Thumbs Up to Reps Haddad, Becker, Perone on Good Enviro Votes in Commerce Committee

– By Margaret Miner

In the single-minded Commerce Committee, on March 8, two members broke the ranks of unanimity and voted against that amazingly bad bill SB 1020, AAC Water Resources and Economic Development.   In other words, they voted FOR moving ahead with streamflow protections in Connecticut. These heroes are: Rep. Gregg Haddad (D-Chaplin and Mansfield) and Rep. Brian Becker (D-Avon, Farmington, West Hartford). The vote was 15 to 2, with 2 absent. On another anti-DEP bill, Rep. Chris Perone (D- Norwalk), joined the heroic minority.

                
                  From left: Reps. Gregg Haddad, Brian Becker and Chris Perone

I read many eloquent and forceful messages from environmental leaders to members of the committee. It is a sign of the times that these pleas were rejected. I am surprised that even two votes went our way. These days, legislative meetings and hearings echo with various formulations of the opinion that environmentalists and the DEP have brought the state to the brink of ruin.

So I want to offer the contrarian view that the state has brought itself to the brink of ruin. DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella stood up for several difficult but righteous causes, including streamflow regulation, higher water quality standards, and a review of the propriety of the Haddam land swap (details available on request). She did a good job of increasing efficiency and speeding up permitting. She didn't sell out the environment.  Thank you, Amey.

Meanwhile, a hearing in the Environment Committee yesterday included Bill 6505, An Act Concerning Stream Flow Regulations. This bill clarifies that the law calling for the creation of flow standards (Public Act 05-142) was intended to provide the state's rivers and streams protection from excessive withdrawals whether by damming, pumping, siphoning, or other means. Several important legislators said that they did not understand that groundwater pumping would be regulated and that new legislation was needed that specifically used the word "groundwater."  Therefore, this bill adds the word "groundwater" for clarity. (Attorneys for the legislature and the executive branch did not feel this was necessary, but it can't hurt.) There was a lot of negative testimony on the idea of regulating anything, especially well fields. The record is still open, so you can submit testimony. The Environment Committee chairs are Sen. Ed Meyer and Rep. Richard Roy. Your comments can be sent by email to Jason.Bowsza@cga.ct.gov.

Negotiations on streamflow protection are inching along. Several months ago, we thought in terms of a phase one for surface water and a phase two for groundwater. Now we are contemplating a sort of phase one half, phase three-quarters, etc. But still, we are talking.

- Margaret Miner is a Director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and the Executive Director of Rivers Alliance of Connecticut .  She may be reached at rivers@riversalliance.org