Connecticut Fund for the Environment & Save the Sound

TheDay.com - Seat Ridership Hits A Milestone

2007-08-21T13:53:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Seat Ridership Hits A Milestone

Ridership on Southeast Area Transit buses has increased by nearly one-third in the past five years, eclipsing the million mark for the first time ever in the 2007 fiscal year, which ended in June.

TheDay.com - New Evidence To Consider

2007-08-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - New Evidence To Consider: "A new scientific study adds to environmental concerns over the proposed Broadwater liquefied natural gas project.

Peter Auster, science director of the National Undersea Research Center at the Avery Point branch of the University of Connecticut and colleagues from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection spent five days earlier this summer studying the seafloor of the Stratford Shoal, an expanse bisecting Long Island Sound that would be the site for the offshore LNG facility and a 22-mile pipeline.

Their research added significantly to the scientific knowledge of marine life and conditions on the bottom of the Sound, and in that location. They found forests of finger sponges and dense communities of northern star coral, along with beds of blue mussels and lobster burrows, none of which is documented in the FERC draft environmental impact statement. That report concludes that the project would not have a significant impact on the marine environment of the Sound."

News Times Live Judge sides with Conn. on L.I. Sound pipeline

2007-08-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

News Times Live Judge sides with Conn. on L.I. Sound pipeline

HARTFORD — A federal judge has sided with Connecticut officials in their battle to halt a proposed natural gas pipeline beneath Long Island Sound.

U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport last Wednesday ruled against the U.S. Commerce Department, which three years ago rejected Connecticut’s objection to the proposed Islander East pipeline. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced the decision on Monday.

OTHER LINKS

A federal judge dealt a major setback Monday to the proposed Islander East natural gas pipeline under Long Island Sound, ruling that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce did not fully consider the concerns of state environmental officials before overruling them and permitting the project to proceed.

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=7b055d91-9e33-47c5-88d3-2c917754e0fd

Pipeline Project Clubbed In Court

http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-islander0821.artaug21,0,1425970.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout

New Haven Register - SCSU president declares school carbon-neutral

2007-08-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

New Haven Register - SCSU president declares school carbon-neutral

An avalanche of post cards, photo petitions and letters and a tempest of telephone calls finally convinced the president of Southern Connecticut State University to make the school carbon-neutral.

It's a victory for the Environmental Futurists, a group of SCSU students who proposed the ambitious plan about six months ago.

The Register Citizen - Audubon marks 40 years in Sharon with festival

2007-08-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Register Citizen - Audubon marks 40 years in Sharon with festival: "Audubon marks 40 years in Sharon with festival"

U.S. Talks Green, Backs Fossil-Fuel Projects -- Courant.com

2007-08-13T09:36:00.000-05:00

U.S. Talks Green, Backs Fossil-Fuel Projects -- Courant.com:

"At the G-8 summit of world leaders in June, President Bush repeated his calls for developing nations to curb their emissions of greenhouse gases. Without their cooperation, he said, drastic measures in the United States to battle climate change would make little sense.

But just weeks earlier, the U.S. government had pledged to help finance one of the world's most advanced oil refineries, taking shape in the city of Jamnagar, India. When the facility is complete by December 2008, it will not only produce petroleum products, it will emit nearly 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide - the major contributor to global warming - into Earth's atmosphere each year."

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

2007-08-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

Statewide, Connecticut closed or issued pollution advisories at 224 beaches in 2006, a 12 percent jump from similiar actions taken in 2005, according to a report released by Save the Sound this week.

"The increase in closure days is indeed something to worry about," he said. "The report makes it clear that the water is not as clean as it should be."

Case For A Hybrid Energy Bill -- Courant.com

2007-08-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

Case For A Hybrid Energy Bill -- Courant.com

The separate energy bills adopted by the House and the Senate have elements of a smarter national policy, one that places a stronger emphasis on conservation.

The Connecticut Post Online - Fairfield, Ansonia businesses get governor's OK

2007-08-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

The Connecticut Post Online - Fairfield, Ansonia businesses get governor's OK

Gov. M. Jodi Rell showcased new legislation that promotes alternative energy and gives incentives to developers who want to redevelop brownfields at two area appearances Tuesday.

Westport News - Sound Ideas: Leaking Cables Facing Removal

2007-08-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Westport News - Sound Ideas: Leaking Cables Facing Removal

Three new and environmentally improved cables are scheduled for installation between Norwalk and Northport, Long Island, early next year, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Wednesday.

The DEP recently issued a permit to Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) allowing the utility giant to remove seven leaking utility cables from Long Island Sound and replace them with three new environmentally improved cables...

Cables -- leaking and otherwise -- in Norwalk as well as New Haven have been contentious issues in recent years. Back in the summer of 2003, Cross Sound had been given permission to operate despite objections by state officials. The federal government and the state battled over whether to allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner (FERC) in some instances to override the Connecticut Siting Council decisions on energy transmission lines....

civiletti: Tallying LNG savings vs. cost

2007-08-02T09:32:00.000-05:00

civiletti: Tallying LNG savings vs. cost

One cost we know for sure: the $850,000 LIPA blew on the Levitan assessment report it was supposed to have two years ago, which LIPA now may or may not use for anything. This makes it a ratepayer-funded PR boondoggle for Broadwater Energy, resulting in headlines about multibillion dollar "savings" that don't factor in costs which may equal or exceed those "savings."

The Advocate - Kayak for a Cause crosses the Sound

2007-07-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

The Advocate - Kayak for a Cause crosses the Sound

For paddlers in yesterday's Kayak for a Cause voyage across Long Island Sound, a forecast of scattered thunderstorms held the drama of a nail-biting cliffhanger.

For the 320 paddlers, the weather meant the difference between delight and devastation.

For seven years, participants in the Kayak for a Cause event have raised at least $500 each for charity before propelling themselves across the Sound in a 12.4-mile trip that takes at least three hours in good weather. Last year, the event raised $460,000 for five charities. This year, funds will go to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Outward Bound of Connecticut, Cancer Care of Connecticut, the Courage to Speak Foundation and Save the Sound. ... read more

The Advocate - State protects coast from boaters' sewage

2007-07-27T08:13:00.000-05:00

The Advocate - State protects coast from boaters' sewage

Wilton Library goes green with panel discussion on reducing home energy use

2007-07-26T09:15:00.000-05:00

Wilton Library goes green with panel discussion on reducing home energy use: "Forget about selling off the gas-guzzling cars and installing that backyard windmill. The fastest way to go green is to properly insulate your home and to manage day-to-day energy loss, according to an expert panel on green buildings."

Connecting kids, nature | Rhode Island news | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

2007-07-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

Connecting kids, nature | Rhode Island news | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

In this advancing technological age — where the young seem more familiar with camping out on a sidewalk for the latest version of Xbox than along a mountain stream — some people fear America may be producing its first generation of children unplugged from nature.

And the consequences, they say, are great.

“If people don’t establish that connection with nature, who in the future will care and fight to preserve the environment?” asks Dennis Schain with the Connecticut Department of Environment Protection. “If as adults they don’t have that base of experience, are they going to be aroused to protect the great natural resources, the important lands, the animal species?”

It was that concern that prompted Connecticut last year to join a national movement now spurring dozens of grassroots projects across the country and hearings on Capitol Hill. The movement has a name: No Child Left Inside.

Natural Gas Tanks Explode Near Dallas - Local News Story - KPRC Houston

2007-07-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

Natural Gas Tanks Explode Near Dallas - Local News Story - KPRC Houston
DALLAS -- Several explosions at a liquefied natural gas plant near downtown Dallas sent a shower of flaming debris onto freeways and buildings.
A half-mile area surrounding the blasts were evacuated.

A hospital spokesman said two people were injured.

Video footage showed numerous small fires burning in the area as the blasts continued.

Stacks of gas cylinders continued to catch fire and explode.

Dallas police said officers are controlling traffic around the area and that Interstate 35E was shut down.

A column of black smoke was visible from at least ten miles away.

With More Tests, Coastal Waters Pass Checkups - New York Times

2007-07-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

With More Tests, Coastal Waters Pass Checkups - New York Times: "...'That’s really the story,' said Ms. Lofton, a research scientist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program, part of whose job it is to look for irregularities in the coastal waters during daily small-plane flights up and down the Shore. 'That New Jersey beaches are being tested better since that 1987 disaster, and that controls are in place.'

County and municipal employees test every Monday, taking water samples from 264 beaches to county health facilities and letting them culture for 24 hours. If they are found to have 104 colonies of bacteria or more per 100 milliliters by Tuesday, another sample is taken. So far, none have reached that level.

'There is still too much fertilizer going into the oceans and too many people who just leave trash on the beaches,' said Ms. Zipf of Clean Ocean Action. 'We would still like to see more municipalities be conscious of what development can do to diminish water quality.'...."

How the Energy Dice Were Loaded - New York Times

2007-07-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

How the Energy Dice Were Loaded - New York Times: "...Fortunately, the energy debate itself has moved beyond the vice president’s framing of it in 2001. The energy bill passed by the Senate last month is much less solicitous of big producers and much more favorable to newer, cleaner fuels. Some of the very companies that appeared before the task force in 2001 are now ahead of the White House, demanding more aggressive steps on climate change and oil dependency. Think how much more quickly we could have reached this point had the task force truly opened itself to new ideas six years ago...."

TheDay.com - Day Of Reckoning

2007-07-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Day Of Reckoning: "The time is growing short for the nation to take a serious approach to the dual problems of global warming and a looming energy crisis.

Our nation has developed an economic and social system wholly dependent on the burning of the very fossil fuels that generate greenhouse gas emissions. Most of us live in suburbs and commute to work in carbon dioxide producing cars.

Fossil-fuel burning plants produce the electricity for the appliances and gadgets that make our suburban life so comfortable, as well as for the offices we work in, the big-box stores we shop in and the amusement parks we play in.

But this lifestyle is not a birthright. As a society, we must adjust. As is outlined in a cover story in today's Perspective section on Greenland, the changes from global warming appear to be accelerating at a faster pace than previously estimated. ..."

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

2007-07-23T08:18:00.000-05:00

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.: "...We, as consumers, are digging deeper and deeper into our pockets so we can eat dinner with the lights on, run the air conditioner in the steamy days and nights of summer, make sure we are warm when winter is in full force or simply drive to the grocery store. For most of us, this means we do without other things. Perhaps it's a few less fancy coffees a week or lunch comes from home instead of the local cafe...."

Our Marshes Are Dying -- Courant.com

2007-07-23T08:17:00.000-05:00

Our Marshes Are Dying -- Courant.com
...The fate of Banca marsh, and of tidal wetlands around the world, may be tied to rising sea levels and global warming in intriguing ways. The life of these simple grasses ebbs and flows to the moon's orbital cycles, to the pressing influence of humans and perhaps even to a fungus that sails across the Atlantic Ocean on dust storms kicked up by drought in Africa.

