Last year, 2021 set the pace for the United States to develop offshore wind in the Atlantic Ocean. The Biden administration wants America to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
A year later, there was a flurry of development offshore in New York and Connecticut. Because New England’s offshore winds are speedy and steady, with shallow waters, the region is ideal for the future of America’s offshore wind.
Twenty years ago, rising water temperatures, nitrogen pollution and disease wiped out the lobster population in Long Island Sound.
Lobstermen picked up and left, in many cases leaving their traps behind.
But on the floor of the Sound, tens of thousands of traps are still working, catching the few remaining lobsters along with other species.
It’s called ghost fishing.
CCE is excited to announce our 2021 Connecticut Environmental Champions! We take pride in recognizing legislators who have demonstrated a real commitment to protecting our precious natural resources and our health. This year, we are proud to announce four legislative champions who have led the fight for clean air, clean water and environmental justice in Connecticut:
State Senator Christine Cohen (12th Senate Dist.) is the Senate Chair of the Environment Committee and the lead advocate for progressive environmental policy in the Senate. She led the fight on several important victories in Connecticut in 2021, including modernizing the CT Bottle Bill, restricting toxic PFAS in food packaging, and passing critical updates to CCE’s signature “Sewage Overflow Right-to-Know” law.
State Senator Matthew Lesser (9th Senate Dist.) is a long-time supporter of strong environmental protections and has helped advance multiple CCE priorities, including a bill to ban toxic fracking waste coming into Connecticut. In 2021, Sen. Lesser spearheaded the effort to pass first-in-the-nation legislation to combat climate change by divesting Connecticut’s insurance accounts from firms that insure the fossil fuel industry. This makes Connecticut a national leader in efforts to reduce climate emissions, discourage investment in dirty fossil fuels and promote clean energy technology.
State Representative Brandon McGee (5th House Dist.) is a lifelong community advocate, fighting for the rights of low- and moderate-income families across Connecticut. He understands the intersection of environmental justice issues and health inequities that impact our most vulnerable populations. In 2021, he facilitated community conversations on important environmental justice issues, was an outspoken supporter of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), and he established an Equity Commission to study the impacts of racism on public health.
State Representative Jonathan Steinberg (136th House Dist.) is the House Chair of the Public Health Committee. Rep. Steinberg has been a strong supporter of Connecticut’s environment through the years, having led the fight to pass a comprehensive State Water Plan for Connecticut in 2019. As chair of Public Health, Rep. Steinberg was the first to introduce legislation restricting toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in food packaging and prohibiting the use of PFAS-treated firefighting foams that contaminate our water and threaten our health.
Protecting our environment is a full-time job. These legislators have proven themselves to be steadfast advocates for their communities and our shared environment. CCE applauds these lawmakers for their efforts to safeguard our state’s air and water resources, address health inequities, and promote good environmental policy in Connecticut.
These legislators are true leaders in our state, and we are proud to present them with our 2021 Connecticut Environmental Champion Award!
Thank you for taking a moment to recognize our champions. Together, we make a difference!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
The impacts of climate change are increasingly apparent in Connecticut and across the globe. Climate change is increasing the severity of hurricanes, drought, heat-related deaths and illnesses, and causing rising sea levels that inundate our coastal communities. Without immediate action, climate change will cause devastating effects on Connecticut’s infrastructure, economy, public health, and way of life.
The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Connecticut, accounting for roughly 38% of GHG emissions generated in our state. We cannot address the climate crisis without cutting pollution from the transportation sector!
Transportation Emissions Threaten Public Health in CT:
CT ranks as the 10th worst state for smog, which can cause premature death, aggravated asthma, and increased respiratory symptoms.
CT’s asthma rate is worse than the national average: 11% of children and 10.5% of adults have asthma in CT.
Rising temperatures due to climate change are exacerbating these health risks, by increasing smog and prolonging dangerous air conditions.
Tailpipe emissions led to an estimated 367 premature deaths in CT in one year.
