Environment Comes Out Ahead in Connecticut Elections!

(Hartford, CT) – From the bipartisan perspective of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV), the scene at Connecticut’s gold dome looks promising for the 2009 legislative session. With 41 of CTLCV’s bipartisan slate of 46 endorsed candidates elected, the stage is set for even more enlightened environmental progress in the next legislative session, even under difficult economic circumstances.

“We know there are financial pressures, but legislators can enact plenty of smart environmental policies without a hefty price tag. It’s a matter of defining a pro-environment vision for the long term. We will be looking for environmental initiatives that dovetail with economic development. Good jobs and clean energy are both winners this election,” said Julie Belaga, Co-Chair of CTLCV’s Board of Directors.

CTLCV congratulates the winners of yesterday’s elections, from Barack Obama, who was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, CTLCV’s national counterpart, to Connecticut’s congressional delegation, to Connecticut General Assembly winners. “We look forward to working with both parties to make serious headway on putting smart, sustainable environmental policies into action for Connecticut,” Belaga added.

“We have high expectations for the candidates we endorsed and for the 2009 General Assembly overall. Knowing the passion and knowledge that so many of them bring to protecting our forests, farmland, air, waterways and wildlife, we doubt we’ll be disappointed,” said Belaga. CTLCV interviewed candidates and researched their positions extensively before awarding endorsements. (See www.ctlcv.org/survey for details on the environmental priorities of the candidates).

Two wins of special interest to CTLCV are those earned by challengers Michelle Cook (D-Torrington), who unseated Republican Ann Ruwet for the seat in House District 65, and Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire), who beat out incumbent Republican Al Adinfolfi for the seat in House District 103. Despite their freshman status, expect Cook and Esty to be quick studies and impressive forces for the environment.

Other fresh faces to watch include newcomers Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) and Chris Coutu (R- Norwich). Lesser pulled off a tough fight to unseat incumbent Ray Kalinowski (R-Durham) in the 100th House District, as did Coutu against Jack Malone (D-Norwich) in the 47th House District. Like Cook and Esty, we’re betting on Lesser and Coutu as strong voices for the environment.

CTLCV also has high expectations for incoming State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-Canton), who moves from the House of Representatives to replace Thomas Herlihy (R-Simsbury) in the 8th Senate District. We are looking to Witkos to play the role of up and coming leader on the environment in the Republican caucus.

Belaga also announced that CTLCV will be keeping a close watch on the actual implementation of the environmental laws that were passed last year. “It’s all well and good to enact pro-environment laws, but execution is the name of the game. In recent years, Connecticut has not done that part so well.”

The League now calls for lawmakers to uphold environmental laws and lead responsibly on the Connecticut’s most urgent environmental challenges: developing transportation alternatives and mass transit; moving faster to a clean, renewable energy future; spurring innovative solutions for the world’s climate crisis; funding the Department of Environmental Protection; and preserving the “Face of Connecticut.” Election Results for CTLCV’s Bipartisan Slate of Endorsements*

Election Results for CTLCV’s Bipartisan Slate of Endorsements

Senate
John Fonfara (D-Hartford), Dist. 1 Won
Mary Ann Handley (D-Manchester), Dist. 4 Won
Jonathan Harris (D-West Hartford), Dist. 5 Won
Don DeFronzo (D-New Britain), Dist. 6 Won
Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Dist. 11 Uncontested race
Ed Meyer (D-Guilford), Dist. 12 Won
Gayle Slossberg (D-Milford), Dist. 14 Won
Sam Caligiuri (R-Waterbury), Dist. 16 Won
Edith Prague (D-Columbia), Dist. 19 Uncontested race
Andrea Stillman (D-Waterford), Dist. 20 Won
Rob Russo (R-Bridgeport), Dist. 22 Lost
Andrew McDonald (D-Stamford), Dist. 27 Uncontested race
John McKinney (R-Southport), Dist. 28 Won
Donald Williams (D-Brooklyn), Dist. 29 Won
Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen), Dist. 30 Won