"Sudden dieback" may be a misnomer: For more than a decade scientists have been uncovering troubling changes in marshes around the world and trying to decipher the causes. So far, there is no one simple answer....

Broadwater is Failing to Give Us All the Info We Need | Planetizen Radar

2007-07-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

Broadwater is Failing to Give Us All the Info We Need | Planetizen Radar

Here's Save the Sound/Connecticut Fund for the Environment's take on the New York State Department of State letter to FERC about Broadwater:

New York Department of State disputes Broadwater assessment.
Broadwater Fails ‘Information 101’ Again.

In a letter addressed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) made public this week, the New York Department of State (DOS) points out numerous flaws in Broadwater Energy’s application process and illustrates how Broadwater’s assumptions have failed to provide full information on alternatives and due consideration for the project’s impact on the interests of the region’s citizens.

The letter points chiefly to three things. 1) Broadwater has so far glossed over potential Atlantic Ocean alternative siting options for its proposed liquefied natural gas storage facility; 2) When reviewing siting alternatives, Broadwater and FERC have not sufficiently considered the impact of the safety exclusion zones, which prohibit public use of public land and water around the LNG delivery tankers (4-6 a week) and the facility itself; and 3) FERC should not “rely exclusively on information provided by Broadwater in its filing to assess environmental impacts associated with shore crossings. ...”

The Herald - Hartford area sewer work expected to begin in 2008

2007-07-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

The Herald - Hartford area sewer work expected to begin in 2008: "ROCKY HILL - Planning is well under way for a program that will fix the long overdue problem of aging sewer systems and cracked pipes. The Metropolitan District Commission's Clean Water Project will work to improve sewer systems and treatment facilities, beginning as early as spring 2008.

Advertisement
'Hartford area sewers were built in the 1800s when the population was around 13,000. Since then the [Hartford] area has grown to about 400,000,' said Matt Nozzolio, spokesman for Metropolitan District Commission. ...

The Clean Water Project is a 15-year project with an estimated cost of $1.6 billion. Funds are being sought in the form of state and federal loans as well as Connecticut's Clean Water Fund, said Weimar. Residential customers can expect to pay a monthly surcharge on bills that will total about $25 to $30 more each year."

Xerox, power plant operator join effort to limit greenhouse gases - Newsday.com

2007-07-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Xerox, power plant operator join effort to limit greenhouse gases - Newsday.com: "HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Xerox Corp. and one of the largest power plant operators in Connecticut have joined environmental groups and other companies that are seeking federal legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Xerox, which is based in Stamford, announced on Wednesday its membership in the United States Climate Action Partnership. In a statement, the office equipment manufacturer said it supports the partnership's approach to climate change and 'its principles, which champion fairness and accountability, technology and innovation and environmental effectiveness....'"

Milford Voices - Green Building Topic at Library

2007-07-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

Voices - Green Building Topic at Library

WOODBURY - A green home building seminar is slated 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at the Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main St. South. This introductory course is open to homeowners, contractors, landscapers, city officials and anyone else interested in how to build healthier and more efficient homes, while lessening their negative impact on the environment. Cost is $45. The event is sponsored by www.ctgreenscene.org, a resource for environmental education, networking and action in Connecticut. Preregistration is required and may be accomplished by e-mailing Heather Burns-DeMelo at info@ctgreenscene.org or calling 203-470-8020.

NRG Energy Leans Toward Green -- Courant.com

2007-07-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

NRG Energy Leans Toward Green -- Courant.com: "NRG Energy Leans Toward Green

Joins Environmental Coalition Pushing For Anti-Pollution Laws

By MARK PETERS | Courant Staff Writer
July 19, 2007

One of the largest power plant operators in Connecticut is joining environmental groups and other Fortune 500 companies in calling for federal legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

NRG Energy announced on Wednesday that it has become a member of the United States Climate Action Partnership, which is seeking to reduce global warming gases by a mandatory limit on emissions and a system of trading pollution credits. ..."

The Suffolk Times | DOS disputes Broadwater assessment

2007-07-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

The Suffolk Times | DOS disputes Broadwater assessment

Asks FERC to seek more information on alternative sites

By Denise Civiletti

The New York Department of State has notified the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it does not agree with Broadwater Energy's negative assessment of possible alternative sites for Broadwater's proposed liquefied natural gas facility.

In a July 3 letter to FERC, the DOS recommended that the federal commission consider Atlantic Ocean sites as viable alternatives to the Long Island Sound site proposed by Broadwater, challenging Broadwater's conclusion, transmitted to FERC by covering letter of June 20, that the Sound site is the preferred location.

The Advocate - $617M later, no clear picture of Sound's health

2007-07-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Advocate - $617M later, no clear picture of Sound's health: "Twenty years ago, Long Island Sound was practically dead.

An abundance of nitrogen - largely from sewage treatment plants - had fueled the growth of oxygen-depriving algae suffocating shellfish and fin fish across broad swaths of the Sound.

By 1994, New York, Connecticut and the federal government came up with a plan to restore the Sound's health. At the top of its list was solving the nitrogen problem. A few years later, officials set a timeline: By 2014, the amount of nitrogen flowing into the Sound would drop by 58.5 percent.

Nearly 15 years and $617 million in sewage treatment plant upgrades later, it's difficult to gauge how effective that nitrogen reduction plan has been - and there are still disagreements among experts on how best to restore the Sound...

.... "It's not even clear we have been making progress because there's been so much development," said Robin Kreisberg of Save the Sound. "It has to be a more holistic, or comprehensive, approach."

Although Tedesco said upgrading sewage treatment plants is still a top priority in repairing the Sound, he said a "holistic" strategy is what the Long Island Sound Study has been working on.

"I think everyone recognizes that restoring and protecting habitats is key," he said. "We need to improve how we're managing land use and development, so that we reduce runoff that gets into the Sound. That is all certainly very important."

Causeway Kayakers paddle the Sound to raise $$ for charities - The Advocate

2007-07-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Causeway Kayakers paddle the Sound to raise $$ for charities - The Advocate: "On Saturday, July 28, Walter Hotz will wake up at the crack of dawn to kayak across the Long Island Sound, from Norwalk to Crab Meadow in Huntington, N.Y., and back. The 74-year-old Stamford resident will not make this arduous 12-mile journey on his own - he'll be joined by a flotilla of more than 300 other paddlers participating in Kayak for a Cause. The group hopes to raise $1 million for local charities...

Every year, KFAC leadership selects five local charities. Paddlers can choose to kayak for one of the charities or pool the donations to be split among the charities. This year they include Hole in the Wall Gang, a summer camp in Ashford for children facing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses; Outward Bound of Connecticut; Cancer Care of Connecticut; Courage to Speak Foundation, a drug prevention organization for children; and Save the Sound, an environmental organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Long Island Sound ...

"KFAC makes for a perfect summer day - on the water during the day, great party at night, and all for a good cause," he says ... Last year, 300 paddlers participated and raised nearly half a million dollars for charity.

The beach party begins at 5 p.m.; general admission to the concert costs $25; blanket-level access, free beverages and a blanket cost $50; a Stew Leonard's picnic basket for two costs $150; and entry to the VIP tent for a lobster dinner costs $500.

For information about Kayak for a Cause, visit www.kfac.com. Although paddler registration is closed, there is still a need for volunteers and chase boats. Contact KFAC through its Web site.

Seeking Cause and Cure for Ailing Wetlands - New York Times

2007-07-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Seeking Cause and Cure for Ailing Wetlands - New York Times: "THIS time of year the expansive flats of marsh grass in Cedar Beach Creek on Long Island’s North Fork usually turn lime green as the summer sunshine pushes the vibrant salt marsh ecosystem into overdrive. But that seasonal shift has increasingly been streaked with shades of mud-brown and gray."

The Land Of Steady Warming -- Courant.com

2007-07-15T15:47:00.000-05:00

The Land Of Steady Warming -- Courant.com: "Say goodbye to the lobsters of southern New England, and the ski season. Get ready for more frequent coastal flooding and hotter, drier summers punctuated by heavy rainstorms."

Norwich Bulletin - Gas/electric hybrid cars are becoming more popular

2007-07-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.: "Gas/electric hybrid cars are becoming more popular as gasoline prices continue to rise. But there are other reasons more people are buying hybrid cars.

One such reason is hybrid cars represent an important technological improvement over the gasoline engine. This technology is just one step toward better fuel economy: as demand for hybrid cars increases and more hybrid cars are produced, the technology will evolve and improve.

A related reason people are buying hybrid cars is they are concerned with the health of the environment. Hybrid cars not only achieve better gas mileage than conventional cars, they are also much less polluting than conventional cars. Tailpipe emissions create gases including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon."

Westport Minuteman - Westporter 'walks the walk' to battle global warming

2007-07-13T11:02:00.000-05:00

Westport Minuteman - Westporter 'walks the walk' to battle global warming: "David Yarmoff is taking a stand in the fight against global warming. He is now in the midst of installing 56 solar panels in his house in Westport, covering the entire portion of the main roof of his house, which he says will provide 11.4 kilowatts of electricity, covering 84 percent of his total electrical needs.

It is the largest solar panel residential installation in the state, and possibly in New England, according to Yarmoff."

News Times Live State's climate may change

2007-07-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

News Times Live State's climate may change: "People live in Connecticut for some specific reasons. One is that, unlike Florida or Arizona, it has markedly different seasons.

'The character of this place is so much due to the seasons,' Cameron Wake, a research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire said Wednesday about New England and the Northeast.

Wake is co-author of a report -- 'Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast'-- issued Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report gives a detailed, state-by-state look at what the ongoing global warming will mean to the region."

Suffolk Times

2007-07-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

Agreement is reached on extending review period

By Denise Civiletti

The clock won't start ticking again for another six weeks.

Broadwater Energy and the New York Department of State, which must determine whether the energy company's proposal is consistent with the state's coastal management plan, have agreed to extend the stay of a critical review period.

By law, the state has six months to rule on whether Broadwater's plan to moor a floating liquefied natural gas facility nine miles off the coast of Wading River is consistent with the state's coastal management plan. The six-month review period began Nov. 17, with a determination due by May 17. On March 29 Broadwater agreed to stop the clock between April 1 and June 30. By an agreement signed June 28, Broadwater has now agreed to extend the stay until Aug. 29, giving the state until Oct. 15 to render its consistency review determination.

The agreement extending the stay was posted Friday on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Web site.

The extension will give the state the opportunity to review the applicant's final environmental impact statement, which is still being completed.

Broadwater Energy, a joint venture of TransCanada and Shell Oil, seeks approvals to site a 1,200-foot-long floating LNG storage and regasification facility in the waters of Long Island Sound north of Herod's Point in Wading River. It must obtain an approval to construct and operate the facility from FERC under the federal Natural Gas Act. It must also obtain a terminal-operations permit from the U.S. Coast Guard as well as wetlands and dredging permits from the Army Corps of Engineers. On the state level, the DOS must sign off on the plan's consistency with the state's coastal zone management plan. Broadwater must also obtain a number of permits from the state DEC, including a wastewater discharge permit, air quality emissions permits, and approval under the Clean Water Act.

