All are welcome to come celebrate the West River Tidal Restoration Project and to stay for a planting of native tidal plants at the newly-enhanced Duck Pond area. Refreshments and some tools will be provided, though volunteers are asked to bring a shovel and boots if they have them. Please RSVP to Save the Sound’s Kierran Broatch at kbroatch@savethesound.org if you wish to volunteer or just attend.

The West River project includes the installation of three new self-regulating tide gates, which will increase tidal flow, improving water quality and fish passage and restoring up to 80 acres of tidal marsh in and around West River Memorial Park.

Hosted by: Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority and Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund

Workshop Agenda:
Review Expanded Clean Energy Communities Program
Creating a Municipal Action Plan (MAP)
Learning How to Promote CTCleanEnergyOptions and Home Energy Solutions
Setting Up Successful Initiatives Using Media and Community Outreach

*Dinner and Refreshments will be provided.

Registration: To register, please visit the CL&P Seminar and Event Calendar at: http://www.cl-p.com/register

Navigate to the date of the session and click on link.  Individual Workshop Agendas are posted within the calendar.

For more information, please contact: Diana McCarthy-Bercury at mccard@nu.com or Robert Schmitt at robert.schmitt@ctcleanenergy.com

Spring 2012 Workshops:

Northeast Connecticut Regional Taskforce Workshop
Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:  Stafford Springs Library Community Room, 5 Levinthal Run, Stafford Springs, CT

South Central Connecticut Regional Taskforce Workshop
Date:  June 6, 2012
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine Street  Hamden, CT 06514

Hosted by: Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority and Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund

Workshop Agenda:
Review Expanded Clean Energy Communities Program
Creating a Municipal Action Plan (MAP)
Learning How to Promote CTCleanEnergyOptions and Home Energy Solutions
Setting Up Successful Initiatives Using Media and Community Outreach

*Dinner and Refreshments will be provided.

Registration: To register, please visit the CL&P Seminar and Event Calendar at: http://www.cl-p.com/register

Navigate to the date of the session and click on link.  Individual Workshop Agendas are posted within the calendar.

For more information, please contact: Diana McCarthy-Bercury at mccard@nu.com or Robert Schmitt at robert.schmitt@ctcleanenergy.com

Spring 2012 Workshops:

Northeast Connecticut Regional Taskforce Workshop
Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:  Stafford Springs Library Community Room, 5 Levinthal Run, Stafford Springs, CT

South Central Connecticut Regional Taskforce Workshop
Date:  June 6, 2012
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Keefe Community Center11 Pine Street  Hamden, CT 06514

Arthur H. House of Simsbury is the new chairman of the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

House, who has long-time ties to Connecticut, was nominated last month by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to serve as a PURA director.  His nomination was confirmed in the recent session of the General Assembly.

House said, “As Chairman of PURA, I am committed to building on the progress Connecticut has made in bringing cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power to our state.  PURA will play a positive role in accomplishing this vision by continuing its transition into a 21^st century utility regulatory body.”

House was nominated to fill the PURA seat vacated by Anna M. Ficeto, who was recently sworn in as a Superior Court Judge.  He assumed the chairmanship after Kevin DelGobbo, the previous chairman, declined the opportunity to be renominated as a PURA Director.

PURA Director John Betkoski, of Beacon Falls, will continue to serve as vice chairman.  Betkoski has served as a utility regulator since 1997 –  first with the Department of Public Utility Control and now at PURA – and has been vice chairman since 2007.  He previously served 10 years as a State Representative from the Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Seymour area, from 1987-1997.

The third seat on PURA is currently vacant.

House brings a broad range of experience in government, policy and corporate affairs to his work as PURA Chairman.

He most recently served as Chief of the Communications Group for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a support agency for the U.S. Department of Defense.  Prior to that House was Director of Communications for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  He has also served on the staff of the National Security Council.

Earlier in his career, House held senior staff positions in the U.S. Senate, including a tenure as Chief of Staff to former Connecticut Senator Abraham Ribicoff and a specialist on international relations for former Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd.

House also served in senior executive positions with a focus on communications and public affairs at several Connecticut-based companies, including CIGNA, Shawmut National Corporation, Aetna and Webster Bank.

House was born in Manchester and is the son of Charles House, a former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Visitors to national wildlife refuges are concerned about the impact of climate change on America’s fish, wildlife and plants ? as well as the habitat that supports them, a new survey just released by the U…S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows. The survey also shows strong support for efforts to help native species adapt to changing climate conditions, such as those now being implemented by the Service and its partners.

