Wright, Elissa 041

You may also submit comments to the Environment Committee care of jason.bowsza@cga.ct.gov.

For more information on the Community Green Fund bill, please contact CTLCV Co-Chair David Bingham at dbbingham@sbcglobal.net.