Darien News - Still Miles to Go

2007-07-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

Darien News - Still Miles to Go: "The health of Long Island Sound has come a long way, but more still needs to be done to restore it.

'Protection & Progress,' the 2005-06 Long Island Sound Study biennial report, which was released in June, shows that progress has been made in a number of key areas, but that more money and public involvement are vital to future successes...

... The LISS report explains various ways individuals and groups have and can become involved to raise awareness for the need to protect the Sound. People have participated in a number of volunteer projects, including monitoring the water quality of the Silvermine River in Norwalk and cleaning up the beaches.

The latter, which includes the International Coastal Cleanup Day, is the simplest way to help. On Sept 16, 2006, 957 volunteers picked up 7,559 pounds of trash along 55 miles of Connecticut shoreline, according to a release from the CFE. Save the Sound, a program of the CFE, is the state coordinator for the cleanup, an event created by the Ocean Conservancy to address the issues of marine debris and create awareness worldwide about the need for stewardship of the shoreline.

Last year, 35,620 items of debris were found and recorded, including 9,773 cigarette butts, 5,476 food wrappers and 4,345 caps and lids. More than 60 percent of the litter found was generated from land-based recreational activities, such as picnicking, and 30 percent of the items were generated from smoking-related activities. The Ocean Conservancy recently used the results from the ICC to play an instrumental role in supporting the Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act, which was signed into law on Dec. 22, according to the CFE. The law establishes a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the prevention, monitoring and removal of marine debris as well as bolsters U.S. Coast Guard efforts at prevention and enforcement, stated the CFE.

"The International Coastal Cleanup is a great way to bring people worldwide together to promote awareness of the problems we are facing with marine debris," said Emily Schaller, state coordinator for the ICC at Save the Sound, in the release. She also said it is much "more than just a cleanup; it's a movement to change human behavior to stop litter at its source."

Save the Sound hosts cleanups all year long on the coast as well as on inland shores throughout the state. A schedule of local beach cleanups can be found at www.savethesound.org. Anyone interested in getting involved either as a captain or as a volunteer should contact Schaller at 787-0646, Ext. 113, or via eschaller@savethesound.org to register."

The Connecticut Post Online - Hot, humid night turns magical

2007-07-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

The Connecticut Post Online - Hot, humid night turns magical: "Anglers take a great bounty from Long Island Sound water each year. And it's not just the beautiful fish we take home for the table. It's the hours and hours of recreation and relaxation we get from fishing. One great way for us to repay some of the huge debt we owe Long Island Sound is to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup.

Last year more than 60 percent of the litter cleaned up was from land-based recreational activities, such as picnicking, and 30 percent of the items were generated from smoking-related activities. Also found were bait boxes and hook wrappers, plastic tackle containers, balls of discarded monofilament line and other debris left behind by thoughtless shore and boat anglers.

'The International Coastal Cleanup is so more than just a cleanup,' said Emily Schaller, Connecticut state coordinator for the ICC at Save the Sound. 'It's a movement to change human behavior to stop litter at its source,'

Anglers, or anyone who wants to get involved with a beach cleanup, can join the event at a beach in their town. Save the Sound hosts cleanups all year long in coastal beaches as well as inland shores throughout Connecticut. A schedule of local beach cleanups is available on www.savethesound.org, or call Schaller at 787-0646, Ext.113. Let's get out there and start paying back."

TheDay.com - Climate Outlook Gloomy For Region

2007-07-12T08:35:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Climate Outlook Gloomy For Region: "Major flooding of the Connecticut coast is expected to occur every 17 to 32 years by the end of this century, and one of the most vulnerable areas lies along the Thames River in Groton and New London, home of critical infrastructure landmarks such as the Amtrak railroad bridges, the Long Island and Fishers Island ferry terminals, State Pier, and the Electric Boat shipyard.

These and other gloomy predictions for Connecticut are included in a report released Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists about the regional effects of climate change over the next century and how the public and private sectors should respond.

Titled “Confronting Climate Change in the Northeast,” the report includes a six-page section specifically about Connecticut with a map showing flood-prone areas along the Thames River as an example of the kind of area once considered vulnerable to severe flooding once in a century that will flood more frequently in the future as the climate warms.

...For Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney at Connecticut Fund for the Environment, the report strengthens his conviction that the state needs to set enforceable targets for reducing carbon emissions and ensure that its goals are met.

Current “aspirational goals” for reducing emissions, he said, will not succeed, and without concerted, sustained effort, “we're going to be in trouble.”

“States are starting to realize that wishful thinking alone is not going to solve the problem,” he said. “This report underscores that climate change is not a backburner issue"

Music

2007-07-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

Music: "The Mercury Seed, Throwing Rocks At The Sun (themercuryseed.com). Still holding on to their catchy, hook-laden guitar rock with a bit o' twang, The Mercury Seed have lightened since their Dust album of a few years back. Tunes like 'Sinking Like A Stone' and 'Start Again' deliver a smoky Black Crowes groove while other tracks recall latter-day Bon Jovi: hearty, lighter, melodic. A couple of hidden bonus cuts pop up on this CD (tracks 16, 19 and 21, an acoustic version of 'Liferaft').

—Craig Gilbert

The Mercury Seed play a CD release show at Daniel Street on July 12, which doubles as a benefit for environmental non-profit Save the Sound. Pre-party at 7 p.m. Music kicks off with Seth Adam at 9 p.m.

Album, Nice Work Introvert (albumlovesyou.com). Album describes their own style as "formulaic, cliché-ridden rock music," which is hard to argue. Nice Work falls somewhere between '90s alt-rock redux and pop-emo pastiche, and it draws from the most accessible points of both. Everything happens exactly where and when one might expect—the quiet, moody bits; the cathartic, big-guitars bits; the strained-vocals bits. But the craft in all of this is evident—the hooks are present, the songs are tightly-structured. So it's possible to be formulaic without being crass about it.

—Brian LaRue

Album plays July 13 at the Webster in Hartford with Sugarfist, David James, i, Flu and Audiophile Junkie."

Westport News - Still Miles To Go

2007-07-11T09:27:00.000-05:00

Westport News - Still Miles To Go

The health of Long Island Sound has come a long way, but more still needs to be done to restore it.

"Protection & Progress," the 2005-06 Long Island Sound Study (LISS) biennial report, which was released in June, shows that progress has been made in a number of key areas, but that more money and public involvement are vital to future successes.

Long Island Sound, which is 110 miles long, is one of the largest urban estuaries in the United States and provides economic and recreational benefits to millions of people in Connecticut and New York as well as natural habitats to more than 1,200 species of invertebrates, 170 species of fish, and dozens of species of migratory birds, according to the LISS' Web site, www.longislandsoundstudy.net...

According to the Connecticut Fund for the Environment (CFE), the state Legislature has designated $110 million in general obligation bonds each year for the next two years for treatment facility upgrades, but action has not yet been taken on the bonding package for the state's Clean Water Fund. The Legislature is supposed to return to session the week of July 23 to consider the bonding packages for this and other projects.

As for the other challenge, Tedesco notes that "new development cannot impose the same burden on the environment as past development if we expect a different environmental outcome for our streams and rivers and for the Sound. We must develop and grow in ways that generate less polluted runoff, while protecting and restoring open space and natural habitats. The region has the human capital to accomplish this."

NPR : The Strange Journey of the American Eel

2007-07-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

NPR : The Strange Journey of the American Eel

More than 10,000 American eels swam up the “eel-evator” in Old Saybrook, Conn., in a 24-hour period that began with the May 25, 2007, dedication celebration of the new Fishing Brook (Ingham Hill) Fishway in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

This number surpasses all other eel-passes in the state. At the celebration, DEP representative Tim Wildman enlisted the help of those in attendance to help count the day’s accumulated eels, which numbered over 10,000!

The Fishing Brook Fishway is the second fishway on the Oyster River watershed. A third fishway at Crystal Lake in the town park will complete the opening of the entire Fishing Brook watershed to migratory fish species, including alewives, blueback herring and sea-run brown trout – all important to the Long Island Sound ecosystem.

Of the seventy people who attended the evening get-together were Land Trust President Janice Holland, a number of trust board members, town Selectman Bill Peace, Conservation Commission chair Bob Fish, Tim Wildman from DEP Inland Fisheries, and Chris Cryder from Save the Sound. Also in attendance was Nate Jacobsen, from Jacobsen engineering in Chester, an early designer of the fishway, and Sue Hull, from Schumack Engineering, Clinton, representing the construction contractor.

The Fishing Brook fishway is located off Ingham Hill Road, south of route 95. It is on private property and therefore public access is restricted. Landowners Bob and Mary Otterson generously catered the celebration, which was held under a tent on the property.

The Fishway project was coordinated through the Old Saybrook Land Trust, with the assistance of Steve Gephard of the DEP Inland Fisheries Division. The project was made possible by the following funders: Connecticut Department Of Environmental Protection, Long Island Sound License Plate Program & Inland Fisheries Division; Fish America Foundation; NOAA Restoration Center; Restore America’s Estuaries; Save The Sound, A Program Of Connecticut Fund For The Environment, and USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

National Public Radio's All Things Considered did a story on how the American eel makes an annual pilgrimage from freshwater rivers along the East Coast to the salty Sargasso Sea. Listen to how creatures that spend most of their lives in fresh water able to adapt to the ocean. Listen to the NPR story here.

The Hartford Courant also did a story on the eel-evator. Listen to that story and watch a video of the eel-evator in action here.

Broadwater critics want a meeting - Newsday.com

2007-07-10T08:12:00.000-05:00

Broadwater critics want a meeting - Newsday.com: "Environmentalists are demanding equal time to talk about the proposed Broadwater gas barge with State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, after hearing that he met with executives of the companies promoting the project.

The meeting May 17 in New York City between Bruno and executives from Shell Oil and TransCanada Corp., partners in Broadwater Energy, came to light in media reports last week about the feud between Bruno and Gov. Elliot Spitzer that began with suggestions by Spitzer staffers that the majority leader might have misued state police helicopters and escorts to attend Republican political functions. Bruno denied that and accused the governor of spying on him.

In a letter to Bruno sent Friday, the Citizens Campaign for the Environment noted the widespread bipartisan opposition among Long Island state legisators to the Broadwater proposal and noted also the recreational and commercial value of the Sound.

'I look forward to discussing this issue with you,' said the letter, signed by Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the statewide group that is spearheading the anti-Broadwater fight. 'I will contact your office to pursue a meeting time and date.'"

TheDay.com - Wastewater Professionals Turn The Tide Of Pollution

2007-07-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Wastewater Professionals Turn The Tide Of Pollution: "The Clean Water Fund pumps millions of taxpayer dollars into the wallets of engineers, lawyers, bureaucrats, equipment suppliers and contractors. Some of the $100 million appropriated this year will be well spent, but far from all of it. ..."