Seventy-one percent of the more than 10,000 visitors to national wildlife refuges who took part in the survey ? conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2010 and 2011 ? believe that climate change poses a serious threat to wildlife and wildlife habitat. About 74 percent of the same respondents agree that addressing climate change effects on wildlife and wildlife habitats will benefit future generations.

An aerial photo shows the impact of sea-level rise at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, where salt water intrusion is killing the pond pine pocosin (forested wetland) habitat. Atmospheric warming is contributing to sea-level rise. (Steve Hillebrand/USFWS)

“The results of this survey underscore the Service’s responsibility ? entrusted to us by the American people ? to ensure that we use the best science to understand and anticipate the impacts of a changing climate in order to safeguard fish, wildlife and plants and the important benefits and services they provide,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “We recognize the serious threats that climate change and other environmental stressors pose to wildlife, and we’re working with our partners to address these immense challenges using the latest science-driven approaches.”

Significant climate-related impacts on fish and wildlife have already been observed by scientists across North America. These impacts include dramatic shifts in the range of dozens of species and altered precipitation patterns, resulting in increased flooding in some areas and drought and water scarcity in others. In addition, flowers are blooming earlier in the spring, while lakes are freezing later in the fall. These shifts have disrupted the migration patterns of birds, as well as the food chain on which they and many other species depend.

Ashe noted that the Service’s statutory authorities do not give the agency the ability or responsibility to regulate the causative factors of climate change. However, those authorities do require the Service to work with the conservation community to anticipate and manage for the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife resources ? as the agency is required to address any other factor affecting the long-term health and abundance of these resources.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is working with its partners to address the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife and plants and the communities that depend on them. These efforts include:

• As directed by Congress, leading development of a National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy designed to guide government-wide wildlife adaptation partnerships over the next 50 to100 years.
• Developing an innovative carbon sequestration program in the Lower Mississippi Valley in partnership with the Conservation Fund, American Electric Power Company, and Entergy Inc., that is also restoring native habitats to bolster populations of wildlife and migratory birds. The project has added more than 40,000 acres of habitat to the National Wildlife Refuge System and reforested more than 80,000 acres, sequestering 30 million metric tons of carbon over the project’s 70-year lifetime.
• Helping to create a network of locally-driven, solution-oriented Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) that will allow federal, state and local partners to develop shared science capacity to inform conservation actions that help priority species and habitats withstand the impacts of climate change.

“As we look to the future, the Refuge System will need to prioritize land restoration to effectively sequester carbon and protect wildlife,” said Refuge System Chief Jim Kurth. “That means targeted restoration to bring altered landscapes into balance and to protect habitats that support viable populations of wildlife. Most importantly, we have to work with other government agencies, non-profit organizations and private landowners to face the challenge of climate change.”

The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the Service, is the nation’s premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. National wildlife refuges protect thousands of species; many also are popular recreation sites, noted for their hunting and fishing, paddling and hiking, and wildlife observation.

Other survey results show that more than half of the refuge visitors surveyed indicated a high level of both interest and personal involvement in climate issues. More than two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) agreed that addressing climate change impacts could “improve our quality of life.” Nearly half of visitors surveyed (46 percent) expressed interest in learning from refuges what they could do to help address the effects of climate change on wildlife and habitat.

Economic considerations factored into visitors’ assessments of climate change impacts. More than two-thirds (71 percent) agreed that “it is important to consider the economic costs and benefits to local communities when addressing climate change effects on fish, wildlife and habitats.”

USGS social scientist Natalie Sexton was the lead researcher on the report. The USGS designed, conducted, analyzed and reported on the peer-reviewed survey. The survey is available here.

Walmart’s plans were spurred, in part, by a 2008 initiative of Governor Deval Patrick to encourage the use of alternative energy at large retail buildings where flat roofs would be ideal for solar projects.

For more on this story, visit: Walmart to install solar panels on 27 stores in Mass. – Boston.com.

Mercedes-Benz Promises To Launch Two Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars By 2014

According to Automotive News, Mercedes will produce two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the second vehicle will likely to be a large sedan or SUV.

For more on this story, visit: Mercedes-Benz To Launch Two Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars By 2014 | Haute Auto.

The school isn’t buying the fuel cell. It isn’t paying to operate it or repair it. It has agreed to buy power from it to provide the science building with heat and power. UTC will own and operate the 400 kilowatt fuel cell on the lawn between the science building and Osborne Street.

The state-of-the-art, 122,000-square-foot science building, completed in 2005, houses the biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and meteorology departments. The facility includes classrooms, lecture auditoria, a greenhouse, an observatory, the WCSU Weather Center and research laboratories, including the Boehringer Ingleheim Biochemistry Lab.

The new science building is the first state-funded building project to seek LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Council works to promote environmentally responsible and sustainable buildings.