CT Must Take Action to Slash Emissions from the Transportation Sector
Under the proposed Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P), CT would cap carbon pollution from transportation fuels and invest in our communities to provide better, cleaner, and safer transportation options. In less than a decade, TCI-P will guarantee at least a 26% reduction in carbon emissions from transportation. The TCI-P would also require oil companies to pay for the pollution their products cause, which will allow for needed investments in a clean transportation and public health improvements. A minimum of 50% of revenue will be invested in communities that are overburdened by air pollution or underserved by the transportation system. Projects that the TCI program include, but are not limited to:
✔︎ Improving/expanding public transit in urban, suburban, and rural areas
✔︎ Converting school and transit buses and diesel truck fleets to cleaner electric models
✔︎ Promoting safer, more bike-friendly and walkable communities
✔︎ Providing rebates to make electric vehicles more affordable
✔︎ Expanding EV charging infrastructure
✔︎ Expanding local air quality monitoring
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at CCE
A statewide ban that took effect last week was intended to eliminate single-use plastic bags from Connecticut’s checkout counters, but in response, Walmart has begun offering thicker plastic bags.
The bags, which the retail giant bills as sustainable, reusable up to 125 times and recyclable, are not prohibited under the plastic bag ban, because of their thicker weight. The State Department of Revenue Services defines single-use checkout bags as “bags with a thickness of less than 4 mils” — the thickness of the new Walmart bags. However, environmentalists say regardless of the weight, plastic is a real threat.
Photo by Lisa Fotios: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-drinking-glass-1346155/
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity!
Congress is currently developing next year’s federal budget while also considering a major infrastructure package. This provides our nation with a critical once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally address our long-standing clean water needs! We have solutions to our clean water challenges, and it’s time to use them. Congress must act to:
Upgrade sewage and drinking water systems: The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) is a program to provide support to municipalities for the construction and repair of sewage infrastructure, and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) is a program to upgrade drinking water infrastructure and ensure safe water at the tap. Congress should fund each program at $10 billion annually.
Replace Lead Service Lines: Between 6 -10 million homes nationwide continue to receive their drinking water through lead service lines, posing a serious risk to their health and disproportionately impacting low-income households. Congress should fund the Lead Service Line Replacement Program at $4.5 billion annually, which will provide grants for the full cost of replacing lead service lines.
Background Information
Aging and failing sewage infrastructure discharges raw or partially sewage into local waterways, jeopardizing human health, closing beaches, harming fish and wildlife, and damaging local economies. Our drinking water infrastructure is also in need of critical upgrades, with communities facing ever-increasing water main breaks every year and continuing to rely on lead service lines that threaten public health. Our water infrastructure has been ignored for far too long, causing needed repairs to pile up due to lack of sufficient funds. As the Congress looks to address the nation’s infrastructure needs, we need to ensure clean water infrastructure is an essential component of that effort.
The Costs of Inaction in New York, Connecticut, and the Nation: Antiquated sewage and drinking water infrastructure threatens our environment and our health, while compounding economic struggles.
There are an estimated 360,000 lead water service lines throughout New York (an estimated 6 -10 million homes nationwide) that pose a serious risk of leaching lead into our drinking water.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave NY & CT’s infrastructure poor grades (NY drinking water infrastructure: C; NY wastewater infrastructure: D; CT drinking water infrastructure: C-; CT wastewater infrastructure: D+). We deserve better!
There are 5 overflows of raw or partially treated sewage into New York waters every day. More than 1 billion gallons of raw or partially treated sewage enter CT waterways each year.
Between 1.8 and 3.5 million Americans become ill annually from contact with recreational waters contaminated by sewage.
Clean Water Infrastructure Needs in NY & CT
While repairing and replacing NY & CT’s clean water infrastructure is imperative, it will also be costly. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) estimates that over $36 billion is needed to repair and upgrade sewage infrastructure, while the New York State Department of Health estimates drinking water infrastructure needs exceed $38 billion. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than $8.6 billion worth of investments are needed over the next 20 years to maintain, repair and upgrade sewage infrastructure in Connecticut.
We Need Federal Investment in Clean Water Infrastructure
The federal government’s contribution to investments in water infrastructure fell from 63% in 1977 to 9% in 2014. The lack of federal investment has left communities unable to keep up with the large maintenance costs for aging systems. Many projects get delayed, and, in other cases, the costs of large infrastructure projects are passed on to ratepayers—leading to skyrocketing water bills. In some communities, water bills have tripled over the last 10 years.
A major federal investment in water infrastructure will protect our environment, help ensure safe, clean, and affordable drinking water is available to everyone, and set the stage for economic revitalization in towns and cities across New York.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
