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Environmental Headlines is, still, a free service. Our mission is to deliver Connecticut environmental news that creates real change.

That means blogging all of today’s environmental headlines for everyone to read—for free.

While other news websites are moving to monthly fees, we are staying free as long as we can so that we can have the widest possible reach and impact.

Please help us keep it that way! Donate today so we can remain free, independent, and influential. (Even $5 makes a big difference.)

(If all the Headlines regular readers voluntarily supported our work with $5 a month, we could be everything that we would LIKE to be. Our editor wouldn’t have to work a part-time job in the morning and a part-time job in the afternoon, which leaves him very little time to work full-time for Environmental Headlines! In fact, it makes it impossible for him to work full-time on the Headlines. He recalls fondly the days when he DID work full-time on the Headlines and everyone he met was AMAZED with the work he was doing.)

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The demonstrators cheered announcement of the poll results while urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to permanently ban hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in New York, saying it would harm the environment. Pending legislation would impose that moratorium, but rally organizers acknowledged it is unlikely to be enacted.

For more on this story, visit: Antifracking groups rally in Albany, urge ban – Nation – The Boston Globe.

The Day – Connecticut celebrates National Pollinator week | News from southeastern Connecticut.

Pollinators by Numbers

(photo: cjzurcher)

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. More than 3,500 species of native bees help increase crop yields. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.

How Animal Pollination Works

Pollinators visit flowers in their search for food (nectar and pollen). During a flower visit, a pollinator may accidentally brush against the flower’s reproductive parts, unknowingly depositing pollen from a different flower. The plant then uses the pollen to produce a fruit or seed. Many plants cannot reproduce without pollen carried to them by foraging pollinators.

Pollinators Are in Trouble

You may have heard that bees are disappearing and bats are dying. These and other animal pollinators face many challenges in the modern world. Habitat loss, disease, parasites, and environmental contaminants have all contributed to the decline of many species of pollinators.

For more info, visit: USDA NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Horseshoe crabs, primitive creatures more closely related to spiders than true crabs, are nothing if not romantic. Peak mating takes place on spring nights, during high tides associated with new and full moons, and to the sound of gently lapping waves, as females deposit their eggs in a nest scraped out at the water line. Such behavior also makes them accessible to scientists.

For more on this story, visit: Horseshoe crab quest: Rye students help track survivors of the Ice Age | The Journal News | LoHud.com | lohud.com.

The joint plan “establishes the framework for expansion of the natural gas distribution system within the state and which includes specific plans for their respective service territories. The Plan includes the following key components: customer conversion plan and schedule, feasibility analysis, cost reduction strategy, capacity procurement, financing mechanisms and regulatory proposals.”

The plan, proposed by Wonk Road Partnership, calls for a 1,400-foot road off Wonx Spring Road, removing a water line, adding a water main and connecting to sewers under nearby Interstate 84. It would also include a storm water collection system and detention basin to the east along Meadows Drive, as well as some tree clearing.

The property was formerly owned by Square D Co., which made electrical parts. The building was torn down, the state found contaminants in the soil and a cleanup by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (formerly the DEP) has been under way since 1989. There are 63 monitoring wells on the property.

For more on this story, visit: Neighbors object to Southington industrial park plan – MyRecordJournal.com: Southington News – Myrecordjournal.com.

For more on this story, visit: Oak Grove Montessori School Receives Connecticut Green Circle Award – Hartford Courant.

New York construction magnate Frank J. Sciame Jr., whose plans for an upscale subdivision on Foxboro Point here a year ago drew controversy, has put the Dutch-style windmill on the market for $1,925,000.

What a great new home this would be for Environmental Headlines!

For more on this story, visit: Landmark Essex Windmill Up For Sale – Courant.com.

For more on this story, visit: Legal victory could save millions for electric consumers – The Middletown Press : Serving Middletown, CT.

The 2007 contract related to how Waterside Power would hedge the Forward Capacity Market against price swings. The disagreement centered on interpretations of “Capacity Clearing Price” in the contract. Pending are two similar cases that, if also won, would save Connecticut ratepayers millions of dollars.

For more on this story, visit: OCC Wins Case Against Stamford Power Plant – Courant.com.

To highlight national transportation infrastructure needs, the other day Larson brought the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., to Connecticut to ride the Amtrak train from New Haven to Hartford — and just a few miles out of New Haven the train broke down. Larson, Shuster, and their entourage had to travel by car to the press conference they planned in Hartford.

Infrastructure needs indeed. It was perfect. When the train broke down they hardly needed the press conference anymore. Had Larson somehow spiked the engine?

Written by Chris Powell, managing editor of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn.

For more on this story, visit: Darien Times — Powell: State transit policy has gone off the rails | Darien Times.

For more on this story, visit: Flood in Photos: Connecticut River Waters Advance, Recede at Harbor Park – Around Middletown – Middletown, CT Patch.

Thank you for contacting me about the environment. I share your concerns about climate change, and assure you that I am committed to doing everything necessary to stop and reverse this devastating environmental threat.

You will be happy to know that I am a member of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, a group of environmentally-minded members of Congress committed to advocating new policies on climate. We need strong and proactive environmental policies that combat global warming, curb pollution, invest in renewable energy, and promote sustainable development solutions. Only with a diversified approach to these issues can we truly protect and preserve our environment.

That is why I support extending and expanding tax credits for the production of renewable energy. By renewing tax credits for business and individuals who want to purchase solar and fuel cell technologies and for energy efficiency improvements in commercial buildings and homes, a collective effort can be made by our nation to curtail climate change.