For more on this story, visit: WCSU Installing Fuel Cell to Power Science Building – Danbury, CT Patch.

For more on this story, visit: Urban Land Institute to Tour Storrs Center – Mansfield-Storrs, CT Patch.

EPA and the states have been working cooperatively for the last several months to discuss potential approaches to clean up the Rest of River portion of the Housatonic River contaminated with pollutants from General Electric’s former Pittsfield, Mass. facility. These discussions have focused, in part, on the need to address the risks from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to humans, fish, wildlife and other organisms while avoiding, mitigating or minimizing the impacts of the clean up on the unique ecological character of the Housatonic River.

Prior to the meetings, EPA and the states will release a document called the “Status Report of Preliminary Discussions of Potential Remediation Approaches to the GE-Housatonic River Site “Rest of River” PCB Contamination.” This summary document, which recognizes that no remedy decisions have yet been made, reflects the current status of EPA and the states’ efforts to discuss and identify potential remedial approaches for the Rest of River in light of their shared goals and interests. The summary report, which will be available on EPA’s web page on Friday, May18, will be the topic of the public meetings.

The Connecticut meeting will be on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, 246 Warren Turnpike Road, Falls Village, Conn.

Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office, will be joined at the May 23 Connecticut meeting by Macky McCleary, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Kenneth Kimmell, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Commissioner, Mary Griffin will join Curt Spalding at the meeting in Lenox on May 24.

More information on EPA’s work to clean up contamination in the Housatonic River
(http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/) – on Friday, 5/18 this site will also contain the document referenced above.

For more on this story, visit: 05/15/2012: EPA, Massachusetts and Connecticut Host Public Meetings on Housatonic River Status.

That question has hovered above New Haven’s biggest development project in a generation, Downtown Crossing. Another way of asking the question: Is New Haven undoing a major mistake and learning from its past? Or is it repeating the mistake?

For more on this story, visit: Mayor Enters New Urbanist Lion’s Den | New Haven Independent.

For more on this story, visit: Meriden briefs, May 14 to 18, 2012 – MyRecordJournal.com: Brief.

For more on this story, visit: Household hazardous waste collection | Acorn-Online.com.

“In the past year, holding office has become more physically demanding for me and it would be difficult to initiate a re-election campaign. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer, endured chemotherapy and associated treatment, and am presently recuperating from a broken ankle,” Daily said in a statement.

For more on this story, visit: State Sen. Eileen Daily Retiring, Citing Health – Courant.com.

Bridgeport — More than 150 people crowded into a room in the City Hall Annex Monday night to weigh in on Bridgeport Harbor Station’s request to renew its five-year operating permit, which expired earlier this year.

Environmentalists have been trying for years to shut down the coal operations at the station, which is owned by the Newark-based Public Service Electric & Gas. This may be their best chance, said John Calandrelli, program director for the Sierra Club’s local chapter.

For more on this story, visit: Residents, environmentalists crowd hearing on Bridgeport coal plant | The Connecticut Mirror.

Environmentalists have been trying for years to shut down Connecticut’s last remaining coal-burning power plant. They could make more headway on that goal this year, since the power plant’s operating permit is up for renewal. WNPR’s Neena Satija reports on a public hearing held on the matter last night in Bridgeport, where the plant is located.

Listen to Neena’s story here: A Call to Close Bridgeport Coal Plant | yourpublicmedia.org.

 —–

One unit of the PSEG Bridgeport Harbor Station has been shut down. It is the last coal burning power plant in Connecticut. Without it, Connecticut would be the first state to completely wean itself off coal.

PSEG Bridgeport Harbor Station (courtesy PSEG)

But even though less than 2 percent of Connecticut’s power came from coal burning sources last year, the owners of the PSEG Bridgeport Harbor Station seem determined to get their operating permit renewed.

More than 100 people turned out for a public hearing Monday night, some in favor of the permit renewal application, others against.

Written comments will be accepted through May 21, 2012. Send them to Debola Bamgbose, DEEP, 79 Elm St., 5th floor, Hartford, CT 06106, or electronically at adebola.bamgbose@ct.gov.

PSEG Power LLC (photos: cjzurcher)

Those in favor of having the plant continue operations regardless of the fact that it has been found to be in noncompliance with several air pollution standards, included Paul Timpanelli, of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and, most surprisingly to me, Theodore L. Grabarz, Bridgeport’s Sustainability Director, and Deputy Director of Public Facilities.

Personally I don’t know what Grabarz could have been thinking of, other than perhaps upcoming elections, when he said allowing PSEG to continue to burn coal to generate electricity like it has been contributes to the city’s sustainability efforts. Did he really say that? Yes, he did.

