The 2019 legislative session begins tomorrow. There are new faces and exciting ideas flooding Hartford, and we are looking forward to working with our new governor and legislators to create an environmental revolution this year! Throughout session, we will be asking you to activate your voice for environmental change. We’ll give you contact info and talking points at critical opportunities so you can show up and reach out to your representatives. Together we can make this green agenda a reality.
Here are our New Year’s “revolutions” for clean air, land, and water.
CLEAN the Climate
Connecticut is legally obligated to slash greenhouse gas emissions 10% by 2020 and 45% by 2030. To accomplish this and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower air pollution, promote clean energy jobs, and drive economic development, we will be asking legislators to:
- Electrify the transportation sector and accelerate adoption of clean cars.
- Ensure full and fair compensation for solar generation, invest in offshore wind and energy storage, and expand solar access.
- Restore clean energy and energy efficiency funds that were raided in 2017, ensure they aren’t raided again, and increase investment to maximize benefits.
PROTECT Long Island Sound and Rivers
Long Island Sound is the ecological and cultural heart of our region, as well as an economic engine that generates at least $17 billion a year—but it’s vulnerable to pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. We will make sure legislators:
- Stop raw sewage leaks and stormwater impacts by investing in clean water infrastructure and creating a green infrastructure vision to absorb polluted stormwater, restore our rivers, reduce local flooding, and employ our youth.
- Build resilient shorelines and communities by investing in nature-based solutions to manage flooding and limit sea level rise impacts through the LIS Stewardship and Resiliency Fund.
- Promote and protect sustainable fishery policies and habitats.
DEFEND Drinking Water and Public Lands
Connecticut’s critical places filter drinking water, help keep our air clean, provide habitat for wildlife, and bring tourism dollars to Connecticut—but they’re increasingly at risk of being lost forever. We will work to ensure legislators:
- Protect our water as a public trust resource for all by ensuring passage of the State Water Plan.
- Save Oswegatchie Hills, 236 acres of coastal woodland and a mile of riverbank in East Lyme, threatened by a giant development scheme that would flush pollutants into our water and destroy wildlife habitat.
- Protect Plum Island from sale by the federal government to save its threatened and endangered species, complex tapestry of unique habitats, and significant military and cultural history.
PREVENT Environmental Rollbacks
As the federal government rolls back touchstone environmental regulation like the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, brazen efforts to weaken enforcement and state laws that protect drinking water, open space, and healthy air abound in Connecticut as well. With your help we’ve headed off these attacks in the past, and we will remain vigilant to ensure Connecticut’s environmental protections aren’t swept away if efforts to weaken them resurface.
TOGETHER We Can Make Our New Year’s Environmental Revolutions a Reality
Your legislators are ready to listen to you, so let’s give them something to do. Together we can ensure this electrifying agenda leads to an Environmental Revolution in 2019.
Want local environmental updates and alerts sent to your inbox? Or want to find out when or how you should reach out to your legislators on important issues? Sign up here to join our action network!
And follow us on Facebook (CFE or Save the Sound) and Twitter (CFE or Save the Sound).