As we face possibly the greatest threat to the planet ever – global warming – the science has spoken, and the debate is over. We are now left with the considerable task of crafting a fair, sensible system of curbing carbon emissions. As a member of the Connecticut General Assembly before 2007, I was often frustrated by the fact that any steps Connecticut made toward a greener planet weren’t always supported by policies in Washington. Thankfully, in 2009, the EPA issued an “endangerment finding” under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that greenhouse gases threaten human health and welfare. The EPA has since moved forward to fulfill their legal obligation to develop a commonsense system to limiting carbon emissions.

Thank you again for contacting me about this matter. I appreciate hearing from you and assure you that I will always do my best to represent the views of my constituents in the Senate. In the future, please do not hesitate to call me in my Connecticut office at (860) 549-8463 or my Washington office at (202) 224-4041.

Every Best Wish,

Christopher S. Murphy
United States Senator

Hamden, CT – Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) is commending the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for its diligence in unveiling the new Combined Sewer Overflow Reporting System last week. The program, which can be accessed by the public through the DEEP website, is “Phase 1” of PA 12-11, a law passed in 2012 requiring DEEP to notify the public whenever sewage overflows occur and endanger public health. Phase 1 provides an interactive map of the Connecticut detailing all of the areas expected to experience overflow problems during heavy weather events. Phase 2 (which is required by law to be set up no later than July 1, 2014) will use that framework to provide real-time updates about unanticipated sewage overflows as they happen.

“CCE is delighted that the agency has worked so quickly to roll out the first phase of this groundbreaking project,” said Louis Burch, CCE Program Coordinator. “The public has a right to know when there’s hazardous sewage contaminating their waterways, especially during the summer. This is a huge step in the right direction for DEEP.”

Combined sewer systems combine residential wastewater systems with municipal storm drains before reaching a wastewater treatment facility. During heavy precipitation events or snowmelt, the system can be overwhelmed causing a combined sewer overflow (CSO), in which millions of gallons of raw and partially treated sewage to back up into homes, storm drains and local waterways. Sewage overflows lead to beach closures, shut down shellfish beds, and threaten public health.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, between 1.8 and 3.5 million Americans become ill from contact with water contaminated by sewage annually. Raw or partially treated sewage contains pathogens that can lead to short-term gastrointestinal problems and infections, as well as long-term chronic conditions such as liver and kidney failure. Contaminants from sewage also contribute to red and brown tide algal blooms, which can result in unhealthy fish populations and cost local economies millions of dollars annually.

“The days of swimming, fishing, and boating in sewage must come to an end in Connecticut. When it comes to harmful sewage pollution, ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous. Once fully implemented, this program will help equip Connecticut residents with the tools they need to protect their family’s health from dangerous sewage pollution,” concluded Burch.

“I’m always trying to make things more exciting. A teacher means being supportive and letting students guide what they want to learn. It’s about being a facilitator,” said Smolka.

Highly respected by students and teachers alike, Smolka is very involved at the magnet high school in East Hartford.

For more on this story, visit: Lindsay Smolka Receives Connecticut River Academy Teacher of the Year Award – Hartford Courant.

Gina McCarthy will infuse the EPA with a smart growth ethic — if Republicans ever let her nomination proceed to a vote.

Committee Republicans boycotted her confirmation hearing but submitted an astounding quantity of questions for her to answer – more than a thousand of them, almost two-thirds from Ranking Member David Vitter. She responded to every single one, but Vitter still claims that the EPA is withholding information. He said this week he’ll delay the vote until the EPA can provide justification for some of its regulations.

For more on this story, visit: Why Isn’t Smart-Growth Pioneer Gina McCarthy Running the EPA Yet? | Streetsblog Capitol Hill.

For more on this story, visit: Long Island News – Schumer, Gillibrand Urge Obama to Cut Carbon Pollution from Power Plant | Long Island Exchange.

It is clear Connecticut has been quenched of its thirst.

For more on this story, visit: Flooding problems along the Connecticut River | WTNH.com Connecticut.

Along the Naugatuck valley, people are watching the Housatonic River concerned their homes might flood from all the rain we’re getting.

Grace Grasso has lived along the Housatonic since 1978. She’s keeping an eye on the river hoping the rain stops and the water stays out of her home.

For more on this story, visit: Concerns of the Housatonic River flooding | WTNH.com Connecticut.

For more on this story, visit: The big rigs run on natural gas, Jim Motavalli | MNN – Mother Nature Network.

If schools and towns would spend just half the amount of money on real grass fields that they are now spending on installing synthetic turf fields, the students would have beautiful grass fields and they would be safe fields to play on.

Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) has been sounding the alarm about the health risks from synthetic turf fields for six years and we continue to believe that these fields pose a genuine health threat to students who play on them.

For more on this story, visit: Turf may be synthetic, but health issues are real – GreenwichTime.

Energize Connecticut, together with The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Light & Power and the United Illuminating Company, have announced the winners of its ninth annual eesmarts student contest for students in grades K-12. The contest gave Connecticut students the opportunity to showcase their “energy smarts” about saving energy by answering grade-level specific prompts regarding energy efficient and renewable energy technology. Students submitted entries in a variety of mediums including poems, essays, graphs and artwork.

