Connecticut’s Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) issued a draft decision Aug. 26, 2010, that rejects the plan that would allow ratepayers to save millions of dollars. This measure, which some environmental groups support, would have enabled ratepayers to take the least costly path to fulfilling their energy needs through increased efficiency.

In order to construct three natural gas-powered turbines and a 130-foot exhaust stack in the East Shore, PSEG has agreed to some conditions imposed by the city. The company has agreed to spend $500,000 towards efforts to reduce particulate matter, not from its own smoke stacks, but by retrofitting garbage trucks that will spend 5,800
[continue reading...]

Coal ash buried at the NRG Energy power plant property is continuing to pollute groundwater and soil with arsenic, beryllium and other heavy metals at levels higher than those considered safe, a study released Thursday by three environmental groups shows.

The NRG plant was the only Connecticut site among 39 listed in the report from the Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club about the dangers of coal ash wastes to groundwater and surface water supplies, Judy Benson of The Day reports.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has subbed this Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, “Power IT Down Day,” an annual nationwide event that encourages the public and private sectors to turn off their IT equipment at the end of the workday to save energy.

One of Connecticut’s most amazing “green renovation homes” will be open to the public on Saturday, August 28. The 1910 Westport farmhouse has been transformed into a state-of -the-art green home by the owner/architect. Between noon and 4 p.m., ticket holders will learn about the unique features of this Energy Star-rated home.

Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT, which uses power from the heat and biomass of cows and plans to be carbon neutral by next year, tops the list. via Sierra Club Ranks America’s Greenest Schools | The Nation. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin share via Reddit
[continue reading...]

SunHydro today announced an agreement with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) to place ten Toyota Advanced Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHV-adv) in Wallingford, Connecticut this fall.

A $100,000 challenge grant for restoration of the historic Amos Bull House has been awarded to Connecticut Landmarks by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. via Connecticut Landmarks Awarded $100,000 Hartford Foundation Grant – Courant.com. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on
[continue reading...]

At 10:30 am, please come and welcome the artists of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators-Greater New York Chapter, as they discuss their subject matter and the personal experiences that inspired their work. The Songbird Exhibit runs until October 29, weekdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Highstead Arboretum, 127 Lonetown Rd., Redding, CT 06875.
[continue reading...]

WINSTED — The town’s Plan of Conservation and Development took one fairly sizable step towards being enacted Wednesday night, as the Board of Selectmen and the public had a chance to weigh in. via Winsted Selectmen sign off on Plan of Conservation and Development draft — with revisions – The Register Citizen. Blog this! Bookmark
[continue reading...]

As of the latest hearing in the process to place a controversial AT&T cell tower on the St. Matthew Lutheran Church property, both the company and the town have reached an agreement on the design and location of the proposed tower. However, that agreement is pending approval by the Connecticut Siting Council, which has jurisdiction
[continue reading...]

Officials are considering whether the town should forever reserve certain properties for farming use only. The land acquisition advisory committee recently discussed whether the town should create a “farmland in perpetuity” designation. Council Chairman Frederick Daniels said at Tuesday’s council meeting that he and other members of the committee consider that a policy discussion for
[continue reading...]

By Jim Gillespie, a landowner and tree farmer in Sharon. “When you see trees being cut in Connecticut, rest assured the operation is well run and a benefit to the environment and local/regional economy. Please seek out local wood producers and utilize the high quality products made by nature right in our own backyard! And
[continue reading...]

An 18-month-long dream has been realized with the acquisition of a significant parcel of land on South Kent Road by the Kent Land Trust. Twenty-eight acres adjacent to the land trust’s great blue heron rookery have been donated by Detleve Vagts, whose family for many years owned a more than 220-acre South Kent farm. In
[continue reading...]

Has the Obama administration and the solicitor general simply made their own lives a lot more difficult? Kate Sheppard reports that Jonathan Zasloff, a law professor at UCLA, seems to think so. Read more continuing coverage of this Supreme Court case that has PO’ed a lot of environmentalists.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has announced that work will begin this Thursday morning on an initiative that will make the State Capitol a greener place.

The project aims to reduce stormwater runoff along Capitol Ave and Trinity Street while demonstrating to cities, towns, developers, and homeowners the value of green techniques. Several improvements will be made to the State Capitol grounds, including the installation of rain gardens, rain harvesting systems and new walkways designed to allow rainwater to filter into the ground instead of running off into the sewer system.

The bipartisan Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) has released its annual Environmental Scorecard for 2010 and Weston legislators have, for the most part, made the grade — barely. Overall, however, state legislators let their environmental grades slip in the 2010 legislative session. via Environmental Scorecard: Grades slip for state lawmakers | Weston Forum. Blog
[continue reading...]

But summer wasn’t a total wash for students interested in pursuing education and careers in the water industry. Across the country, students from grade school to incoming-college freshman participated in programs that immersed them in the biology, geology, hydrology and just plain interesting stuff that happens between a water reservoir and the kitchen faucet. •
[continue reading...]

Joan and Jim Clifford of Southbury sent us the following photographs of two American Avocets they spotted in Guilford on Aug. 17, 2010. I first saw the images on Greg Hanisek’s blog on the Waterbury Republican-American website and left a comment that I would love to share the photos with readers of CT Environmental Headlines.
[continue reading...]

Mashantucket, Conn. — Foxwoods Resort Casino’s tribal owner celebrated the startup of a $35.7 million power plant Wednesday that engineers say reduces pollution and moves the tribe’s businesses closer to energy independence. The natural gas-fired co-generation plant, which takes up a portion of the casino’s Grand Pequot Tower, began operating in June. It took about
[continue reading...]