Connecticut
Victories
2005:
Defending the Mercury Products Law – Clean Water Action defeated an attempt to exempt several products from the mercury products law at the state legislature.
Connecticut Commits to 8 state power plant agreement – Clean Water Action and Connecticut Climate Coalition allies successfully worked to ensure Governor Rell remained engaged in the eight state agreement to reduce global warming pollution from power plants, despite criticism from electric companies and the business community. With CT remaining part of the program, the "Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative" was able to move closer to adoption. This agreement is the first multi-state program of its kind in the United States.
2004:
New Haven Commits to 20% Clean Energy by 2010 – Launched on January 29, 2003 in New Haven, CT, the 20% by 2010 campaign is an effort to promote investment in clean, renewable energy sources at the municipal level. Clean Water Action worked with citizens in New Haven to make it the first city to commit to support clean electricity, and following New Haven's lead, Portland, Milford, Fairfield, West Hartford and Stamford joined 20% by 2010. By April 2006, a total of 20 towns across the state had committed.
Connecticut Becomes the Second State to pass Global Warming Legislation – The Connecticut Climate Coalition coordinated by Clean Water Action is credited with bringing Connecticut from a laggard to a leader and citizens around the country and the world have looked to our work for inspiration. The 2004 global warming law mandated the release and implementation of a Connecticut Climate Change Action Plan to reduce heat-trapping pollution to 1990 levels by the year 2010, 10% below 1990 by 2020 and 75-85% by 2050.
2003:
Reducing Mercury Emissions from Coal Plants – Clean Water Action negotiated an agreement with PSEG (the owner of Connecticut's biggest coal-burning power plant) to dramatically reduce emissions from power plants in CT. The law became the first in the nation to regulate these emissions and reduced mercury approximately 90% by 2008.
Defend Conservation and Local Management Fund – Governor Rowland's budget proposal threatened to remove all of the electric customer's money from funds which supported energy conservation and efficiency measures, as well as renewable energy investment and development. Clean Water Action fought hard against this and in the end only 1/3 of the fund was used leaving Connecticut's electricity conservation fund still top in the nation. Clean Water Action continues to work to restore money to these programs.
Electricity Deregulation Bill – Clean Water Action and allies worked to pass a bill to update CT's electricity deregulation law to increase the amount of renewable energy supplied in the state and to ensure that trash incineration and other dirty forms of generation are not reclassified and subsidized as "Class I" clean energy.
2002:
Sooty Six Clean-Up – In May 2002, Connecticut residents won a five-year campaign to clean up Connecticut's six dirtiest oil and coal-fired power plants. Through a successful grassroots coalition and citizen mobilization campaign, the Sooty Six coalition led the state to adopt stricter emission standards on power plant pollution.
In April 2002, the Connecticut legislature passed HB 5209: An Act Concerning Reducing Sulfur Dioxide Emissions at Power Plants, and on May 2 2002, Governor Rowland signed the bill into law. This bill required the Sooty Six power plants and other in the state to adhere to the same pollution restrictions for sulfur dioxide emissions as newer power plants, and a bill the following year dramatically reduced mercury pollution from these plants.
Clean Water Action will continue to lead the Sooty Six coalition by remaining vigilant about any state or national activities that could hinder the implementation of the power plant clean up. Please visit our Sooty Six Campaign page for the history of the campaign.
Reducing Mercury in Products – Clean Water Action and allies made Connecticut the second state in the nation to reduce mercury used in products, thereby reducing the amount that will be incinerated and emitted into our environment.