The ceremony was held in the Old Judiciary Room of the Connecticut State Capitol and attracted more than [INSERT NUMBER] students, parents and energy efficiency supporters in celebration of the students’ hard work. Katie Dykes, Deputy Commissioner of Energy for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), along with Jamie Howland, ENE (Environment Northeast) and First Vice Chairperson of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board, were both on hand to congratulate the winners. WFSB Channel 3 Meteorologist Mark Dixon served as Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row.

“You don’t have to be an adult to understand the importance of energy efficiency,” said Dykes. “The eesmarts program and annual Student Contest plays an important role in helping students from kindergarten all the way through high school learn and appreciate the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy, positioning them for a lifetime of environmentally-conscious thinking.”

First prize winners received an iPad and second prize winners received a Kindle Fire. Third place winners received a $25 dollar gift card to Amazon, along with a season pass for their family to a science museum, which includes the choice of The Connecticut Science Center (Hartford), The Discovery Museum (Bridgeport) or Stepping Stones Museum for Children (Norwalk).

New to the contest this year was the “Power of Change” award category for Grades 9-11, which asked students to propose a community-based project plan to address an energy-related issue. The eesmarts program partnered with three Connecticut-based foundations — the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Hampshire Foundation, and the Common Sense Fund — to identify three winners in this category to receive funding to make their community-based project a reality. The three foundations will together provide grants of $1,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. The eesmarts program will match the foundations’ awards in this category.

Representing 20 cities and towns across Connecticut, the winners included:

Kindergarten

First: Megan Emerson, St. Martha School, Enfield

Second: Zoe Miller, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington

Third: Lauren Kosha, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington

First Grade

First: Salma Farid, Salma K. Farid Academy, Hamden

Second: Alexis Mastrangelo, St. Martha School, Enfield

Third: Harold Banigas, Maria Sanchez Elementary School, Hartford

Second Grade

First: Yash Bhandari, Newfield Elementary School, Stamford

Second: Margo Katz, Mary T. Murphy Elementary School, Branford

Third: Emma Lee, St. Martha School, Enfield

Third Grade

First: Thomas Kannam, John Lyman Elementary School, Middlefield

Second: Karina McMahon, Burr Elementary School, Fairfield

Third: Nathan Ertl, Marvin Elementary, Norwalk

Fourth Grade

First: Indro Cavanna, Worthington Hooker School, New Haven

Second: Anna Patterson, Stratfield School, Fairfield

Third: Eleanor L. Bryda, St. Anthony’s School, Winsted

Fifth Grade

First: Gianna Benni, Walsh Intermediate, Branford

Second: Emma Gallagher, Walsh Intermediate, Branford

Third: Olivia Katherine Wong, Perry Hill School, Shelton

Sixth Grade

First: Sarah Lewis, King Philip Middle School, West Hartford

Second: Andrew Bean, Wells Road Intermediate, Granby

Third: Lindsay Courser, Wells Road Intermediate, Granby

Seventh Grade

First: Ashlinn Virgulto, Walter C. Polson Middle School, Madison

Second: Imani Shortz, John Winthrop Middle School, Deep River

Third: Michael McMahon, Tomlinson Middle School, Fairfield

Eighth Grade

First: Joseph Bechard & Artur Zielinski, Sacred Heart School, New Britain

Second: Alora Foster, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington

Third: Rowan O’Connell, Frank W. Strong Middle School, Durham

Honorable Mention: Conor Jones, Roger Ludlowe Middle School, Fairfield

High School: Grades 9-12 (Power of Change winners)

First: Anaid Enriquez, West Haven High School, West Haven

Second: Vanessa Brown, West Haven High School, West Haven

Third: Anuj Sisodiya, Trumbull High School, Trumbull

For more information on the student contest and the eesmarts program, please visit www.eesmarts.com.

In an annual review of the world energy market, BP PLC said growth in energy consumption slowed to 1.8 percent from 2.4 percent in 2011. Demand continued to grow in China and India, which together accounted for almost 90 percent of the global increase. But even growth in developing countries was slower than it has been over the last decade.

For more on this story, visit: BP: Global demand for energy slows – Connecticut Post.

That’s how Eric W. Thornburg, the company’s president and CEO, described its bid to deliver the water. The Metropolitan District Commission and the Windham Water Works also have submitted proposals to UConn to provide the water service.

UConn and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget office have to decide which option to choose, especially as the state moves forward on a $2 billion expansion at UConn over the next several years and as a technology park planned in Mansfield is developed.

For more on this story, visit: Conn. Water Co. touts UConn plan – Journal Inquirer: Page One.

For more on this story, visit: Cuba girds for climate change by reclaiming coasts – Connecticut Post.

Strong winds force Solar Impulse to make unforeseen pit stop in Cincinnati. Solar Impulse is the first solar plane that can fly day and night 

ST. LOUIS, June 13, 2013 – In order to overcome challenging weather and keep to its cross-continent flight schedule, the solar powered aircraft of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, will briefly touch down in Cincinnati to change pilots in a new strategy for its fourth Across America leg scheduled to begin Friday June 14 from St. Louis.

The flight will be split in two because strong cross and head winds would slow the aircraft and make it impossible for the pilot to reach the nation’s capital in one go in less than 24 hours which is the limit set for the pilot in the cramped single-seater cockpit. André Borschberg will pilot the first half of the flight from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport. After a short stopover in Cincinnati Bertrand Piccard will do the second half of the leg to land at Washington D.C. Dulles International Airport on Sunday, June 16, sometime after midnight.