PSEG as seen from the Audubon Center in Milford

The side of the room that was generally against the permit renewal.

He mentioned efforts to go green, be sustainable, things like renewable energy. But he countered all his positive statements with things like (and he would put them in quotes) “picking our battles.” Well, PSEG seems to be one sparring partner Grabarz doesn’t want to meet in the ring. He spoke in favor of the permit renewal regardless of the toxins the plant emits into the air of his community.

That was after one resident spoke, with her daughter at her side, about her two daughters who were treated in the emergency room for breathing problems and after the Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr. said his neighborhood (ZIP code 06607) has the worst air quality in New England.

“There’s a reason why this plant isn’t in Wilton or Greenwich. No one cares about the poor and the disenfranchised,” he said. Moales is vice-treasurer of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.

PSEG representatives spoke of “responsible coal generation” and the company’s efforts to advocate for the environment.

They say they are long-term supporters of tighter emissions standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) to achieve local and regional ambient air quality standards,” and that they have “worked with environmentalists, legislators and CT DEEP to pass nation’s first law regulating mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.”

The company’s community presence was presented as supporters of the CT Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, raising more than $600,000 (money raised also supports the CT Burn Center’s Children Summer Camps); YMCA and South End Community Center; Cardinal Sheehan Center; United Way; Bridgeport Police Activities League; Special Olympics; Easter Seals/Goodwill industries; Title sponsor for the 2012 FSW charity fundraising event; supporters of a Bridgeport-based community service organization that offers assistance to more than 11,000 low income families and individuals; supporters of the 2011 Rock-to-Rock Earth Day bicycle ride, the proceeds of which benefited environmental organizations including the Sierra Club,  Nature Conservancy, Common Ground, and New Haven Environmental Justice Network. The company is a supporter of Bridgeport’s “BGreen 2020” Sustainability Initiative and The Center for Sustainable Business Growth; and continues to work with the CT Legislature to identify market-based renewable opportunities such as solar.

Bridgeport resident Tiffany Mellers opposes the plant's permit application because her two daughters have been treated in the emergency room for breathing problems.

The Healthy Connecticut Alliance, which includes members of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Sierra Club, Conservation Law Foundation, Fairfield County Environmental Justice Network, and Toxics Actions Center Campaigns, spoke against the permit renewal citing a coal-free Connecticut, reduction of mountain-top renewal (though some said most of the coal burned in Connecticut comes from Indonesia), reduction of carbon emissions, better human health due to a decrease in particulate matter and related health problems like asthma and lung disease, bronchitis and heart disease.

Alliance spokesperson Charles Rothenberger, of CFE, concluded his statements by stating that the role of coal is declining and that the nation received less than one-third of its energy from coal in 2010, less than 10 percent regionally, and less than two percent in Connecticut.

He recommended retiring the plant and supporting the revitalization of the Bridegport community that is now underway.

Click for more on the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal initiative. 350CT.org also has a page about shutting down the PSEG plant. Click here http://350ct.org/bridgeport-coal-plant-shutdown. That page also has a link to their Facebook page on the subject.

Here is a link to comments from CFE, CLF, Sierra Club, Toxics Action Center and others filed with DEEP in objection to DEEP’s January 2012 draft permit to PSEG for the Bridgeport Harbor Station plant:  http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/public_notice_attachments/miscellaneous/pseg_hearing_-_comments.pdf  (this is large document, containing Comments, and the DEEP’s January 2012 Draft Permit, as well)

DEEP was been asked to hold a public meeting to:  (a) allow residents to describe health impacts they are living with everyday in shadow of the plant; (b) show that retirement of this plant is a state-wide goal of many residents and organizations; and (c) re-iterate some of the problems that that were identified with the draft permit – such as opacity violations and insufficient reporting protocols.

From the CT Post:

BRIDGEPORT — About 100 people packed a meeting room in the City Hall Annex for a public hearing on whether the Bridgeport Harbor Power Station, the last coal-burning power plant in Connecticut, should have its operating permit renewed.

Most of the speakers were there to urge the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to deny the plant’s owners, PSEG, a permit to continue operating.

For more on this story, visit: 100 turn out to speak on coal plant permit – Connecticut Post.

From WTNH

The air you breathe in Fairfield county is ranked among the worst in the entire nation; that’s just one of the reasons people packed Bridgeport’s City Hall Monday night in an effort to shut down the huge coal plant there.

For more on this story, visit: Residents: coal plant is health hazard | WTNH.com Connecticut.

For more on this story, visit: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound told hold New Haven open house- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.