Broadwater decision delayed again - Newsday.com

2007-07-09T08:59:00.000-05:00

Broadwater decision delayed again - Newsday.com: "State officials have pushed back by another six weeks a decision on whether Broadwater Energy should be allowed to site its proposed liquid natural gas terminal in New York waters of Long Island Sound.

A decision now is due Aug. 16.

An agreement between the New York State Department of State and Broadwater was posted Friday on the publically-accessible website of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or FERC.

FERC is the primary licensing agency for facilities like Broadwater's. State officials want to wait for the agency's final environmental impact statement on the proposed floating terminal before making their own decision.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, meanwhile, is awaiting the state Department of State's findings before he takes a position on Broadwater, which has met with widespread opposition on Long Island from elected officials, environmentalists and civic groups as a potential threat to the sound's ecology, security and commerce...."

Environment News Service (ENS)

2007-07-06T10:44:00.000-05:00

Environment News Service (ENS): "New Jersey to Require Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cuts

TRENTON, New Jersey, July 6, 2007 (ENS) - Governor Jon Corzine is expected to sign the Global Warming Response Act today, making New Jersey the third state in the nation to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions. California passed such a law last September, and Hawaii's global warming law took effect July 1.

The New Jersey legislation requires a mandatory reduction of the state's greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels by 2020 - the same as California and Hawaii.

New Jersey also requires that emissions levels drop to 80 percent below current levels by 2050, the first state in the nation to set such a limit.

These are the limits scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.

The act follows Governor Corzine's Executive Order, signed in February, establishing parallel goals. The Governor has stated he will sign the bill.

'Global warming is the most urgent environmental issue in our lifetime,' said State Senator Barbara Buono, a Democrat. 'This legislation sets up a comprehensive solution to global warming. It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and increase energy efficiency, resulting in significant cost savings for both families and businesses.'

"In the absence of a federal policy to address climate change on a national level, states must take the lead to reduce global warming causing emissions before it is too late, "said Assemblywoman Linda Stender, a Democrat.

"Considering New Jersey's high energy demand, implementation of the Global Warming Response Act will make a significant difference on a global scale and I am confident our success will serve as a valuable example for others states and this nation to follow," she said.

The bill's implementation is in the hands of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, DEP. The department, in conjunction with other state agencies, must develop a pollution monitoring and reporting program by January 2009, a plan to achieve the 2020 limit by no later than June 2008, and a plan to achieve the 2050 limit no later than June 2010.

Solutions to cut pollution levels are expected to focus on reducing the state's energy consumption and shifting to clean, renewable sources of energy in the transportation and electricity sectors – the two largest sources of global warming pollution in the state.

New Jersey is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Without decisive action to cut pollution levels, global warming is expected to affect every corner of the state in the next century.

New Jersey could be irrevocably altered by rising seas, severe flooding, health-threatening temperatures and air pollution, pest infestation, species decline and challenges to critical public infrastructure, says the nonprofit Environment New Jersey.

"By cutting pollution levels here at home, the New Jersey Legislature is setting the stage for urgently needed action in other states and the nation," said Suzanne Leta Liou, global warming and clean energy advocate at Environment New Jersey. "New Jersey will also receive the tremendous economic growth benefits of spurred investment in our growing renewable energy industry and protection from rising energy prices."

Eight additional states – Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, - are debating similar legislation.

* * *

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.

civiletti: A Broadwater-sized investment

2007-07-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

civiletti: America needs to make a Broadwater-sized investment in renewable energy: "America needs to make a Broadwater-sized investment in renewable energy.

During my follow-up interview this week with Pete Maniscalco, the Manorville man who’s held an anti-Broadwater vigil on the beach in Wading River since June 3, he made a statement that I’ve been mulling over ever since.

America needs to make a Broadwater-sized investment in renewable energy, Pete said.

A Broadwater-sized investment. The thing itself is huge: 1,200 feet long, 180 feet wide, it will rise 75 to 80 feet above the water, nine miles off the Wading River shore. A behemoth. The floating regasification and storage facility will cost between $700 million and $ 1 billion to construct, according to TransCanada, the Canadian energy company partnered with Shell Oil in the Broadwater Energy venture. Its operation and securing its safety, along with the safety of the international tankers delivering LNG to the facility, will cost millions more annually.

A Broadwater-sized investment. Think big.

This week’s paper also includes stories about the efforts of local residents and businesses to “go green.” It is possible to wean your home and business off nonrenewable energy, to cut or even eliminate your dependence on fossil fuels — oil and gas — to heat and light your home or business. The technology exists to power your house with solar and wind energy — energy sources that are free, clean, won’t run out and won’t require the Coast Guard and a private army to protect them from terrorist attack (like Broadwater). But for the most part, the cost of installing the technology remains out of reach for most families, even with LIPA rebates and state and federal tax credits.

So why are we, as a nation, continuing to spend billions to build and operate facilities like Broadwater’s proposed LNG FRSU? That whopper of an acronym, by the way, stands for liquefied natural gas floating regasification and storage unit, bafflegab for the behemoth described above.

And why are we, as a nation, spending comparatively little on refining renewable energy technologies and making them accessible and affordable to consumers?

"

The `Eel-Evator' -- Courant.com

2007-07-05T10:40:00.000-05:00

The `Eel-Evator' -- Courant.com: "OLD SAYBROOK - There's the annual spring return of thousands of swallows to Capistrano, an old Spanish mission in California. And every fall, thousands of black and orange monarch butterflies fly west to their wintering grounds in California and Mexico, covering the trees with their shimmering wings.

Visit the link above to view a video of the project.

The American eel also has one of those great Mother Nature stories. Born in the Sargasso Sea, an expanse of 2 million square miles of warm water in the North Atlantic, these fish travel thousands of miles in search of fresh water. After spending up to 40 years in fresh water, the females return to the Sargasso Sea just to spawn and die.

Along that journey, the eels meet plenty of obstacles - dams, rapids, hydroelectric plants, predators and fishing nets.

But not along Fishing Brook.

As the eels travel through Long Island Sound and up the Oyster River, some take a left turn into Fishing Brook and get a ride on a contraption called an eel passage - affectionately known as an 'eel-evator.'"

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

2007-07-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.: "WILLIMANTIC -- An eclectic display of patriotism, social commentary and off-beat fun paraded Wednesday through the streets of downtown Willimantic at the annual Boom Box Parade.

The 22-year-old Independence Day tradition attracted thousands, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell, for an event widely known for its creativity and 'anything goes' attitude.' No permits are needed, only a boom box and something with patriotic colors.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dennis and Gloria Perriolat of Willimantic watched from curbside folding chairs as large papier-mâché fish passed by -- with members of the Fish Head Club of Northeast Connecticut carrying 'End Global Warming,' signs.

For Bruno, a display of offense and defense -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

2007-07-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

For Bruno, a display of offense and defense -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY: "TROY -- As Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno continued to defend his use of state aircraft to travel to Manhattan fundraisers, several people with business before state government said they met with the Republican lawmaker during those trips.

Also Tuesday, Bruno lashed out at the Times Union for reporting the story and accused the paper of a 'shakedown' attempt, which the paper called 'preposterous.'

Bruno has refused to release details of his trips to Manhattan on state aircraft, saying he is trying to protect the privacy of people he met.

'There are other people, business people, who don't necessarily want to see their names in headlines in disparaging ways,' the Brunswick Republican said Tuesday afternoon.

However, the Associated Press reported that spokesmen for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Shell Oil Co., New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a major Manhattan developer said Bruno met with them on days when he used a state helicopter to fly to New York City. Those meetings occurred on trips that also included political fundraisers.

Bruno's travel, first reported Sunday by the Times Union, is under the scrutiny of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Albany County District Attorney David Soares. At issue is whether the trips were purely political, which would violate state law that prohibits personal use of state resources. Past governors, however, had been allowed to use aircraft when there is a mix of political and government activity, although they sometimes reimbursed the state for part of the cost.

The trips, according the Associated Press, included:

A May 3 meeting with lobbyist Patricia Lynch, the former top adviser to Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and her client, Tishman Speyer, one of Manhattan's biggest developers. That night, Bruno hosted a Senate GOP fundraiser at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

A May 17 meeting with TransCanada and Shell Oil Co., who comprise Broadwater Energy, which is proposing a controversial liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound. The meeting was at the office of a Republican contributor. That evening was a state Republican Party fundraiser, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to as high as $10,000 a couple.

A May 24 meeting at New York City Hall with Mayor Bloomberg. Bruno later attended a fundraiser held in his honor.

On Tuesday, Bruno attacked the paper, with his office alleging that an ad salesman attempted to "shake down" the Senate and calling for an investigation by Soares.

Times Union Publisher Mark Aldam called the allegation "preposterous."

Bruno aide Mark Hansen said he spoke with an advertising salesman who was "apologetic of his paper's news coverage of Senator Bruno and distanced himself from the views of the news and editorial departments prior to giving his sales pitch that buying ads in the Times Union would enable Senator Bruno 'to let people know about all the good things the senator is doing.' "

Hansen's statement did not assert that the salesman suggested that news coverage of the senator would be influenced by the purchase of ads.

In a letter to Soares, however, Bruno aide John McArdle characterized the sales call as "an attempt to shake down the Senate and the senator and would be an attempt to extort both public and private money." In his letter, McArdle noted that the salesman denied he was suggesting that buying ads would affect coverage, but said Hansen took it that way.

Aldam said, "These assertions are preposterous and absolutely baseless."

Aldam said his understanding was that the salesman approached Bruno's office about placing issue ads that might respond to ads the state Democratic Committee has been running on timesunion.com and other Web sites. Aldam said the paper does not believe the salesman suggested such purchases would affect news coverage.

In a prepared statement, Aldam said the paper has a clear wall between advertising and news coverage, "and we zealously guard against breaches in the wall that separates our commercial and our journalistic goals."

Aldam added that "To imply any breach of integrity by the Times Union strikes me as an unfair attempt by Senator Bruno's office to redirect attention from recent public reports toward the media company responsible for the initial reporting."

Bruno also said he has canceled his subscription to the paper.

Bruno and Gov. Eliot Spitzer have been at odds for several weeks, with the Senate leader refusing to go along with the Democratic governor's call for campaign finance reform. Bruno says tighter contribution limits would unduly favor wealthy self-funded candidates like Spitzer.

The dispute has held up progress on a number of issues such as capital spending for economic development, expanding the state's DNA database for criminal investigations and streamlining laws that govern public construction projects, and the death penalty for cop killers.

Despite the acrimony, Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp said the leaders' staffs continue to discuss outstanding issues on a daily basis. The Legislature is slated to return July 16 to at least take up a controversial congestion pricing plan to charge drivers to enter midtown Manhattan during the work week."

stamford times - Common birds are in decline nation wide

2007-07-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

stamford times - Common birds are in decline nation wide

BY FRANK MacEACHERN

REGION – It's not news to Milan Bull that many once common birds are almost nowhere to be found in Connecticut.