Among the challenges they will encounter are strong cross winds, that will make the aircraft drift sideways for much of the flight, heavy air traffic and crossing the Appalachian mountains, with peaks of up to 6562 ft. (2000 m).

On Monday, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will greet the Solar Impulse crew during an energy roundtable and press conference, while on Sunday the public will be able to view the plane at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Washington D.C. is a strategic choice in spreading the Solar Impulse message about the importance of promoting clean technologies. Solar Impulse will present Clean Generation, its latest initiative for the global adoption of clean technologies to key decision makers. Clean Generation is a global movement supported by thousands of people and more names are added at every stopover onto a USB stick and symbolically carried in the cockpit of the airplane as virtual passengers. All those interested in being part of this movement can sign up here: www.solarimpulse.com/join_us

Solar Impulse Washington Schedule

• Solar Impulse pilots will do a live Hang-Out in the Air with Google Science Fair which will be shown a couple of hours after take-off, during the live streaming of the flight. Follow it live here
• Solar Impulse Open House: Public Visits will be organized on Sunday, June 16 from 1.00 pm until 5 p.m
• Roundtable and press conference with Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz as special guest on Monday, June 17 at noon
• Several private Solar Impulse partners events throughout the week June 17 – 23.

Solar Impulse Lambert-St. Louis International Airport – Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport route (please note timings are subject to change):

• Friday, June 14 at 4 a.m. CDT (11 a.m. Swiss Time): Estimated take-off from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (MO)
• Heading north east towards South Illinois – ascending to an altitude of 8’000 ft
• 11 a.m. EDT (5 p.m. Swiss Time): Flying over Terre Haute in Indiana at an altitude of about 8’000 ft
• 12:30 p.m. EDT (6:30 p.m. Swiss Time): Passing 25 miles south of Indianapolis
• 3 p.m. EDT (9 p.m. Swiss Time): Flying over Kentucky, south of Cincinnati, and heading north towards Ohio – Cruising altitude 10’000 ft

Friday, June 14 at 9 p.m. EDT (3 a.m. Swiss Time): Estimated landing at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport (OH)

The Solar Impulse Across America mission is made in partnership with Solvay, Schindler, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Sunpower and the Swiss Confederation.

Track the Across America 2013 mission on the Internet via computer and mobile device

During the Across America mission, each flight will be streamed live on www.solarimpulse.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook. The airplane’s position, altitude and speed will be shown in real time, while cockpit and mission control cameras allow viewers to experience the journey.

The “Across America” mission at a glance:

Early May 2013: First leg San Francisco/Moffett Airfield – Phoenix/Sky Harbor
Mid May 2013: Second leg Phoenix/Sky Harbor – Dallas/Fort Worth
Early June 2013: Third leg Dallas/Fort Worth – St. Louis/Lambert Airport
Early to Mid-June 2013: Fourth leg St. Louis/Lambert Airport – Washington DC/Dulles
Early July 2013: Fifth and last leg Washington DC/Dulles – New York/JFK

About Solar Impulse

Swiss pioneers Dr Bertrand Piccard (Chairman) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and the driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane that can fly day and night without fuel. Solar Impulse is a unique adventure that aims to bring emotions back at the heart of scientific exploration, a flying laboratory to find innovative technological solutions for today’s challenges and a vision to inspire each of us to be pioneers in our everyday lives.

This revolutionary carbon fibre airplane has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 (63.4m / 208 ft) and the weight of a small car (1,600kg / 3,527 lb). It is the result of seven years of intense work, calculations, simulations and tests by a team of about 80 people and 100 partners and advisors. A plane so big and light has never been built before. The 12,000 solar cells built into the wing provide four 10HP electric motors with renewable energy. By day the solar cells recharge the 400kg / 881 lb lithium batteries which allow the plane to fly at night.

CRWC is concerned that this project is still overdesigned, unnecessarily proposing to remove large standing trees along a significant length of river. The current plan describes that 99 trees will be cut down, and only 55 will be replaced. “That’s not a river friendly solution.” Trees help stabilize a bank, minimize erosion and provide necessary shade habitat for diverse fish species. Mature vegetation should be removed only when absolutely necessary, such as the inability to safely access construction areas when working near the river. The Watershed Council applauds the City for proactively protecting its drinking water supply and for previously demonstrating receptivity to stakeholder comments, as the proposed design has already improved through a collaborative process. “We think this project could be a model for other parts of the watershed,” encourages Jacqueline Talbot, CT River Steward for the Watershed Council. “We have high hopes for it.”

The Council is requesting a meeting with CT DEEP and stakeholders in order to field outstanding concerns and finalize a design that’s good for the city and the river. “We would like to see a project that both protects the drinking water wells and maintains and promotes significant riparian habitat. We hope to see the use of site-specific selective treatment, bioengineered solutions, minimal fish habitat impact with mitigation measures for any adverse impacts and the preservation of as much vegetation as possible, especially mature vegetation. The right project will be effective, protective of important riparian habitat, aesthetically pleasing and a model for others seeking to stabilize their banks on a large river.”

“Middletown has a close relationship with the Connecticut River and is investing a good deal in this project, as well as considering development of the nearby riverfront,” said Talbot. “Doing this project right will mean a worthy investment of their resources and a project of which this river community can be proud.” The Watershed Council looks forward to working with DEEP and all stakeholders in order to achieve a great project.

Photo: 2011 photograph of a bank stabilization project built in early 1990’s, just upstream from the current project at the John S. Roth Memorial Well Field, Middletown. The original design for the current project included articulated concrete blocks, such as those pictured, but through a collaborative process, a more river-friendly design is being considered.