Plymouth Reservoir © Ginger Lee Grant, g.l.o photography

According to Maureen P. Westbrook,  Vice President,   Customer and Regulatory Affairs, the transaction presented a unique opportunity for the T own to acquire a large parcel of open space land  without the use of local tax dollars . “The Town of Plymouth acquired the parcel, which has a fair market value of $1.615 million, using grants  from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection  (DEEP)  and the  Federal Highway Office  (FHO) that totaled   $1.45 million. Connecticut Water sold the land  in a bargain sale that closed the gap of $165, 000.” Ms. Westbrook added, “Connecticut Water is pleased that local residents supported the purchase and that the Company  was able to partner with community leaders ,  DEEP and FHO to preserve the land and reservoir as protected open space.”

Over the past 12  years, Connecticut Water has worked with towns and land conservation organizations to set aside more than 1,000 acres  of land as passive recreation and protected open space in the state of Connecticut. All of the land set aside was no longer needed for water supply purposes.

The Company has taken advantage of legislation passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in the late 1990 s that provides tax benefits to water utilities for protecting land as open space rather than having it developed. This tool mak es it possible for communities  to acquire open space land while the company is protected financially.

Connecticut Water Service, Inc. is the  largest publicly traded water company based in New England. Through its wholly- owned public water utility subsidiaries, The Connecticut Water Company and The Maine Water Company, the Company  provides drinking water to 106,000   customers, or about 35 0,000 people ,  throughout   the states of  Connecticut and Maine.

See previous coverage in Environmental Headlines here: http://environmentalheadlines.com/ct/2010/09/15/residents-invited-to-plymouth-reservoir-property-tours-on-918-and-926.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 2012: Documentary photographer and educator, Carlan Tapp, will launch a 3000-mile motorcycle ride on June 4 through 12 national parks and monuments in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona to raise money for Naamehnay Project – Question of Power, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating visual voices for individuals, families, and communities affected by the extraction, production, and consumption of coal to produce electricity.

In daily blog posts, photographer Tapp will share images in his signature black and white style, video, and interviews along the Southwest’s majestic Grand Circle. To receive the daily updates, go to www.rideinbeauty.org .

“I will be photographing the natural splendor in a part of the United States that is increasingly at risk from the mining and burning of coal for electricity. By showing the beauty of the region and the people who live there I hope to focus attention on what is worth protecting.” Proceeds from the ride in the form of pledges and the sale of photographs and a book, Ride in Beauty, will help Tapp continue his work on the Naamehnay Project – Question of Power.

Tapp began work on Question of Power in 2005 to raise awareness of living conditions in areas affected by the mining and burning of coal. Through his blog at http://www.carlantapp.blogspot.com/ , photography books, outreach to schools, and museum exhibits, he shows the often-ignored reality of living in communities where coal is mined and burned in power plants.  “My mission is to give a voice to the families and communities at risk from the effects of production of coal-fired electricity.”

The project has taken Tapp to the Navajo Nation in northern New Mexico, where mining and coal-fired energy production have degraded living conditions and affected people’s health for over 40 years.  He has also shown the effects of dumping coal ash – the waste product of coal-fired energy – in the communities of Bokoshe, OK, Uniontown, AL, and Kingston, TN.  Tapp’s online journal, Portrait USA, (http://www.carlantapp.blogspot.com) highlights these efforts with frequent posts from the communities he visits and photographs.

At approximately 7:30 a.m., this morning (May 15), officers from D.E.E.P.’s Environmental Conservation Police  responded to 4 Cobblestone Road in Burlington to investigate the report of a possible shooting of a Black Bear.  The resident from that address contacted the Connecticut State Police reporting that they heard two gunshots then saw a black bear come into their yard and lay down,  Upon arrival, EnCon officers found the black bear, a male weighing approximately 460 pounds, was dead and had been shot.  The investigation lead to the arrest of Cory J Maitz,  42, of 6 Cobblestone Road,  Burlington, on charges of Illegally Killing a Black Bear, a misdemeanor and Criminal Possession of a Pistol, a Class D felony. Maitz allegedly shot the Black Bear with a pistol after it he had seen it enter his garage then go into his back yard.

Source: Trenberth and coworkers, BAMS March 2009, pp. 311-323; http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/Trenberth/trenberth.papers/TFK_bams09.pdf

Discussing the role of cirrus clouds in this same post, NASA points out that they emit only small amounts of radiation because of their cold temperature.  Thus, being composed of (solid) water, cirrus clouds strongly absorb heat (infrared) radiation reaching them from below, and retain a significant fraction of that heat, leading to higher atmospheric temperature than would be the case if they were absent.  NASA states that in a world with higher average global temperatures, the air would have more water content that leads to formation of more cirrus clouds.  In this view CO₂-induced greenhouse warming would be amplified by the presence of more heat-retaining cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere.