Every December he's gathered with other birdwatchers to conduct an annual Christmas bird count and every year there is a sadness as they no longer hear the songs they heard in years past.

"You feel a sense of loss, you feel there's something wrong," said Bull. "There's a sadness, you feel helpless that there's nothing you can do," said Bull about the decline. Bull is senior director of science and conservation at the Connecticut Audubon Society in Fairfield.

In June, the National Audubon Society released "Common Birds in Decline," a report on the rapid drop in some bird populations. The data for the report was compiled by bird watchers who participated in the annual Christmas bird count. As well, information from the U.S. Geological Survey's annual breeding bird survey was incorporated into the report. That survey is conducted in June.

$1 billion liquid natural gas terminal, pipeline approved for Quebec – Daily Commercial News

2007-07-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

$1 billion liquid natural gas terminal, pipeline approved for Quebec – Daily Commercial News: "July 3, 2007

$1 billion liquid natural gas terminal, pipeline approved for Quebec, and will, in part, serve northeastern U.S.

Project expected to create 500 jobs

Plans to build a $1-billion liquid natural gas terminal and a pipeline network in northeastern Quebec has been given the go-ahead by the federal and provincial governments.

Quebec Natural Resources Minister Claude Bechard said the project at Gros-Cacouna, near Riviere-de-Loup, is necessary for the province’s natural gas needs.

“Quebec needs natural gas,” he said at a news conference in Quebec City. “We’re at the end of the network, there is less and less gas coming from the West.”

Construction of the terminal, which will be undertaken by Transcanada Pipeline and Petro Canada under the banner of Energie Cacounam, is expected to take between one and two years."

Wyman criticizes spending of $925 million budget surplus - Newsday.com

2007-07-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Wyman criticizes spending of $925 million budget surplus - Newsday.com: "HARTFORD, Conn. -- The state comptroller criticized the new, two-year $36 billion state budget Monday for spending too much of Connecticut's $925 million surplus on one-time expenses.

Comptroller Nancy Wyman, a Democrat, said more of the surplus should have been socked away in the state's emergency rainy day fund.

'Using the great majority of this one-time windfall to fund ongoing programs is a very questionable financial practice,' she said in a written statement.

The legislature's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis has projected that the state could see budget deficits totaling $1.7 billion from fiscal years 2010 to 2012.

'This year's enormous surplus was created mainly by workers through the payroll tax and investors through the capital gains tax,' Wyman said. 'Government should be using that surplus money to safeguard the taxpayers' financial future, not on a one-year spending spree.'"

A Nuclear Phoenix? : Concern about Climate Change is Spurring an Atomic Renaissance (By Jim Motavalli)

2007-07-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

A Nuclear Phoenix? : Concern about Climate Change is Spurring an Atomic Renaissance (By Jim Motavalli)

Sitting in the belly of the beast—Dominion’s 2,000-megawatt Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, Connecticut—the company’s chief nuclear officer, Dave Christian, seems an unlikely environmentalist. But he says concern about climate change is what got him involved in the peaceful pursuit of the atom in the first place.

“I started studying climate science in the 1970s after reading a book [published in 1974] entitled Technology, Society and Man by Richard C. Dorf,” Christian says. “It was a very thoughtful study of the feedback mechanisms that go into global warming.”

Dominion is the kind of big power player that has long had an antagonistic relationship with the environmental movement. In addition to Millstone Units 2 and 3 (Unit 1 was shut down in 1998), the $45 billion company operates two nukes in Virginia, owns 7,900 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines, 6,000 miles of electrical transmission lines and 965 billion cubic feet of underground natural gas storage. ...

Long Island Sound Special Section in The Day, July 1, 2007

2007-07-05T09:47:00.002-05:00

The Day did a beautiful special section all about Long Island Sound July 1, 2007. Below are some links to some of the information in that section.

Clean Water Fund Vital To Protecting The Long-Term Health Of The Sound
By Leah Schmalz
Published on 7/1/2007

As the citizens of Connecticut take to Long Island Sound, its beaches and its tributaries looking for that elusive summertime fun, it might shock them to learn that the water isn't as clean as is should or could be.

The federal government and the state of Connecticut promised the state's citizens clean and healthy water 30 years ago, yet much work remains. That early commitment calls for stopping the 2 billion gallons of raw sewage that enters our waterways each year by separating combined sewer overflows and restoring the “Dead Zone” in Long Island Sound by removing about 60 percent of the nitrogen discharges from the sewage treatment plants in the state.

While the regular legislative session adjourned in early June, it did so without passing a budget or bond package, leaving key components like the Clean Water Fund stuck in limbo.

Despite years of great progress, the Clean Water Fund — the primary mechanism for funding those wastewater treatment and sewer projects in Connecticut — began to fall apart when the legislature decided to shift that money to other non-water related purposes in 2002 ... (more).

TheDay.com - Funding For The Future

2007-07-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Funding For The Future: "Funding For The Future
By Harold W. Storrs
Published on 7/1/2007

Last January, the Stonington Water Pollution Control Authority delivered a Wastewater Facilities Plan to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. That document — a 20-year, townwide master plan for sewer management — represents more than six year's work by professional engineers, authority members and staff, and many interested and involved citizens.

The DEP will soon have reviewed it, stamped it approved with little or no comment, and returned it to the authority. Now what? In the face of increasing need, inflation, rising energy and materials cost, and competition for capital improvement dollars, for wastewater treatment facilities in Stonington and throughout the state to continue improving water quality, there needs to be a stable funding source or a fundamental change in the method of funding water-quality projects.

When it started out, the WPCA had several objectives to keep in mind. Stonington's three treatment plants were built during the 1970s and are showing signs of age. Flows to the Mystic plant began to exceed the plant's capacity in the early 1990s, resulting in a moratorium on new connections until some of the flow could be diverted to another plant in Stonington borough. Any proper master plan would bring the treatment facilities up to present-day standards and be able to respond to existing and future needs without risking another moratorium. And then, what to do with three separate treatment plants? Retain all three, consolidate them into one or two, or build an entirely new plant?..."

TheDay.com - A Vital Treasure In Danger

2007-07-05T09:46:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - A Vital Treasure In Danger: "A Vital Treasure In Danger - Growth and bad habits imperil the future health of Long Island Sound.
Published on 7/1/2007

This summer marks the 20th anniversary of an event that changed the way people view Long Island Sound. During the summer of 1987, oxygen levels in the western half of the Sound fell to deadly levels, killing marine life there at an alarming rate. That summer raised public awareness of The Sound's mortality. Beneath the glimmering waters of the estuary was a “dead zone,” several hundred square miles in area, inhospitable to fisheries during warm months of the year.

The immediate suspect is nitrogen produced by human activities along the shorelines of the Sound and the rivers that feed into it. More than half of the nitrogen comes from the effluent from sewage treatment plants. Lawn and agricultural fertilizers help make up the rest.

But as it became clear in The Day's forum on the Sound June 19, a greater threat underlies the problem: Unchecked and careless land development. ..."

TheDay.com - Solutions Are Shared By Government And By Each Of Us

2007-07-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Solutions Are Shared By Government And By Each Of Us: "Solutions Are Shared By Government And By Each Of Us
By Gregory N. Stone
Published on 7/1/2007

On a sparkling summer day, Long Island Sound still manages to look as pristine and magical as it always has despite the bustle of human activity on and around it. It is little wonder so many have chosen to settle along its shores despite the risk of Atlantic storms and the burden of high property taxes.

But taxes and high insurance rates are not the only costs of the settlements adjacent to the Sound, more than 9 million people strong. The burden of shoreline development has taken an alarming toll on the health of the Sound and upon its ability to support marine life, the very features of the estuary that continue to attract new development.

Several of the symptoms of the illness have become routine: Beach and shellfish bed closings. But a much larger and more startling event 20 years ago captured the attention of government environmental agencies and policy makers. Summers always brought stress to the body of water, but in the summer of 1987, oxygen levels dropped to deadly levels in a wide swath across the western half of the Sound, causing extraordinary fish and lobster kills."

TheDay.com - Inter-State Nitrogen Busters

2007-07-05T09:44:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Inter-State Nitrogen Busters: "If we were to turn the story of Long Island Sound into a blockbuster summertime movie, nitrogen would be the villain and Connecticut's Clean Water Fund would be cast as the hero. The plot of the movie would show that the fund has made great progress in beating the evil nitrogen gang into submission during the past few decades. Unfortunately, it is still too early to say exactly how this saga will end."

One of the major sources of nitrogen entering Long Island Sound is sewage — which is generated by all of us with the lifestyle we lead. Even when sewage is treated to secondary levels, the discharge from plants operated by many municipalities and quasi-government entities contains nitrogen.

What happens when too much nitrogen enters the Sound? Excessive plant and algae growth occurs. When this material dies and settles to the bottom of the Sound, it decomposes, depleting the levels of oxygen in the water. This is the condition known as hypoxia. When hypoxia strikes, it suffocates aquatic life in the waters of the Sound.

"The Waterbury Connecticut Republican American Newspaper"

2007-07-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

"The Waterbury Connecticut Republican American Newspaper": "Fill 'er up

Saturday, June 30, 2007

BY DAVID KRECHEVSKY

Copyright © 2007 Republican-American

WATERBURY - Imagine using a Dixie cup to fill a swimming pool.

That's similar to the process that began recently at Yankee Gas Services Co.'s new liquefied natural gas storage facility on Eagle Street.

The $108 million project is nearing completion, but its landmark 150-foot-tall, 158-foot-wide tank is finished. The utility received approval from state regulators June 1 to begin filling the tank, which can hold the equivalent of 1.2 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas, enough to heat 85,000 homes for a month.

Yankee Gas intends to fill the tank with natural gas it'll purchase during the summer when prices are lower to help keep costs low for its 194,000 customers when prices spike during winter months. The facility is expected to be ready this fall for the 2007-08 heating season."

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

2007-07-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.

COLCHESTER -- Surplus from a Southington Water Department project has enabled the state to funnel $2.6 million to Colchester in the form of a loan from the Clean Water Fund to upgrade the town's pump and treatment facility on Taintor Hill Road.

The State Bonding Commission approved reallocating the surplus Friday, the day after U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced he had secured $500,000 in federal funds for the project as well.

"The availability of funding to offset some of our costs of this project is so important, not only to Colchester, but also to the other towns in the area that rely on our pump stations to carry wastewater to the treatment plant," said Robert Tarlov, chairman of the Colchester Water and Sewer Commission.

Newington Town Crier - A step toward ratepayer relief

2007-06-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

Newington Town Crier - A step toward ratepayer relief: "One of the votes that I'm most proud of in my thirteen years as a state legislator is my vote in 1998 against electrical deregulation. I was one of seventeen out of the 151 State House of Representative members that did not believe it was the right move for Connecticut. Since then, electric bills have gone up and ratepayers have struggled with the increased costs.

During this year's regular session, we took steps to help fix the energy problems that we're facing. We passed legislation with overwhelming support that I hope will help to reduce our demand for electricity and lower prices. It's not a perfect bill, but we're working with a system that, because of federal regulations and the high price of gas and oil, we have very limited control over. ..."