For more on this story, visit: Phil Donahue and Milan Bull talk Purple Martins! | Kymry ~ A look in time…..

The Sierra Club also announced that it had filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday under the Freedom of Information Act asserting that the State Department is withholding key documents related to the latest Keystone XL Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and potential conflicts of interest with Environmental Resources Management.

For more on this story, visit: Secretary Kerry, Investigate Conflict of Interest in Flawed Keystone XL Review – EcoWatch: Cutting Edge Environmental News Service.

The report faults the BLM for failing to take into account potential profits for coal export and for failing to follow an Interior Secretary Order intended to ensure unbiased evaluations of the fair market value for federal coal.

For more on this story, visit: Report Confirms Coal Companies Receive Massive U.S. Taxpayer Subsidies for Mining on Public Lands – EcoWatch: Cutting Edge Environmental News Service.

Eight days into the two week meeting, a proposed addition by Russia to the agenda of the session dealing with the UN’s decision making process was not accepted. Then, a compromise deal presented to governments in the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) meeting today was rejected by Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

This means that sensitive discussions on climate compensation, adaptation and finance will not be discussed within the process until the main summit in Warsaw in November.

For more on this story, visit: UN Climate Talks Collapse Leaving Island Nations Facing Sea Level Rise Indignant – EcoWatch: Cutting Edge Environmental News Service.

For more on this story, visit: Healthy Schools: Environmental Factors, Children’s Health and Performance, and Sustainable Building Practices | Funding Opportunities | Extramural Research | Research | US EPA.

“That strikes me as a great tourism product,” Bergstrom said.

Hammerling gave an example of a potential site in Berlin as a place that could be developed into a campsite.

CFPA published a study done by the University of Connecticut in 2010 that concluded the state forests and parks in Connecticut create “significant economic activity within Connecticut.”

For more on this story, visit: State forests have economic benefit – Town Times: Local News, Sports, Photos, And More From Durham, Middlefield, And Rockfall..

For more on this story, visit: Connecticut scales back salmon stocking program- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.

Legislators in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nebraska, and New York have seen the warning signs of climate disruption and are taking action. Other states (and the President) would be well-advised to follow in their steps, and our recent Getting Climate Smart guide can show them how.

For more on this story, visit: States Are Responding to Climate Change Threats | Ben Chou’s Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC.

Utility officials presented their proposal recently as part of an Environmental Impact Evaluation being done by the school and the town of Mansfield.

For more on this story, visit: Connecticut Water seeks to spend $21 million to connect UConn and Mansfield to Shenipsit Lake Reservoir – The Middletown Press : Serving Middletown, CT.

Please contribute and help keep us going … thank you!

To support our efforts and keep us going, please visit our Support Us page.

———————————————————

Environmental Headlines is, still, a free service. Our mission is to deliver Connecticut environmental news that creates real change.

That means blogging all of today’s environmental headlines for everyone to read—for free.

While other news websites are moving to monthly fees, we are staying free as long as we can so that we can have the widest possible reach and impact.

Please help us keep it that way! Donate today so we can remain free, independent, and influential. (Even $5 makes a big difference.)

(If all the Headlines regular readers voluntarily supported our work with $5 a month, we could be everything that we would LIKE to be. Our editor wouldn’t have to work a part-time job in the morning and a part-time job in the afternoon, which leaves him very little time to work full-time for Environmental Headlines! In fact, it makes it impossible for him to work full-time on the Headlines. He recalls fondly the days when he DID work full-time on the Headlines and everyone he met was AMAZED with the work he was doing.)

To support our efforts and keep us going, please visit our Support Us page.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Christopher Zurcher, Editor & Publisher
CT Environmental Headlines, the No.1 Environmental news blog in Connecticut!
www.environmentalheadlines.com/ct
PO Box 8281
New Haven, CT 06530
(203) 886-5905
chris@environmentalheadlines.com
www.twitter.com/ctenvheadlines
also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ctenvironmentalheadlines

Subscribe to daily CT Environmental Headlines updates here. Pass it on! Tell your friends about us! We’re trying to grow, but we need your help.

Under a new DOT initiative, commuters who are interested in buying available parking permits for the Bridgeport or Fairfield Metro stations may contact CTrides to learn more about parking options and pricing.

For more on this story, visit: Connecticut DOT trying to help rail commuters find parking- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.

The National Weather Service says Andrea dumped 6.64 inches of rain on Gales Ferry, Conn.

For more on this story, visit: Storm breaks rainfall records across northeast US – Connecticut Post.

We have a polluting facility in our midst, the sewage sludge incinerator. ToxicsAction.org helps communities such as ours fight these types of activities and has launched a petition in support of our efforts.

The sewer plant board of directors has a draft proposal to renew their contract with Synagro-now known as New Haven Residuals LP, to burn sewage from all over the state in East Shore FOR ANOTHER 15 YEARS. Incineration doesn’t make it disappear: it releases tons of air pollution and toxic chemicals. The New Haven sludge incinerator is no different: it burns sludge trucked in from all over the state, releasing heavy metals like mercury into the surrounding neighborhoods. Hyrdrogen chloride causes chemically induced asthma, particulate matter is not safe at any level causing increased mortality risk. Sulfur oxides enhance the formation of methyl mercury, the poisonous form of mercury which gets in our soil and water. Those are just some of the items discussed in the EPA’s recent report on sewage sludge incineration.

