What’s on tap: 2016 CT legislative agenda

Connecticut’s legislative session starts on Wednesday and we’re thrilled to share our priorities with you! 

CT Capitol with trees
By mid-session, the trees around the Capitol will be budding once more while legislators meet inside.

We work with legislators, Governor Malloy, state agencies, fellow organizations, and citizens across Connecticut throughout the state legislative session to advocate for laws that will protect and improve our land, air, and waters.

Read on to learn about our environmental priorities for the 2016 session, and how you can get involved.

Want to get breaking news about the legislation you care about? Sign up for our email action alerts here.

We’ll let you know how you can take action–like submitting comments on bills and attending public hearings–from now until the session ends May 4.

 

Protecting Our Climate & Promoting Clean Energy

  • Update the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to keep Connecticut at the forefront of domestic climate policy, by strengthening commitments to emission reductions and requiring state agencies to consider climate in planning and other activities.
  • Accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles, including electric and fuel cell vehicles, by advocating for incentives to increase adoption of these clean cars, in line with Connecticut’s stated goals.
  • Open the door for more clean distributed electricity generation, including shared solar, wind, fuel cells, and combined heat and power, by evaluating the value of clean distributed energy resources and establishing a fair compensation method for producers of clean energy.

Keeping Connecticut Waters & Long Island Sound Clean

  • Protect drinking water for hundreds of thousands residents in the Greater Hartford Area by ensuring class I and class II MDC lands are not used as the route for a newly-proposed, fracked gas pipeline.
  • Ensure that Clean Water Funding for 2016 and 2017 is maintained and allocated to important projects that will reduce nitrogen, raw sewage, and phosphorus in our rivers, lakes, and Long Island Sound. Encourage innovative green infrastructure projects to manage stormwater runoff.

Protecting Our Trees, Communities, and Lands

  • Protect Connecticut’s healthy trees through technical changes that clarify notice and posting requirements for tree and shrub pruning and removal.
  • Assess the environmental impact of widespread tree-cutting on highway and state roads, and plan for mitigation opportunities.

Promoting Transit & TOD

  • Maintain existing bus services and invest in new transit services to get Connecticut workers and families where they need to go.
  • Establish secured state funding to ensure mass transit and livable city projects have funding to move forward quickly while also leveraging federal investment for rail and bus service.
  • Make transit more “user friendly” and improve access to transportation information.

Defending Environmental Law & Policy

  • Defend against bills seeking to weaken or roll back protections for Connecticut’s land, air, and water, and Long Island Sound.

 

Get the latest

If you want to receive up-to-the-minute updates on the legislative session, be sure you’re signed up for our email list!

And in case you missed what happened in the legislative session last year, our 2015 review has all of the details.

 


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Saturday, April 27, at East Rock Park in New Haven
Celebrate Earth Day, cycle or hike with the New Haven community, fundraise for environmental organizations, and enjoy food, music, and more at the Green Fair on April 27. Join our cycling team to support a healthy, clean, and thriving Long Island Sound region.

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