TheDay.com - Report Finds State Commitment to Environment Faltering

2007-06-29T11:25:00.001-05:00

TheDay.com - Report Finds State Commitment to Environment Faltering: "Hartford - Progress toward meeting the environmental goals the state has set for itself has faltered, and needs a renewed commitment of funding and effort from the governor’s office, the state legislature, environmental and business groups and ordinary citizens.

That was the message delivered in the annual report released Thursday by the Council on Environmental Quality, an agency charged with overseeing the state’s stewardship of its environment.

“We’re disappointed to have to report to you that somebody in the state or a combination of people have pushed the pause button,” said Thomas Harrison, chairman of the Council. “The goals are in sight, and they’re realistic, but we can’t get there without more funding, more awareness and more thoughtful action. ..."

News Times Live State fails environmental goals

2007-06-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

News Times Live State fails environmental goals

The state has its collective finger on the "pause'' button when it comes to the environment, in the view of a key state environmental official.

"We've always been able to talk about progress,'' said Thomas Harrison, chairman of the state Council on Environmental Quality on Thursday, releasing the council's 2006 report on Connecticut's environment. "We can't say that this year.''

The Advocate - Sound's fish and sediment rate poorly in EPA report

2007-06-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

The Advocate - Sound's fish and sediment rate poorly in EPA report: "Wetlands, river mouths and other Long Island Sound estuaries were rated among the poorest in the nation in a report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency looked at sediment toxicity, fish contamination, bottom-feeder diversity and water quality in estuaries on the East Coast, West Coast, Gulf of Mexico and Puerto Rico."

New Haven Register - Environmentalists await bond package

2007-06-28T07:11:00.000-05:00

New Haven Register - Environmentalists await bond package: "HARTFORD — Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree that the newly approved state budget does a good job in several key environmental areas, but some activists say legislators still have lots of work to do.

Members of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters acknowledge the new two-year budget plan funds a number of important new programs involving clean water, invasive plants, energy conservation and diesel pollution.

But Lori Brown, the group's executive director, said Wednesday that the final verdict on how well or poorly the 2007 General Assembly did on environmental issues can't be determined until the legislature finishes work on a new state bond package.

A new two-year plan for using state bond money to pay for all kinds of state and local capital projects would provide badly needed new funding for clean water programs and open space and farmland preservation. ..."

Business: Company forms natural gas plan

2007-06-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

Business: Company forms natural gas plan: "Even as Congress again debated whether to allow drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a Norwegian company was touting its plans to anchor a natural gas terminal just 28 miles from Tampa Bay.

The floating terminal calls for special tankers to convert liquefied natural gas, then pump it to the mainland via a pipeline to Port Manatee...."

The Connecticut Post Online - Council hears strategies from state DECD chief

2007-06-26T08:19:00.000-05:00

The Connecticut Post Online - Council hears strategies from state DECD chief: "After just five weeks on the job, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Joan McDonald is promising to shake up the state's business growth strategies by reviewing them for effectiveness.

'At the end of the summer we will hold a series of roundtable discussions about which programs work and which programs do not,' McDonald said Monday during The Business Council of Fairfield County's 37th Annual Meeting. This was her first speaking engagement in Fairfield County since Gov. M. Jodi Rell selected her to run the state's economic development agency.

She drew laughs from the more than 250 in the audience at the start when she noted the speed with which the business council approached her to visit Fairfield County.

And, proving business has fully embraced the movement to go green, the council awarded honors to Donald Strait, executive director of Connecticut Fund for the Environment. ..."

It's Getting Easier To Be Green | Business New Haven

2007-06-25T14:31:00.000-05:00

06/25/2007 It's Getting Easier To Be Green Business New Haven: "Whether it is fear of global warming, Al Gore's movie, overall concern of the environment or, instead, overall concern of the other green stuff (i.e., money), interest in green building of both new and existing homes is growing throughout the state and region. And a growing number of architects, engineers and contractors are prepared to meet this need.

What does 'green' mean? In this instance, the word is defined as anything that's done to enhance or conserve the environment or to conserve energy - designing environmentally sensitive development sites, employing energy-saving technologies, and leveraging advances in the science of building...."

courant.com | Pinning Up The Carbon Credits

2007-06-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

courant.com | Pinning Up The Carbon Credits: "Pinning Up The Carbon Credits
Let's Reward Conservation - And Hang Energy Hogs Out To Dry
June 24, 2007
By SUSANNA RODELL

Summer has finally sprung in leafy Connecticut. I'm reveling in its gifts, including simple sunshine. I'm a devotee of that most ancient use of solar power: the clothesline.

It goes back a long way. I lived for many years in Australia where the Hills Hoist - that contraption with concentric squares of clothesline - is a cultural icon. Australians are thrifty by nature and, even before emissions became a concern, they've been loath to waste energy. To Australians, using a dryer on a sunny day is unforgivable, evidence of weak character.

Here in the USA there are still plenty of suburbs and neighborhoods that ban the humble clothesline as an eyesore, despite the fact that in modern households, the clothes dryer is the second energy-greediest appliance after the refrigerator.

I do a lot of my best thinking while I'm hanging out clothes. It's a great pleasure, a meditative break in my day. One day last week, pinning the upside-down shirttails to the line, I had an idea.
"

Review on gas terminal to go on - Newsday.com

2007-06-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

Review on gas terminal to go on - Newsday.com: "Legislation that would have halted federal regulators' review of the proposed Broadwater liquid natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound failed to gain House support yesterday.

An amendment to the House energy bill introduced by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) would have barred the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from using any federal funds next year to continue processing Broadwater's application. The amendment failed, 285-'.

Bishop said he sought to halt progress on federal approval of Broadwater after a recent federal report on liquid natural gas terminals raised questions from lawmakers about the Long Island project. More studies on Broadwater are pending.

'It's very possible this project will be licensed before that further study is available for review,' Bishop said. 'I wanted to halt this before it was approved and then it's discovered that there are major problems.'"

News Times Live Old plant going green

2007-06-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

News Times Live Old plant going green

"By Robert Miller
THE NEWS-TIMES

REDDING -- In its past, the Gilbert & Bennett wire factory in Georgetown provided people jobs. It gave them a life.

But it also polluted the Norwalk River and belched smoke into the air.

In its newest incarnation, the plant will once again be filled with people -- folks living in factory space converted into lofts and condominiums, and working in its offices, stores and restaurants.

It will be green -- built with new energy-efficient technology, boasting pedestrian walkways instead of roads, tied to mass transit through the construction of a new train station on the Danbury-to-Norwalk Metro-North line.

"Moving from what was brown to what will be green is consistent with our corporate philosophy,'' Stephen Solar, president of the Georgetown Land Development Company, which is building the Gilbert & Bennett project, said in a press statement Friday.

The factory complex, which opened in the 19th century, closed for good in the 1980s.

In recognition of what Solar's company will do with Gilbert & Bennett's 55 acres, the U.S. Green Building Council has included the project in a pilot program to create Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards not just for individual buildings, but for an entire neighborhood.

"This is about Smart Growth design,'' Taryn Holowka, spokeswoman for the Green Building Council, said Monday. "We're seeing that we can transfer the LEED standards to neighborhoods. ..."

Maine governor signs regional global warming bill - Boston.com

2007-06-19T07:56:00.000-05:00

Maine governor signs regional global warming bill - Boston.com: "AUGUSTA, Maine --Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation Monday that includes Maine in the nation's first regional effort to control greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade system.

Maine joins Connecticut and other states that have already joined the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is intended to reduce pollution from northeastern power plants by 10 percent over a decade through 2018.

The law signed by Baldacci requires Maine's six largest power plants to pay for the right to release carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping gas most blamed for global warming.

Baldacci said industries that will be affected by the law worked collaboratively with environmentalists and state regulatory officials to write the complex legislation. Baldacci said the regional effort will trigger green energy development, which will be benefit the economy.

"Reducing global warming pollution protects our natural treasures for future generations, and it protects our children's future while placing Maine at the forefront of new economic opportunities," Baldacci said. ..."

New Haven Register - Wind power may be in the future for Elm City

2007-06-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

New Haven Register - Wind power may be in the future for Elm City: "Wind power may be in the future for Elm City
Randall Beach, Register Staff
06/13/2007

-NEW HAVEN — Wind turbines may be headed to the Elm City, with possible locations ranging from the summits of East Rock and West Rock to Long Wharf and Lighthouse Point.

The idea is just starting to get off the ground, but the first turbines could be built by fall 2008, according to Emily Byrne, a policy analyst for Mayor John DeStefano Jr.

These turbines should not be confused with windmills, which are used to grind grains and other agricultural products, Byrne noted. The turbines vary in height from 30 to 100 feet.

The city has pledged to reduce carbon emissions 20 percent by 2010. Some city officials see these wind turbines as one way to reach that goal. Byrne estimated each turbine would generate about $7,200 per year in electricity savings.

Byrne and the aldermen who favor the turbines are braced for potential NIMBY, or "not in my backyard," opposition, as happened when the turbines were proposed for Cape Cod, Mass.

"Some people don't find these to be the prettiest things," acknowledged Alderman Roland Lemar, D-9, who supports the concept. He termed it "exciting" and "interesting."

Byrne declined to identify any possible sites for the first turbines. (Between three and five would go up initially as an experiment.) But Lemar said locations under consideration include the port or New Haven Harbor area. East Rock, West Rock and Lighthouse Point. He said these places have the greatest wind potential.

First come the necessary approvals. The board of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund must pass it, then the New Haven Board of Aldermen. A public hearing would be held and the New Haven Parks Commission also would have to approve installation of turbines on any park land.

Byrne is optimistic about the CCEF board because "they initiated the idea." Byrne said the CCEF board will meet in late June. If the proposal were to sail through as expected, it will go to the aldermen for consideration later this summer.

Alderman Edward Mattison, D-10, said, "I think this is the wave of the future." He added the turbines will need to be proven economically feasible in terms of how much electricity they would generate.

"They realize New Haven is a 'green' leader and they knew we'd be interested — and we are," she said. Best of all, Byrne added, "They (CCEF) would pay for everything."

CCEG, which was created by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2000, is funded by a surcharge on electric ratepayers' utility bills. CCEF is administered by Connecticut Innovations Inc., which makes investments to advance new technologies.

"If we don't start taking serious steps to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels," Mattison said, "we will suffer. Our dependency on Middle East oil is causing us all kinds of grief."

Mattison said wind turbines make sense because "our power costs are as high here as anywhere."

We have a terrible gridlock in the power system."

But Mattison "Global warming and climate change are issues beyond our ability to stop alone," Lemar said. "But we can do our part through these simple, small steps."