House of Representatives
Jason Bartlett (D-Bethel), Dist. 2 Pending*
Linda Schofield (D-Simsbury), Dist. 16 Won
Andrew Fleischmann (D-West Hartford), Dist. 18 Won
Beth Bye (D-West Hartford), Dist. 19 Won
David McCluskey (D-West Hartford), Dist. 20 Won
Demetrios Giannaros (D-Farmington), Dist. 21 Uncontested race
Eileen Baker (D-Old Saybrook), Dist. 23 Lost
Thomas Kehoe (D-South Glastonbury), Dist. 31 Won
James Spallone (D-Essex), Dist. 36 Won
Elizabeth Ritter (D-Quaker Hill), Dist. 38 Uncontested race
Elissa Wright (D-Noank), Dist. 41 Won
Diana Urban (D-North Stonington), Dist. 43 Won
Sherri Vogt (D-Brooklyn), Dist. 50 Lost
Bryan Hurlburt (D-Tolland), Dist.53 Won
Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield Center), Dist. 54 Uncontested race
Roberta Willis (D-Lakeville), Dist. 64 Uncontested race
Michelle Cook (D-Torrington), Dist. 65 Won
Mary Mushinsky (D-Wallingford), Dist. 85 Won
Steve Fontana (D-North Haven), Dist. 87 Won
Robert Megna (D-New Haven), Dist. 97 Uncontested race
Patricia Widlitz (D-Guilford), Dist. 98 Uncontested race
Ray Kalinowski (R-Durham), Dist. 100 Lost
Deb Heinrich (D-Madison), Dist. 101 Won
Lonnie Reed (D-Branford), Dist. 102 Uncontested race
Elizabeth Esty (D-Cheshire), Dist. 103 Won
John Frey (R-Ridgefield), Dist. 111 Won
Richard Roy (D-Milford), Dist. 119 Won
John Hetherington (R-New Canaan), Dist. 125 Uncontested race
Jack Hennessey (D-Bridgeport), Dist. 127 Uncontested race
Livvy Floren (R-Greenwich), Dist. 149 Uncontested race
Ed Krumeich (D-Riverside), Dist. 151 Lost

*Based on best data available as of 7 pm, 11/5/08

CTLCV Honors Senator Bill Nickerson, Builds Legacy Fund for Sustainable Energy

With its current exhibit on the effects of climate change, Greenwich’s Bruce Museum set just the right tone for the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters to honor retiring State Senator William Nickerson on Friday evening, October 17.

CTLCV honored Nickerson with its "Connecticut Land Air and Water Award" for his longstanding commitment to conserving Connecticut’s natural resources. CTLCV Co-Chair and one-time gubernatorial candidate Julie Belaga presented Nickerson with the award.

CTLCV’s Greenwich board members George Host, Cheryl Dunson, Holt Thrasher and Peter Moss were also on hand to extend their appreciation. The award event drew a crowd of about a hundred pro-environment voters from the Greenwich area.

Senator Nickerson served in the Connecticut General Assembly for 22 years, representing Greenwich for four years in the House and eighteen years in the Senate. During that time he worked under four Governors and cast over 11,000 votes.
In the Senate, Nickerson served as Chief Deputy Minority Leader, Ranking Member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, and as a member of the Transportation Committee, the Legislative Management Committee, and on the State Bond Commission.

The many environmental achievements on Nickerson’s résumé came about through his persistence in securing the state funding necessary to make them happen. Some of Nickerson’s feats include working to acquire open space that included Kelda water company lands, persuading the state to fund the purchase of new commuter rail cars for the New Haven Line, and underwriting the Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water Fund.

At Friday’s gathering Nickerson also underscored his opposition to the Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas project, calling its prevention a tremendous success because it would have been a “menace to navigation, a security threat and an environmental hazard in the middle of Connecticut’s crown jewel, Long Island Sound.”

Nickerson reflected that “As we move forward, no issue will be as important to the citizens of this country and state as energy. It impacts our security, economy, and health as do the related issues of global warming and mass transportation.”

Nickerson observed that “For too long America and Connecticut have been a society of one person, one car, driving everywhere, every day. That’s not working. Driving affects climate change and CO2 emissions. It affects our economy. Transportation is not just about roads. We don’t connect our roads, our rail, our airport, and we don’t make them work together. And we’re going to have to do that.”
On an evening where many in attendance were delayed on I-95 and the Merritt Parkway, mere ribbons of cars stretching farther than the eye could see, the crowd couldn’t have agreed more.

Nickerson’s award coincides with the launch of CTLCV’s “Senator Bill Nickerson Legacy Fund.” That fund will underwrite the education and advocacy work on sustainable energy policy that CTLCV and its educational affiliate, the CTLCV Education Fund, will ramp up beginning in 2009.