The consensus among the community of climate scientists is that the iris effect proposed by Dr. Lindzen is supported neither by experiment nor by GCM modeling.

© 2012 Henry Auer

Mary Evelyn’s webcast will be hosted by Betsy Rosenberg and broadcast on Thursday, May 24, at 12:00-12:30pm PST.

You can register here for this free event:
http://springofsustainability.com/

 (Hamden, CT) – Citizens Campaign for the Environment has presented awards to seven members of the CT House of Representatives to recognize their hard work and commitment to protecting children’s health.  State Representatives Richard Roy (D, 119), Rep. Philip Miller (D, 36), Rep. Mary Mushinsky (D, 85), Rep. Roberta Willis (D, 64), Rep. Larry Miller (R, 122), Rep. Kim Rose (D, 118), and Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D, 136) were all presented with a plaque of appreciation on behalf of CCE and their members across the state of Connecticut.  The awards were given in celebration of the death of HB 5155, which sought to repeal the ban on chemical pesticide use on K-8 school playing fields statewide.

The bill was ‘held’ by the CGA Joint Committee on the Environment earlier in the session, meaning that it would not be called for consideration.  CCE applauds the committee leadership and all other members of the General Assembly who stood together in opposition of this short-sighted legislation.  Together, they sent a strong message to school districts across the state- Children’s health is a priority in our state, and critical health protections on school grounds will not be undone.

“I am delighted that the general assembly was able to stop the repeal of the law banning the use of chemical lawn care pesticides,” said Rep. Roy, House Co-Chair of the CGA Joint Committee on the Environment.  “The health and welfare of our children is far more important than the quick application of poison, which allows the chemical companies to make more money in the short term.  I blame [the chemical companies] for continually developing more toxic products for the market and pushing lawn care companies into using them.  The result is stronger, more toxin resistant weeds, and a greater threat to the health and well-being of our children.”

The bill generated a strong outcry of public opposition this session, prompting environmental groups and community members across Connecticut to speak out.  Almost 2,400 signatures and over 1,000 letters were generated, urging elected officials not to overturn the ban.

“Connecticut residents elect these leaders to make decisions about what is in the best interest of the health and well-being of their constituents,” said Louis Burch, CT Program Coordinator for Citizens Campaign for the Environment.  “These legislators have stood firm time and time again, to preserve these protective measures, and we have to give credit where credit is due.  Thanks to them, Connecticut families across the state can rest easy, knowing that they don’t have to worry about their children being exposed to toxic chemicals where they learn and play.”

The growing body of peer reviewed scientific evidence indicates that pesticide exposure can adversely affect a child’s neurological, respiratory, immune, and endocrine system, even at low levels. Long-term exposure to pesticides has also been linked to cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Health problems associated with short-term pesticide exposure include acute impacts, such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, seizures and respiratory problems.  Researchers have even found that pesticide exposure is linked to asthma, which is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness in the nation- accounting for 14 million lost days of school annually.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) empowers communities and advocates solutions for our shared environment and public health and is supported by over 80,000 members throughout New York State and Connecticut. www.citizenscampaign.org

The New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor | Map: ConnDOT

According to project documents, the improved NHHS line will bring economic and environmental benefits to the region.

• Create 12,590 construction and related jobs;
• Increase annual trips on the line by 1.26 million by 2030; and
• Save more than 3.5 million gallons of fuel each year.

Tri-State has long supported the NHHS project and plans to submit comments on its environmental assessment in the coming weeks. Three public hearings have been scheduled, and comments can be submitted to Mark.W.Alexander@ct.gov.

For more on this story, visit: New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Project Environmental Analysis Released | Mobilizing the Region.

For more on this story, visit: Exhibit supports Farmington River Watershed Association – The Granbys, CT Patch.

From Rick Green at The Hartford Courant

Since this is “CT Rides Week” — when the state Department of Transportation wants you to try, if only for a day, a different way of getting to work – and Friday is national Bike-to-Work-Day, (Google bikewalkct or CT Rides for more information) let’s take a moment to salute the commuting pioneers like the Alyssa Norwoods out there.

Because ever so slowly some of us really are looking beyond the cars that clog the roads, pollute the air and raise our blood pressure.

For more on this story, visit: State tries to get people to reconsider driving alone to work. – Courant.com.

For more on this story, visit: Journal Inquirer > Connecticut & Region > Goodwin College president to speak to land trust.

The long-running campaign to scrap the New Britain busway ran out of gas Monday when legislators voted down an amendment to strip its funding.

