New Haven - Springfield Commuter Rail: Making It Happen

Connecticut has failed its residents and businesses by not planning adequately for our transportation needs. Our elected leaders now have a chance to make amends by competing aggressively for the federal stimulus funding now available for rail. It’s an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

CTLCV recognizes that implementing a smart, comprehensive transportation policy is good for our environment, good for jobs, and good for our economy. As one of the wealthiest states in the country, it is unthinkable that Connecticut’s transportation policy still has not invested in any serious way in transit.

It’s time for that to change.

Unless we wish to continue our downward economic spiral, there is no question that our transportation system must keep up with the times. With $8 billion in federal stimulus money now available for rail projects on a competitive basis, Connecticut must get in the game and compete aggressively for it.

"If we're not moving forward,
we're moving backward."

We call on Connecticut’s elected leaders to truly lead the way toward transforming our transit system, and secure the necessary funding through the Bond Commission to get the New Haven-Springfield line moving full speed ahead.

We must invest now to make the New Haven-Springfield commuter rail a reality, efficiently linking Connecticut’s major cities to one another and others in the northeast. Doing so is essential to getting Connecticut on a path to sustained economic recovery.

While we are mindful of our current fiscal challenges, it’s still the case that “If we’re not moving forward, we’re moving backward.”

Let’s choose to move forward.

Watch for CTLCV's Environmental Scorecard to be Released Next Week

CTLCV's Environmental Scorecard on the 2009 legislature will be released on November 10 - and what story will it tell?

Did our legislators take bold action to protect our natural resources? Or did they too often allow well-funded opposition to try to weaken our current laws? Who were our Environmental Champions of the Year? Who were the low performers? And how does our legislature rate overall on the environment on issues ranging from open space and water quality to energy and smart growth? What is left to do in 2010?

Answers to these questions, and an individual report card on every current state senator and representative, will be contained in our 10th Annual Environmental Scorecard.

Sign up here to receive a link to the report by email on November 10, or visit our web site at www.ctlcv.org or call us directly at 860-236-5442 for a printed copy.

See Gina McCarthy's Keynote Address at Connecticut Energy Conference

Former Commissioner of Environmental Protection Gina McCarthy returned to Connecticut earlier this month as keynote speaker for the 2009 What's the Deal? energy conference, sponsored by the Connecticut Power and Energy Society and CBIA.

The well-respected McCarthy, known for her work with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), was recruited earlier this year by the Obama administration to serve as the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

McCarthy provided an inside look at about federal regulatory and legislative efforts on climate change, and how proposed changes could affect the power and energy industry. Her keynote address covered such topics as:

• a map in progress for utilities compliance with future air quality standards
• revisions to clean air standards
• new source performance standards and permitting for new facilities that emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases
• cap and trade legislation
• a proposed endangerment finding on the public health threat of manmade greenhouse gases and light duty vehicles contribution to them
• proposed clean car rule aligning CAFÉ standards with greenhouse gas emissions standards
• proposed rules on mandatory reporting of emissions
• and the administrations commitment to aligning technological advances, environmental considerations and economic considerations in the nations shift to a clean energy economy.
• McCarthy provided an inside look at about federal regulatory and legislative efforts on climate change, and how proposed changes could affect the power and energy industry.

Highlights of McCarthy's keynote address are shown in this two-part video, below.