When push comes to guv | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist

2007-06-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

When push comes to guv | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist:
"Ahhhnold is calling out the U.S. government for being a bunch of girly men and women on climate change. On Monday, he teamed up with Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, a fellow Republican, to chastise the folks on the Hill for 'inaction and denial' on climate change in an open letter published in the Washington Post. Not only have they failed to take major federal action, they've also tried to thwart actions by progressive states like California and Connecticut, the governors said.

'It's bad enough that the federal government has yet to take the threat of global warming seriously,' wrote the guvs, 'but it borders on malfeasance for it to block the efforts of states such as California and Connecticut that are trying to protect the public's health and welfare.'"

News Times Live Walking the walk on climate change

2007-06-18T08:27:00.000-05:00

News Times Live Walking the walk on climate change

If climate change is going to be one of the defining issues of the 21st century, schools must teach it.

Maybe just as importantly, they have to live it.

Western Connecticut State University in Danbury has taken that step this week, signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

"It's an important place for us to be,'' said WestConn president James Schmotter.

It's also an increasingly crowded place. Since December, nearly 300 colleges and universities have signed the commitment.

In Connecticut, four other schools -- Eastern Connecticut State University, Manchester Community College, the University of Connecticut and Yale University -- are on board.

"The schools range from small private colleges to big public universities,'' said Julian Dautremont-Smith, associate director of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education in Lexington, Ky. "And we're in 45 states, so it's across the country.''

By signing the commitment, WestConn pledges to develop a plan to reduce campus greenhouse emissions within two years. Some of the steps the university could take include:

_ Requiring all new campus buildings to meet standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
_ Buying energy-efficient appliances for university buildings.
_ Encouraging students and faculty to use public transportation whenever possible.
_ Purchasing 15 percent of the energy WestConn uses from renewable sources.

Schmotter said the university has already begun to take some of these steps...."

courant.com | Congress' Bill Has Bad Energy

2007-06-12T08:26:00.000-05:00

courant.com | Congress' Bill Has Bad Energy

June 12, 2007

While the Republican-led Congress and the Bush administration stalled and dawdled for years, California, Connecticut and 10 other states forged ahead, adopting laws that would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from cars and 18 percent from sport utility vehicles beginning in 2009.

A lot has changed since fall. Scientists around the world are agreed that human activity is speeding up global warming. Congress now has a Democratic majority. This spring, the Supreme Court told the Environmental Protection Agency to start regulating carbon dioxide, the chief cause of global warming.

Conditions seem ripe for a new course on energy, and California has officially asked the EPA for a waiver to implement its tougher-than-federal standards for tailpipe emissions.

But the EPA is still stalling. Worse, Democratic Congressman Rick Boucher of Virginia (with the support of Michigan Democrat John Dingell) is proposing a bill that would prohibit the EPA from issuing any waiver "designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." This would undercut state efforts to reduce tailpipe emissions. ...

TheDay.com - Going Up

2007-06-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Going Up: "'Eel-evator' in Old Saybrook is designed to make upstream a little easier to get to

By the time these tiny olive brown serpentines started squiggling down the aluminum slide in the upstream reaches of the Oyster River this spring, they'd already passed through two major life stages and traveled more than 1,000 miles. ...

“This helps them to get up into the upper ponds, otherwise they'd just stay in the lower portions of the river” and face more competition for less habitat, says Chris Cryder, director of restoration and stewardship for Save the Sound, one of the groups involved in the project.

Before the “eel-evator” was built, some of the eels would slither across the grassy top of the dam on rainy nights during high tide. But the numbers reaching the upstream waters above the dam had dwindled, and wildlife biologists concerned about overall decreases in eel populations are looking to projects such as this to help restore it. ..."

TheDay.com - Study: Ocean Alternative To LNG Project Could Be Built

2007-06-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Study: Ocean Alternative To LNG Project Could Be Built

Broadwater Officials Say Report Didn't Take A Close Enough Look

By Judy Benson, June 8, 2007

A report weighing Broadwater Energy's proposal for a floating gas terminal in Long Island Sound says the level of wind and wave action in the nearby Atlantic Ocean does not preclude an alternative type of facility from being built there instead.

The April report was done by consultants at the Duxbury, Mass., offices of Battelle, a science and technology firm, for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. It was provided to media outlets by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, one of the main groups opposing Broadwater Energy, which proposed the gas terminal...

The report was done as part of the ongoing evaluation by the New York Department of State into whether the Broadwater project is consistent with the permitted uses in its waterways, said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign.

“This report is immensely hopeful,” Esposito said Wednesday. “We've been strongly searching for alternative locations and technologies. Is this perfect? No. Is it better that putting it in an estuary? Yes.”

News Times Live Saving energy can save money

2007-06-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

News Times Live Saving energy can save money

By Robert Miller
THE NEWS-TIMES

It's fairly straightforward, said Ben Maldonado,owner of Scalzo Appliances in Danbury. Once consumers agree that energy-efficient appliances are worth the cost, and dealers start to feature them, they'll sell...

The state will also drop the sales tax on florescent light bulbs. That tax exemption will be retroactive to June 1 -- you must have the sales receipts to claim it for the first few days of the month -- and will be permanent...

"I think taking advantages of the energy efficiencies these appliances offer makes a lot of sense,'' said Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. "If anything I think the state needs to publicize this a lot more. I bought a bunch of weatherization stuff for my house a year-and-a-half ago, and I had no idea it was tax exempt...."

News Times Live Saving energy begins at home

2007-06-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

News Times Live Saving energy begins at home

By Robert Miller THE NEWS-TIMES

If you have an old-fashioned oil furnace, you're burning money as well as fuel.

Now, the state will give you $500 to get rid of your outdated furnace and get a new, energy-efficient model -- smaller, better for your home and the environment.

"The furnaces they sell now are at 80 to 85 percent efficient," Bill Crowe, president of DDD Heating and Air Conditioning in Danbury and Ridgefield said Monday. "Some of the new models are even better.

"With old furnaces, you're probably only looking at 60 to 70 percent efficiency."

The $500 rebate is one of the features in the state's new energy bill, passed Friday by the General Assembly's House of Representatives and Saturday by the state Senate.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell must now sign the bill into law. ..."

courant.com | Small Towns Need Funds After Falling Behind

2007-06-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

courant.com | Small Towns Need Funds After Falling Behind

June 5, 2007
BART RUSSELL

Connecticut's smaller towns in suburban and rural areas rely on state aid to provide their residents and businesses with essential municipal services, such as safe roads, good schools and effective police and fire safety services. Unfortunately, state aid to municipalities was cut significantly in 2003 in an effort to reduce the state's deficit and in many cases has still not been restored to pre-2003 levels.

The result? Towns have had to raise property taxes, and this has placed an even greater burden on already beleaguered local taxpayers. They need, and deserve, property tax relief now.

The Connecticut Council of Small Towns is calling on the governor and legislative leaders to consider the following priorities in drafting this year's state budget and bond package:

The council of small towns strongly supports the efforts of the governor and General Assembly to significantly increase kindergarten to 12th-grade school funding under the state's Education Cost Sharing formula. We also urge support for making long overdue changes to the formula, including eliminating the cap and significantly raising the foundation level, to help all of Connecticut's communities meet their obligation to provide quality education. ..."

Hartford Business Jrnl | As Session Ends, Lobbyists Report Raking In Millions

2007-06-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hartford Business: ... Halloran & Sage, which never ranked in the top 10 from 1999 to 2004, pulled in $285,760 already this year, putting it in the seventh pole position. Part of a 72-year-old law firm based in Hartford, the lobbying unit was buoyed by $26,076 for its difficult work pushing the Broadwater liquid natural gas project.

The Connecticut Post Online - Legislature OKs energy reform bill

2007-06-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

The Connecticut Post Online - Legislature OKs energy reform bill: "
HARTFORD — Despite opposition from two Democratic leaders on a key legislative committee, the General Assembly on Saturday approved a bill aimed at repairing the damage of a 1998 law that led to sky-high energy costs.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell indicated that she will sign the legislation, which would allow the state's two major electricity providers back into the power-generation business under limited conditions.

While consumers are offered incentives and rebates for buying more-efficient appliances, it would also reward generators with additional payments if ratepayers are successful in conservation efforts.

Environmental activists said that parts of the bill would cut pollution linked to global warming and promote clean energy to try to obtain 20 percent of the state's energy from renewable sources, including wind and solar power, by the year 2020."

TheDay.com - Conservation Offers The Biggest Savings

2007-06-04T09:17:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Conservation Offers The Biggest Savings:
By Charles Rothenberger
June 3, 2007

As the Connecticut General Assembly works toward the adoption of appropriate energy policies for our state, our elected officials must remain focused on the fact that overcoming the many energy challenges facing our state will require a comprehensive and multi-faceted series of policy initiatives.

As Connecticut attempts to address rising energy costs and improve the overall quality of life for its citizens, it is clear that our emerging energy policy must include a clear commitment to improving the environmental performance of our economy.

A key element of any successful energy initiative must include aggressive, yet common-sense and achievable efforts to promote the use of green building standards. Buildings in the United States account for 68 percent of total electricity consumption, 39 percent of total energy use and 38 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the country."

TheDay.com - Ladder Allows Herring To Follow Their Noses

2007-06-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

TheDay.com - Ladder Allows Herring To Follow Their Noses: "Waterford — To certain river herring, there's no place that has quite the olfactory allure of the freshwater portions of Jordan Brook.

But the magnetic attraction of that particular piece of water for those particular fish, stirred every spring by memories of smells imprinted at birth, had been confounded for 300 years. That's when the brook was dammed for a grist mill just at the place where the brackish tidal waters of Jordan Cove meet the fresh waters of the brook.

The adult herring would swim in from Long Island Sound to the cove, seeking the freshwater place where they were born and could start the next generation, only to meet the impenetrable obstacle of the dam. Some would still spawn just below the dam, but if the eggs drifted too close to the nearby brackish water, they would die. Spring herring runs that once numbered in the thousands had dwindled to just dozens of fish.

“Hundreds of years ago, people put up dams all across this watershed,” said Curt Johnson, project director of Save the Sound, during an event celebrating the opening of a fish ladder on the brook. “The problem is, the fish would come up here and say, 'Damn! (sic) I can't get through.' They were blocked from the places they had traditionally come.”"

Journal Inquirer - Suffield celebrates wastewater treatment plant's $5 million upgrade

2007-06-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

Journal Inquirer - Suffield celebrates wastewater treatment plant's $5 million upgrade: "SUFFIELD - The Water Pollution Control Authority held a dedication ceremony Thursday to celebrate the completion of the $5 million expansion of the wastewater-treatment plant, on schedule and under budget.

Although almost invisible to the general public, the facility quietly performs an important service to the town and the environment, cleaning sewage and wastewater and returning it to the environment.

And with the upgrade and expansion of the facility, that's done more efficiently."

Shareholder Resolutions on Climate Change to Heat Up ExxonMobil’s Annual Meeting

2007-05-30T15:21:00.000-05:00

Shareholder Resolutions on Climate Change to Heat Up ExxonMobil’s Annual Meeting: "A broad coalition of shareholders is seriously concerned about ExxonMobil’s lackluster response to global climate change and plans to give thumbs down to board member Michael Boskin."