“Legislatively, there’s nothing more we can do,” said Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol, after lawmakers shot down the last-chance amendment.

For more on this story, visit: Busway Opposition Hits – CTnow.

Leave a comment and tell us what sector you’re in and why you think Connecticut’s tourism campaign should have considered you.

Dubbed “Still Revolutionary,” the campaign banks on the appeal of Connecticut’s history and promotes the state as a haven for innovators.

Malloy, addressing an audience at the Old State House, said the campaign “ties into how we want to be perceived by the rest of the world.”

For more on this story, visit: The Day – Connecticut’s past is its future in tourism branding campaign | News from southeastern Connecticut.

HARTFORD (AP) — Connecticut is using a new marketing strategy to boost tourism that draws attention to the state’s role in the Revolutionary War.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveiled on Monday a “Still Revolutionary” Connecticut brand, part of a two-year, $27 million state marketing initiative.

For more on this story, visit: State unveils 2-year, $27M tourism campaign – NewsTimes.

Connecticut is looking to its past to ignite the state’s tourism industry.

“Still Revolutionary” will be the centerpiece of a new branding campaign unveiled by Gov. Dannel Malloy Monday. It is part of a two-year, $27 million marketing initiative. The campaign will include TV and radio commercials as well as print and digital advertising.

For more on this story, visit: Gov. Unveils “Still Revolutionary” Tourism Campaign | NBC Connecticut.

Just over ten weeks ago Stratford Point was on fire.

On February 29, the Stratford Fire Department, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Audubon Society coordinated a prescribed burn.

For more on this story, visit: Stratford Point Restoration Continues This Week – Stratford, CT Patch.

Mayor John A. Harkins will be among the speakers, as the town takes a first step in the revitalization along the Stratford’s waterfront.

For more on this story, visit: Stratford Greenway opens Saturday, May 19 | Stratford Star.

Backer, director of Norwalk-based Soundkeeper, accepted the award during a ceremony at River Rally 2012 held in Portland, Oregon.

For more on this story, visit: Backer, the Soundkeeper, wins prestigious environmental award – The Hour Publishing Company: Norwalk: terry backer, soundkeeper, river hero, environmental award,.

The markets only include produce grown in Connecticut, and the ingredients of prepared items must be grown here as well.

For more on this story, visit: CitySeed farmers markets return in New Haven (video)- The New Haven Register – Serving New Haven, Connecticut.

David Hogan and his wife sued BP and NALCO Co. – which made the Corexit oil dispersants – and a host of other defendants, including Halliburton, Transocean, ConocoPhillips, Xplore Oil & Gas and Stuyvesant Dredging Co.

After BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20, 2010, unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history, BP hired contractors to spray and inject more than 1.8 million gallons of Corexit into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the complaint.

For more on this story, visit: Horrific Injuries Linked to BP Dispersant Corexit.

We were puzzled by the Hartford Business Journal’s criticism (“Tale of Two Numbers Shows State’s Folly,” 5/7/12) of our state’s efforts to remove items like obsolete computer terminals, televisions and used mattresses from the waste stream so that materials from them can be recycled.

After all, these initiatives achieve goals usually trumpeted by the Business Journal — namely reduced costs for taxpayers and job creation.

For more on this story, visit: Forcing industry to lead recycling is paying off | Hartford Business.

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6:30pm until 10:00pm

An informational hearing to take public comments concerning the draft Title V permit for PSEG’s Bridgeport Harbor Station. It will be moderated and recorded by DEEP. Our Healthy CT Alliance calls on CT residents to attend this hearing to show DEEP and PSEG that we are very concerned about the effects of the continued operation of this coal plant on our health!.

City Of Bridgeport City Hall Annex, 999 Broad St., Bridgeport, CT 06604

For more on this story, visit: A step against climate change – Connecticut Post.

Under the program, qualified bidders can now bid to sell certificates to CL&P for 15-year periods. The company will select qualified projects based on price.

To be eligible, projects must have begun operation after July 1, 2011, and meet other requirements for maximum kilowatts.

To learn more or submit a proposal, visit www.cl-p.com and go to “Going Green” and then click on “Renewable Energy Credits.”

… The former Stamford mayor was set to become the inaugural recipient of the Founder’s Award. The award recognizes him for his advocacy of the organization and the environment around Long Island Sound.

For more on this story, visit: Stamford group honors Malloy for environmental advocacy – StamfordAdvocate.

For more on this story, visit: Despite a Respite From Dry Winter, Connecticut Prepares for Mosquito Season – News – The Litchfield County Times.

For more on this story, visit: $25K added to Killingly budget for open space preservation – Norwich, CT – The Bulletin.

