You have an agenda…

We’re telling Connecticut legislators YOU want clean air, land, and water!

Your representatives go back to work next Wednesday and we are working to ensure they understand you want strong environmental policy.

Throughout the session, which runs from February 7 through May 9, we will work with legislators, Governor Malloy, state agencies, fellow organizations, and citizens across Connecticut to advocate for laws that will protect and improve Connecticut’s land, air, and water.

Here are some of the things we will be working on:

CLIMATE

To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower air pollution emissions, promote clean energy jobs, and drive economic development, CFE/Save the Sound will be working to:

• Expand and extend the Renewable Portfolio Standard to require electric providers to purchase 50 percent of their power from clean energy sources, such as solar and wind, by 2030.
• Enact the interim target for the Global Warming Solutions Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030, as recently recommended by the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.
• Remove the cap on shared solar and implement a program that will benefit residents who can’t currently put solar panels at their home or apartment, urban centers, and under-served residents, as well as create jobs and lower energy bills.
• Continue supporting policies to make it easier for consumers to purchase, afford, and charge electric vehicles in Connecticut.
• Fix last session’s one-sided ratepayer impact statement that ignores the benefits of renewable energy and efficiency proposals in new legislation.  
• Protect and build up programs that reduce emissions, save money for families, and generate jobs in the growing clean energy and energy efficiency industries.

LONG ISLAND SOUND PROTECTION

• Improve accountability and protect public health by strengthening Connecticut’s Sewage Right to Know Act to include electronic reporting and public notice of sewage releases.
• Protect Clean Water Fund authorizations that help municipalities upgrade their infrastructure and keep sewage and excess nitrogen out of Long Island Sound.
• Advance Long Island Sound Coastal Resiliency projects and advance policies that are under development to protect our coastline and shoreline communities.

DRINKING WATER AND WATERSHED LANDS

• Ensure a comprehensive State Water Plan that includes strong public trust policies is approved by the legislature.
• Continue to defend the public drinking water supply by making sure Class I and II watershed lands remain protected.

DEFENDING LAWS

• Remain vigilant against attempts to weaken environmental protections that safeguard public health and our shared natural resources.
• Work to fix detrimental environmental rollbacks—like the newly minted 90-day automatic approval process—that threatens public health and safety, wildlife, and the environment.