The Connecticut Post Online - LNG plant should give Sound a wide berth

2007-05-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

The Connecticut Post Online - LNG plant should give Sound a wide berth: "If you are like me (and I know that is asking a lot), you want to jam your fingers into your alimentary canals and hum the national anthem whenever you hear somebody start talking about the Broadwater floating gas terminal that Shell Oil and Trans Canada Corp. want to put in the middle of Long Island Sound."

Danbury News Times - States Face off with EPA over Greenhouse Gases

2007-05-29T08:54:00.000-05:00

News Times Live States Face off with EPA over Greenhouse Gases: "States Face off with EPA over Greenhouse Gases

By Robert Miller

THE NEWS-TIMES

Connecticut 'can and will' sue the federal government if it refuses to let it and 11 other states regulate the greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Friday.

'We ought to be outraged that the United States is in the rear guard, rather than the forefront in fighting global warming and carbon dioxide emissions,' Blumenthal said Friday. 'We ought to be doubly outraged because doing those things is the law.'

Blumenthal’s remarks came as the federal Environmental Protection Agency plans to hold a second round of hearings on the issue of carbon dioxide regulation next week. The EPA will then take written comments on the issue until June 15. It has no deadline to make a final decision. ...

'You’re not just talking about California, you’re talking about the entire block of states in the Northeast,' said Charles Rothenberger, attorney for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. 'That’s a major portion of the cars on the road.'"

WTNH, Connecticut - Pelosi embarks on 4 days of climate talks in Europe

2007-05-29T08:41:00.000-05:00

Wtnh.com, Connecticut News and Weather - Pelosi embarks on 4 days of climate talks in Europe: "(Washington, AP) _ Connecticut Democrat John Larson is among the congressmen joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on an overseas trip to talk about global warming.

Pelosi, Larson and six other House members left today for meetings with scientists and politicians in Greenland, Germany and Belgium on ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The trip comes shortly before a climate change summit next month involving the leading industrialized nations and during a time of increased debate over what should succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

The protocol is a 1997 international treaty caps the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted from power plants and factories in industrialized countries. It expires in 2012.

Since Democrats took over Congress in January, both the House and Senate have proposed to push the nation more aggressively to reduce carbon emissions."

New Haven Register - Gas plant opinions vary at sea, ashore

2007-05-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

New Haven Register - Gas plant opinions vary at sea, ashore: "NEW HAVEN — Broadwater Energy hired a marine service vessel to take media out to the middle of Long Island Sound Monday to show that the floating liquefied natural gas plant the company wants to build 10.5 miles off the Connecticut shoreline would be safe.

But when the boat returned to the dock across the Mill River from the former United Illuminating power plant, one thing hadn’t changed: state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was waiting for them.

So was Curt Johnson, program director and senior attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound.

The message they carried differed markedly from the one Broadwater, led by company Vice President John Hritcko Sr., had worked so hard to put across.

Hritcko called Broadwater 'an important piece of the puzzle to solve Connecticut’s energy challenges.'

Blumenthal called it 'a dinosaur' that will no longer be needed even before it is built. 'I think what will ultimately defeat this is the economics of building a dinosaur,' he said. ..."

Wtnh.com, Connecticut News and Weather - Broadwater barge tour

2007-05-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

Wtnh.com, Connecticut News and Weather - Broadwater barge tour: "(New Haven-WTNH) _ The natural gas terminal planned for Long Island Sound has been met with lots of opposition.

Last summer ... Ken Warner found himself defending the size of the Broadwater liquefied natural gas terminal.

Warner, who guides tankers into port, pointed out that if people have no problem with the size of an oil tanker, they should have no problem with Broadwater.

On Monday, representatives from Broadwater Energy, along with a few supporters like Warner, took the media on a boat ride out to the exact spot where the terminal would be anchored.

'What people would see is the silhouette of a ship on the horizon, because that's what Broadwater really is,' said senior VP of Broadwater, John Hritcko.

The tour was about more than aesthetics, it also centered on the economical and environmental benefits of Broadwater.

'Lowering the price of natural gas and electricity, cleaner air,' said Hritcko.

Back on shore, Connecticut's attorney general called it a 'propaganda tour,' and promised a fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to stop what he says would be a disaster.

'Whatever this tour showed, it cannot compare with the environmental atrocity, the absolute monstrosity this project would be in the middle of the Sound," said AG Richard Blumenthal.

Broadwater must still clear several federal and New York State hurdles before the 1,200-foot terminal becomes a reality."

A tour of proposed Broadwater gas terminal site shows it's remote from shore, but not from concerns - Newsday.com

2007-05-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

A tour of proposed Broadwater gas terminal site shows it's remote from shore, but not from concerns - Newsday.com: "Broadwater Energy took some local media on a three-hour tour yesterday, but it wasn't to Gilligan's Island: The trip, suggested by one of its public relations consultants, was to the site of Broadwater's proposed liquefied natural gas terminal and was intended, the company said, to demonstrate its remoteness from land.

'If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a visit will be priceless,' John Hritcko, Broadwater's senior vice president and regional director, told the small group of Long Island TV and print reporters and photographers.

Indeed, from the proposed location about nine miles from Wading River and about 11 from Connecticut, both shorelines are just gray silhouettes, even on a clear day. On a weekday morning, there were few other boats in sight.

But, if the site is remote, it is not unvisited; surrounding the 110-foot-long utility boat Sorenson Miller when it stopped at the proposed location were a number of white marker buoys for lobster 'pots,' or traps. John German, president of the Long Island Sound Lobstermen's Association, said later that they belong to him and seven other men from Mount Sinai who regularly fish the area."

The Herald News - Menard targets terminal location

2007-05-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

The Herald News - Menard targets terminal location: "FALL RIVER - State Sen. Joan Menard is taking another stab at killing off the proposed liquefied natural gas terminal at Weaver's Cove.

The Fall River Democrat Monday announced she is filing a budget amendment that would prohibit the state from allowing any further permits for LNG facilities proposed within a mile of a school, hospital or nursing home.

If approved, the act would have devastating consequences for the proposed Hess LNG terminal. The facility's planned location is a half mile away from the Wylie School on North Main Street - currenty being used as an alternative school - and close to to the Catholic Memorial Home at 2446 Highland Ave.

'We want to try and do everything we can to make sure this doesn't happen,' Menard said. 'I really just want to draw attention to the fact this is going to be less than half a mile from a school. With this being that close to a school the message should be this is inappropriate.'"

New Haven Independent: City Trucks Will Run On Soybeans

2007-05-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

New Haven Independent: City Trucks Will Run On Soybeans: "Mayor John DeStefano seems to be getting a kick out of the new bumper stickers that will soon be affixed to diesel-powered city vehicles. Hint: hiding behind the NBC mic is the word 'bio-diesel.'

The mayor announced at a Monday press conference outside City Hall that the city's diesel engine vehicles will be propelled on a new fuel made mostly from soybeans. The city has purchased 75,000 gallons each of two fuels -- a 50/50 bio-diesel/gasoline blend (better for the summer) and a 10/90 bio-diesel/gasoline blend (better for the winter). No engine modifications are required for the vehicles to use these blends."

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jodi Rell - Lead or Step Aside, EPA - washingtonpost.com

2007-05-21T10:53:00.000-05:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jodi Rell - Lead or Step Aside, EPA - washingtonpost.com: "It's bad enough that the federal government has yet to take the threat of global warming seriously, but it borders on malfeasance for it to block the efforts of states such as California and Connecticut that are trying to protect the public's health and welfare.

California, Connecticut and 10 other states are poised to enact tailpipe emissions standards -- tougher than existing federal requirements -- that would cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars, light trucks and sport-utility vehicles by 392 million metric tons by the year 2020, the equivalent to taking 74 million of today's cars off the road for an entire year. ..."

The New York Times Magazine - Features - Columns - Style - The New York Times

2007-05-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

The New York Times Magazine - Features - Columns - Style - The New York Times

ECO-TECTURE

The entire May 20, 2007, New York Times Magazine was devoted to green building.

Read it here.

N.Y hires firm to study LNG plant alternatives - Newsday.com

2007-05-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

State hires firm to study LNG plant alternatives - Newsday.com: "New York State has hired a private consultant to study alternatives in the Atlantic Ocean to Broadwater Energy's proposed location in Long Island Sound for its liquid natural gas terminal, state officials said Friday.

The state Energy Research Development Authority said it has contracted with the Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, for $111,000 to study not just alternative sites but alternative technologies.

'Alternative locations and technologies in the Atlantic Ocean south of Long Island have not been fully explored and developed,' the state agency said in the contract with Battelle.

The energy agency retained Battelle on behalf of the state Department of State, which is considering whether to issue Broadwater a permit to operate the 1,200-foot-long regassification terminal midway between the Suffolk County and Connecticut shorelines. A spokesman for the state department said that considering alternative sites is routine in such proceedings.
"

New Haven Register - Bad air linked to low birth weight

2007-05-21T08:28:00.000-05:00

New Haven Register - Bad air linked to low birth weight: "Connecticut air that meets federal pollution limits still contains enough harmful chemicals to stunt babies before they are born, a groundbreaking Yale University study has found.

The Yale study found that emissions from cars, diesel engines and power plants increase the frequency of low-birth weight babies, who face a multitude of medical problems, including cognitive ability, infection, heart disease and stroke.

'It is very worrisome and a tremendous public health problem,' said David Brown, public health toxicologist and adjunct professor at Fairfield University.

'If you look at people with neurological difficulties, the predominant link is low birth weight,' he said. ...
"

courant.com | Gas Tax Moratorium Questioned

2007-05-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

courant.com | Gas Tax Moratorium Questioned: "Connecticut has already laid out its goals for energy and environmental policy: cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce reliance on foreign oil and expand the use of public transit.

If it cheats on those goals for the next three months, so what?

With gas prices near a record high, Republican legislators announced a plan last week to suspend the state's gasoline tax of 25 cents a gallon from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A vote on the proposal is expected soon. ...

'There is a direct relationship between gas prices and demand for gasoline,' said Robert Puentes, a fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Robert Stavins, an environmental economist at Harvard University, agreed, but said a gas tax moratorium of just three months would change consumption by only a small percentage.

'If we tried, we may not be able to measure a consumer response,' Stavins said.

Twenty years ago, people reacted more strongly to price changes, but that's different today in part because people have higher incomes, said Kenneth Small of the University of California at Irvine, who has studied the relationship between gas prices and consumption.

Environmentalists say making gas cheaper runs counter to Connecticut's stated policies to reduce fossil fuel use and to get more people on buses, bicycles and trains.

"It is a pro-global-warming move," said Gordon T. Geballe, associate dean at Yale University's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

"Everyone is doing the opposite."

Don Strait, executive director for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said: "There needs to be price signals that encourage people to do the right thing. Keeping the price of gasoline artificially low is moving in the opposite direction. ..."