Schlag, the Green Party challenger to Democrat Eileen Daily for Connecticut State Senate District 33, collected signatures on a petition from residents of the district. Schlag is the former executive director of Citizens for Protection of Public Lands (CPPL) and was instrumental in opposing the controversial Haddam Land Swap.

For more on this story, visit: Green Party Senate Hopeful Collects Signatures at Essex Muster – East Haddam-Haddam, CT Patch.

Deborah Pacileo and Kurt Gottschall of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection display an Atlantic sturgeon caught during a recent survey in Long Island Sound. (Photo: Tom Savoy, State DEEP)

These large, angular fish, which can be 12 to 14 feet long, weigh 300 to 400 pounds and live 50 to 100 years, last month became one of the newest additions to the federal Endangered Species List, qualifying them for greater protection and restoration efforts. Short-nosed sturgeon, the Atlantic sturgeon’s freshwater cousins that can be found in the upper Connecticut River, have been on the list since 1976.

For more on this story, visit: The Day – State trying to protect Atlantic sturgeon | News from southeastern Connecticut.

National Bike Month reminds me of that first taste of independence and mobility.

My life is a little busier today, but not too busy for me to take a weekend bike ride with my wife Kathy. In Washington, D.C., we love the C&O Canal towpath, a local treasure. It’s great just being outdoors, but the path itself is lovely. It’s also wonderful to see so many people out and about, sharing this terrific resource.

via Bikeleague.org Blog » Blog Archive » Why I Ride: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood.

HARTFORD – In the yearly flurry of activity on the last day of the Connecticut legislative session, a major issue slipped through the cracks: allowing heating oil customers access to state efficiency programs. At a time when all Connecticut residents are trying to save money on energy, fuel oil customers (48% of homes) are at a severe disadvantage. They are about to lose access to efficiency assistance programs that are available to natural gas or electric heat customers, because of the way these programs are funded.

This inequity would have been corrected by proposed legislation including Senate Bill 415 and Senate Bill 450. Efforts to provide reliable access to efficiency programs and to improve the structure of efficiency funds were supported by 350 Connecticut, other statewide environmental advocacy groups, energy efficiency businesses and private citizens. Unfortunately, ongoing negotiations among legislators meant that no compromise energy bill was finalized before the clock ran out on the 2012 legislative session Wednesday night.

Teresa Eickel, member of 350 Connecticut and executive director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, testified in support of the policy at a public hearing. “This legislation will not only save Connecticut residents hundreds of dollars per year, it will also secure jobs for economic growth,” she said at the time. Owners and employees of home performance businesses testified that expanding access to and funding for state efficiency programs would enable them to hire more workers, while restricting access might force them to lay off workers–especially in areas of the state where oil is the predominant heating fuel.

Although the legislature failed to deal with this issue in regular session, there is still time to give oil customers access to these programs before funding runs out. “Our senators, representatives and governor need to act quickly,” said Laura McMillan, a member of 350 Connecticut’s Global Warming Solutions Act working group. “Providing all state residents with access to programs like Home Energy Solutions will help their constituents to save money, protect skilled jobs in the home performance sector, and reduce Connecticut’s carbon footprint.”

•  A bright, airy home illustrating the virtues of natural materials, a re-purposed attached barn and sustainable use of the landscape;
•  An antique home retrofitted to address the current priorities for energy conservation while maintaining its original architectural character;
•  A craftsman-style ranch home featuring green energy upgrades, such as geothermal heating and cooling, cork flooring, and photovoltaic solar panels; and
•  An Adirondack-style New Canaan home — a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certified house.  It is constructed from entirely local and recycled materials with solar thermal panels and multiple enhancements that make it worthy of the countless green building awards that it has earned.

All participants must sign in, present a photo ID, and pick up maps for the homes by registering at Old Town Hall, 69 Ridgefield Rd/Rt 33, Wilton, starting at 1 pm on Sunday, May 20.  (This registration site is just 1/4 mile north of the Wilton train station, Rts 7 and 33.)

Tickets are $20 per person or per family.  Everyone may tour the three Wilton homes.  Tours of the New Canaan home are offered at 2 and 3:30 pm and by reservation only on a first-come first- served basis.  Reservations for that particular house tour must be made the day of the tour at Old Town Hall beginning at 1 pm.

Parking at Old Town Hall is available behind the building off Belden Hill Road.  Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.wiltongogreen.org.  Wilton Go Green looks forward to seeing you!

Republicans said they feared legislative overtime would open a Pandora’s box of pet bills, but majority Democrats remained optimistic that the General Assembly’s business would be limited.

via Special session already planned for unfinished business | The Connecticut Mirror.