Aren’t there options? Yes, stop trucking in sludge from all over the state and support anaerobic digestion, making beneficial use of sludge.

For more on this story, visit: We have a polluting facility in our midst, the… – New Haven Environmental Justice Network.

For more on this story, visit: Green spaces benefit from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.

For more on this story, visit: Taking time to savor the Cape’s birdlife – Travel – The Boston Globe.

But on the streets of the Big Apple, as commuters attempted to use the bikes for the first time and encountered technical glitches and malfunctioning kiosks, they looked to Boston not with scoffing condescension but instead with pleading desperation.

They wanted to know: Does it ever get better?

For more on this story, visit: In bike-share, Boston-New York rivalry becomes camaraderie – Metro – The Boston Globe.

Paul Healy, executive director of Campus Operations at Sacred Heart University, left, is presented with the Santa Energy Green Business Award by Tom Santa, president and CEO of Santa Fuel, during the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s 139th Annual Meeting on June 6, 2013. (photo: Tracy Deer-Mirek)

Paul Healy, executive director of Campus Operations, Emergency Management & Public Safety, submitted the 20-page application to the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. “The award means we are meeting and exceeding our goal as a corporate entity for environmental compliance and stewardship as a member of the greater Fairfield County community,” Healy said.

The application outlined several green approaches by faculty, students and staff at Sacred Heart University. For example, the Campus Operations Department instills energy-usage awareness by promoting gas and electric data through an Energy Dashboard. Also the Sacred Heart University community has implemented a single-stream recycling system that resulted in a steady decline in the cumulative waste and an increase in recycled materials. The campus Public Safety team uses hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles such as Ford Fusions and Ford Escapes that resulted in approximate savings of $25,000. Other environmental actions include partnerships with UI and SCG to implement energy efficiency retrofit, renovation and new construction projects resulting in a $650,000 energy cost savings over the past decade. Finally, Sacred Heart University has used green products for cleaning, paper products and landscaping.

Healy also noted that Sacred Heart University is committed to teaching students a blend of social, environmental and moral responsibilities while they pursue their chosen academic studies. He believes that students have the ability and responsibility to take the lead in preserving and protecting our natural resources for future generations. Students contribute by running an environmental club titled “Green SHUs” that serves as a common interest group involved in education, action and outreach relating to various environmental issues. The Bridgeport Regional Business Council presented the award on June 6.

On the heels of Rep. Miller’s GMO legislation (Public Act 13-183) passing in Connecticut, food safety advocates, parents and farmers vowed to keep up the momentum and called on other states and Congress to adopt labeling of foods containing GMOs.

“All these people from the grassroots have done something truly remarkable to move the GMO effort forward. The power of the grassroots got us a better bill because they spoke up and I am grateful to see the passing of this bill,” Phil Miller said. “Now, we need to reach out to our neighbors in the Northeast to get this widely adopted so it won’t impact food distribution channels. Consumers have a right to know what we are feeding our children.”

“I applaud the Connecticut legislature for its ground breaking bipartisan vote to ensure that families here have all the information they need to make informed choices about the food they eat. All consumers nationwide deserve to have clear, consistent and accurate facts about the food they purchase. I hope our state can yet again serve as a model for common sense bipartisan actions and that Connecticut’s law will act as a catalyst for strong federal actions,” Blumenthal said.

Currently 62 countries require labeling and dozens have outlawed the GMO technology.

Runoff combines with heavy rain and river water for significant local flooding. (photo: cjzurcher)

However, on days like this, heavy rain still flushes bacteria into the water.

“It washes things off the parking lots, so there are a lot of things on the ground that unfortunately ends up in the river when it rains,” says Andrew Fisk of the Connecticut River Watershed Council.

For more on this story, visit: Heavy Rain Flushes Bacteria into Connecticut River – Western Massachusetts Breaking News and First Warning Weather with WGGB.com ABC 40.

… Donahue now introduces the natural world to children through his www.GazeboPhil.com, a website that streams live footage of his nesting boxes and the birds that inhabit them. The footage served as the backdrop for his remarks Thursday.

For more on this story, visit: Donahue hails ‘wonderful, wonderful’ Westport perch for birding – Westport News.

For more on this story, visit: Bird conservation panel approves wetlands aid – Connecticut Post.

For more of this letter to the editor to The Hartford Courant from Susan Smith of Guilford, visit: LETTER: Faith In Conserving Connecticut – Courant.com.

… An NRG representative said this week that the Siting Council no longer has jurisdiction because the plant was never built and that city officials did not object to the structure’s visibility when NRG was paying millions in taxes.

For more on this story, visit: NRG Energy delivers sharp response to Meriden critics – MyRecordJournal.com: Meriden News – Myrecordjournal.com.

Ben Martin of Wallingford is a member of 350CT.org, part of a global coalition to fight global warming.

For more on this story, visit: Leaders must commit to new energy solutions – Connecticut Post.

CTLCV Board member Sue Merrow, a longtime environmental policy leader in the state, remarked, “Years ago, Connecticut was a leader and known for its environmental ‘firsts.’ This year we assumed that position again with some very notable firsts, and at least one very regrettable first.”

Connecticut “firsts,” both good and bad:

Climate change and sea level rise must now be taken into account in both planning and building in coastal areas, a first in Connecticut law. Good.
Mattress recycling is now mandated. Connecticut is first in the nation on this issue. Good.

GMO (genetically modified organisms) labeling on food products will be required moving forward as certain specified conditions are met. Connecticut is the first in the nation to take this first modest step in response to this major public health and environmental concern. Good.

