Land, Drinking Water, & Defense Legislative Priorities

ENDANGERED LANDS

Human health depends on pure, clean drinking water. Clean and safe public drinking water has been a state priority for years. Approximately 530,000 acres of land in Connecticut are classified as public water supply watershed land. Drinking water quality is directly affected by development on and maintenance of watershed lands because these lands act as natural filters, trapping sediment, chemicals and other pollutants before they contaminate the water.

The following bill, if passed, would require affordable housing developers to protect water resources by requiring a density of not more than one unit per two acres of affordable housing developments in a drinking water watershed:

• H.B. 6121: AAC Affordable Housing Developments Within Watershed Areas

CFE also works tirelessly to protect our state’s open space—parcels of undeveloped land that provide opportunities for recreation and business and contribute greatly to our quality of life.

However, even passive recreation can destroy the conservation values of certain properties. We oppose the following bill, which, if passed, would place a blanket requirement allowing passive recreation on all open space set asides by land developers:

• H.B. 5146: AAC Open Space Required to be Set Aside by Land Developers

DRINKING WATER PROTECTION

We need to ensure that our state has clean, reliable, sufficient drinking water to meet current and future human need and to keep our inland waterways healthy. Water diversions, especially transfers of water from one river basin to another, can have a significant impact on water supply and quality in a watershed and ultimately affect statewide drinking water supply.

CFE/Save the Sound works hard to support bills that would protect our drinking water and ensure that it is clean and accessible. The following bill, if passed, would coordinate long-term water supply planning and ensure water quality and quantity is preserved throughout the state in a cost-effective manner.

• H.B. 5478: AA Establishing a State-Wide Moratorium for Water Diversions and Requiring the Establishment of a State-Wide Water Use Plan

DEFENSE

Unfortunately, while many good bills exist to protect our natural resources, there are also bills proposed that could have a detrimental impact on our environment. Some of those bills reappear every year, like those that attempt to alter the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act, modify the CTDEEP permit process, and change other applicable regulations. This year, we oppose these bills as written:

• H.B. 5944: AAC the Award of Attorney’s Fees in Land Use Appeals
• H.B. 5968:  AA Clarifying the State Plan of Conservation and Development
• S.B. 550: AAC Intervention in Permit Proceedings Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Act of 1971
• S.B. 563: AA Requiring the Improvement and Expediting of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Permit and Application Process
• S.B. 591: AA Requiring the Regulation Review Committee to Evaluate All Current Regulations
• S.B. 759: AAC the Waivers of Fines and Penalties for Certain Business Regulation Violations
• S.B. 814: AAC Intervention in Permit Proceedings Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Act of 1971 (Though the bills share a title, this is different proposal than S.B. 550.)

Stay tuned for the legislative highlights for our other programs!

Posted by Rebecca Kaplan, director of communications for CFE/Save the Sound