Permanent conservation protections set in place for agriculture land at Southbury Training School, the first state-owned property to be subject to such a high standard for agricultural and environmental protection prior to conveyance. Good.

CONNECTICUT ALSO BECAME THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO BACK AWAY FROM ITS CLEAN ENERGY GOALS AND INVESTMENTS. The chief energy bill cut back on requirements for electricity vendors to offer 20 percent high-rated clean energy by 2020. Bad.

“It is difficult to see Connecticut be a leader in so many environmental issues that protect our public health, safety and economy, and then fall flat on something as critical as energy,” said Lori Brown, CTLCV Executive Director. “As we have said from the beginning of the session, environmental protections are the bedrock of our health, safety and economy.”

The League tracks votes based on a list of legislative issues identified by environmental groups before and during each legislative session. Here’s the tally for 2013.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL TALLY

Public Health:
Good bills included GMO labeling and new restrictions on spraying certain harmful pesticides on the shores of Long Island Sound. Significant losses were the failure of bills to restrict pesticides in schools, to monitor chemicals affecting children, and to regulate outdoor wood-burning furnaces.

Public Safety:
Good bills addressed dam safety, training for municipal tree wardens, and managing development on our coastlines to take into account sea level rise due to climate change. Significant losses were failing to put restrictions on waste from hydraulic fracking and neglecting for the fourth year in a row to pass a law to protect ‘vulnerable users’ of our roadways.

Economy:
Good bills included the cost-saving and job-creating legislation requiring mattress recycling, support for remediation of polluted sites for redevelopment, expansion of energy- efficiency programs, and a major win that incentivizes water conservation through water company rates. But the economy lost out badly in last-minute raids on funds for clean energy programs, and the retreat from high-quality clean energy goals.

Budget and Bonding:
The bonding package contained solid levels not seen in many years of funding for open space (both for matching grants to towns and for direct state land acquisition), farmland preservation, and the Clean Water Fund.

The budget also contained raids on dedicated clean energy funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the CT Energy Finance & Investment Authority (CEFIA), and the Special Transportation Fund to make up for budget shortfalls. However, leaders did mitigate the devastating cuts to state parks, and backed off the proposed crippling of the Council on Environmental Quality.

The Eleventh Hour:
In the last three minutes of the legislative session, several critical bills were passed. One bill that CTLCV opposed regarding All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) was slipped into a final package of bills voted on by consent (no individual votes recorded) of the House.

Another bill that was significantly changed at the last minute was the annual land conveyance legislation, which allows the state to give publicly owned land to towns. In recent years, it has been the vehicle for such highly controversial land transfers as the Norwich Hospital property and the Haddam land swap. This year, the legislature permanently reversed the Haddam land swap so that this wildlife management area will remain protected. This we strongly applaud. However, two unfortunate provisions were in the bill:

A last minute amendment gave away two parcels of land from our flagship state park, Hammonasset, to the town of Madison for what appears to be parking purposes. The effect of this transfer is not yet clear.
The town of New Britain is giving highly ecologically sensitive land to expand a golf course so that it can give some of the golf course land to a private developer for a new Costco. This is a terrible transfer that we were unable to remedy.

Finally, advocates fought hard to defend against the last minute, unexpected raids on our clean energy funds. The Administration has said it will restore these funds and CTLCV will continue to monitor this promise.

League Board Member Margaret Miner of Rivers Alliance of Connecticut observed, “As you can see by this summary, vigilance is always needed to ensure that our environmental laws protect our public health, safety and economy. CTLCV and environmental advocates who are fighting these legislative battles will continue with even greater energy to protect the natural resources of our state.”

For the complete watchlist of legislation that CTLCV worked on this session, visit ctlcv.org.

Connecticut League of Conservation Voters
553 Farmington Ave., Suite 201
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 236-5442
ctlcv@ctlcv.org
www.ctlcv.org

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From CFE and Save the Sound:

LONG ISLAND SOUND, THE SHORELINE, AND INLAND WATERS

In a strong session for Long Island Sound, a big victory on Clean Water Funding stood out. An authorization of $997.4 million for the biennium (in a bonding bill) will “fuel continued progress toward stopping raw sewage discharges into our rivers so we can heal the dead zone that plagues Long Island Sound and keep our beaches open each summer,” said Leah Schmalz, director of legislative and legal affairs for Save the Sound. “Investing in safe, healthy waters creates jobs in the construction industry, in tourism, and in the fishing and shellfishing trades.” Read more about the Clean Water Fund on our website.

“Progress on developing stormwater authorities for shoreline cities is another great step forward in protecting the Sound’s water quality, as well as apportioning costs more fairly to lower costs for residents and encouraging the use of green infrastructure,” added Schmalz. Senate Bill 461 provides the City of New London, one of three pilot towns currently enabled to develop stormwater authorities, with municipal tools like bonding and enforcement that are needed to operate an authority.

Schmalz praised the leadership of the Shoreline Preservation Task Force, which began the difficult task of creating new policies to protect our shoreline and environment in the face of climate change. This session it put forward several recommendations related to sea level rise adaptation and storm preparation. “Senate Bill 1010 will help prevent sewage spills in the future by allowing the state to consider rising sea levels when awarding Clean Water Funding for wastewater treatment upgrades and when siting new plants,” she said. “At the same time, we must be careful that preparing our communities for storms does not further damage natural shoreline landscapes like marshes and dunes, which absorb flooding and buffer against waves.” Worrisomely, some sections of S.B. 1012 may retroactively permit structures and expand the circumstances in which property owners can build seawalls—which limit public access to the shore and can worsen erosion at neighboring properties. Other sections of the bill, however, provide for the creation of a best practices guide for coastal structures, allow the use of dredged material to rebuild beaches, and direct the state and towns to consider sea level rise in their development plans and emergency plans.

Schmalz applauded the unanimous passage of a program to provide dredging assistance to certified Clean Marinas, calling H.B. 6528 “a triple win for the Sound that recognizes and rewards the leadership of marina operators who are good environmental stewards, improves access for boaters, and boosts our marine industries.”

H.B. 6441 improves public safety by permitting dams to be inspected by qualified private engineers. The bill is also expected to encourage the removal of unnecessary dams. An amendment on the bill restricts the use of methoprene and resmethrin, larvicides that are used to control mosquitos but which may harm lobsters. “The addition of the pesticide restriction makes H.B. 6441 twice as beneficial for marine creatures,” said Schmalz. “Fewer insecticides like these in the water should help protect our devastated lobster population, and the removal of dams will restore access to our rivers for migratory fish that need to travel upstream to spawn.” In a further win for aquaculture, this session even included measures to support Long Island Sound’s new seaweed farming industry.

Outcomes were mixed for inland waters. Senate Bill 807 encourages water conservation, but early attempts to establish statewide water planning petered out. As the current controversy over a proposal to divert water from the Farmington River watershed to the UConn campus and nearby development shows, Connecticut is in need of long-term strategies to manage and conserve our inland waters in a coordinated manner.

ENERGY AND AIR

Energy legislation was particularly high-stakes this year, with big bills around the state’s new Comprehensive Energy Strategy and revisions to the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Late in the session, the state budget raided $25 million from the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority and allowed RGGI auction proceeds to be redirected from state energy efficiency programs to CEFIA. While this is an improvement from the original proposal (read reactions to the original raid from CFE and allies here), it is a direct hit to these important programs.

“Connecticut’s clean energy and energy efficiency programs are key economic drivers for our state—they save money for families, attract new businesses, and clean our air,” said Mark LeBel, energy fellow for CFE. “Getting Connecticut back to number one in energy efficiency and innovation in clean energy finance have rightly been signature goals of the Malloy administration. It’s extremely disappointing that this fight over funding had to happen at all. Dollars invested in these funds are returned to the economy many times over, so it is counterproductive to balance the budget in the short term by taking money from them. We will still be increasing energy efficiency funding but this budget shuffling will slow us down from getting where we want to go.”

“The debate over Connecticut’s Renewable Portfolio Standard was a great illustration how important renewable energy has become to our state,” said LeBel. “It is to the credit of thousands of concerned citizens and some principled legislators that the final version of Senate Bill 1138 was much improved, though it still risks dilution of our renewable energy standards by allowing the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to count large-scale hydropower as a Class 1 renewable. We are counting on DEEP to use the authority in this bill responsibly and to take full advantage of the provisions that allow a large procurement of long-term wind contracts. This session also saw numerous sensible changes that will help grow localized clean energy generation across the state. The new energy initiatives started this session can, if used correctly, be a springboard for long-term success.”

TRANSIT FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

“In such a difficult budget year, we are pleased that the legislature recognized the importance of public transit to building healthy communities and getting workers to their jobs,” said Karen Burnaska, coordinator of CFE’s Transit for Connecticut coalition. “The biennial budget maintains existing bus service and raises fares to $1.50. All necessary transit projects have received the bonding approvals they need. Transit for Connecticut and other transportation advocates are pleased with S.B. 975, which requires that starting in 2015, the often-raided Special Transportation Fund must be only for transportation purposes. This has been a long time coming, and represents a shift that should help stabilize funding for transit and reassure Connecticut citizens that their tax dollars are being used wisely.”

DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

Sections opening water company-owned lands to telecommunications towers and making economic development a consideration in formulating aquifer protection regulations were included in an unrelated energy bill, H.B. 6360. “Weakening environmental protections for drinking water lands is a bad idea for Connecticut’s environment,” said Lauren Savidge, legal fellow for CFE. “We’re concerned that these changes not only put the public water supply at risk, but threaten the open spaces that provide wildlife habitat, beautiful vistas, and opportunities for recreation. Alterations with such high stakes should be fully debated in public hearings, not tacked onto an unrelated bill in the final days of session.”

The Connecticut Environmental Protection Act, which protects the rights of citizens to intervene in proceedings that could harm the environment, faces threats nearly every year. This year, advocates and legislators were able to negotiate a bill that avoided weakening the statute. “The bill that passed simply clarified existing pleading requirements for CEPA that plaintiffs have been following for decades,” said CFE Senior Attorney Roger Reynolds.

ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS

CFE’s fellow advocates were hard at work, too. The state Plan of Conservation and Development was updated and stood strong against attempts to weaken it. We’re pleased that the POCD will still provide a comprehensive development strategy for the state that emphasizes smart growth and environmental protection. Last year’s “Haddam Land Swap” was allowed to expire, in a victory for the integrity of protecting lands given to the state of Connecticut for the purposes of conservation.

Perhaps most notably, this session saw passage of the nations’ first labeling law for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. A passionate citizens’ movement pushed this bill through—a true grassroots victory that makes Connecticut a leader in this arena.

Posted by Laura McMillan, interim communications director for CFE/Save the Sound