CT Climate News

Rapid pace of green space losses show towns don't recognize urgency of climate crisis Connecticut towns are letting green space be destroyed, making our climate crisis worse. Towns need to update their plans to reflect the rapidly worsening climate crisis. In one year, a mature tree absorbs more than 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and releases a day's supply of oxygen for four people. Every acre of woodland absorbs about 6 tons of CO2/year, or the amount of CO2 produced by driving 26,000 miles. 130 Acres: large-scale apartment, industrial project in East Granby Details at https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/new-jersey-developer-eyes-large-scale-apartment-industrial-project-in-east-granby East Granby's POCD is from 2014. 30.3 Acres: Massive warehouse proposed in South Windsor The site plan application of property owner UW Vintage Lane II LLC of Glastonbury calls for building the warehouse on 30.3 acres bordered by Talbot Lane and Governors Highway. The propertie

The United Nations & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change keep warning us repeatedly: "The climate crisis is a code red for humanity. Urgent action is needed before it is too late. The window of opportunity is closing to avoid catastrophic climate change." But too many Connecticut towns--and certainly developers--don't get it. Multiple towns are taking us backwards by allowing forested land to be cleared for new warehouses and other anti-environmental projects. The latest is proposed for Bloomfield. Other projects will be featured in future posts. Preserving trees, forest and land in its natural state is essential climate action. Bulldozing and paving over forests, wetlands and fields just speeds up climate change instead of slowing it down. Bloomfield: 8.728 Acres of Forest and Wetlands To Be Bulldozed for Warehouse at 59 & 69 Douglas Street. Be a voice for climate action. Submit comments or speak at June 23, 2022 hearing on this proposal. Check this

The CT League of Conservation Voters maintains its 2022 Watchlist of environmental bills online, showing which bills passed, which failed, and whether they were good or bad for the environment. More to come in CTLCV's Environmental Scorecard. If CTLCV makes its May 6 Zoom webinar on 2022 legislation available online, we'll share it here. In addition, Sierra Club Connecticut reports in its May newsletter: Good Bills that passed: Senate Bill 4 tackles pollution from Connecticut’s transportation sector, which is responsible for 37.4% of greenhouse gas emissions. The bill gives Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) the authority to move forward with medium- and heavy-duty vehicle regulations adopted by a growing number of states from coast to coast, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. This will allow the state to proceed with adoption of various life-saving reg

According to Morning Consult's "Taking the Temperature: An Energy and Climate Tracker , " just 32% of US adults are currently very concerned about the impact of climate-change fueled natural disasters on their community. That percentage is down from 43% in September 2021. When it comes to concern about climate change and its impacts generally, 38% of US adults are "very concerned." That number is down from 46% in August 2021. Does hurricane season have anything to do with raising people's awareness of climate change and its impacts?  

A Very Good Year for Forests, Parks & Trails The 2022 session of the CT General Assembly ended at midnight Wednesday night. Overall, this was a very good year for forests, parks, and trails (budget updates at the bottom). But it almost wasn't. There were three bills that passed the Senate and awaited final action in the House on Wednesday: SB 117 , which proposed new requirements for DEEP's approach to trees considered to be hazardous to people in State Parks and Campgrounds; SB 238 , which included technical fixes to Connecticut’s Forest Fire compact with other states, Forest Practices Act administrative improvements, and several technical changes to unrelated DEEP programs; and SB 491 , which proposed selling a piece of Housatonic Meadows State Park in Sharon to an abutting private interest with no restrictions and no known public benefit. Wait, what?! (imagine the screeching of brakes here) So, what happened?! SB 238 passed with an amendment incorporating the spirit bu

Funding Supports Environmental and Water Activities The EPA's Environmental Finance Center Grant Program offers support for regional centers that will provide services for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funded water-related activities. The centers will also support multi-environmental media activities. Supported organizations will provide local governments, states, tribes, and non-governmental organizations with eligible services, such as support in administering funds, capacity building, technical assistance, training, reports and studies, tools, and other eligible activities to protect human health and the environment. Additional priorities include maximizing the potential for BIL funds to provide significant benefit to disadvantaged or tribal communities, tackling the climate crisis, and advancing environmental justice and equity. The application deadline is June 17, 2022. Summary here .  

If spring has you tackling home improvement projects, be sustainable about them! PaintCare makes it easy to recycle leftover paint. There are currently 25 dropoff sites in Connecticut . What they accept: PaintCare sites accept house paint as well as primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish. Accepted products, also referred to as “PaintCare products” and “architectural coatings,” are the same ones that carry the PaintCare fee when purchased. To be accepted for drop-off, PaintCare products must be in their original containers of no larger than 5 gallons in size, must have the original manufacturer’s printed label on the container, and must be covered with a secured lid. Open or leaking cans not accepted. Check the full list here . Want to become a dropoff site? PaintCare welcomes partnerships with waste collection facilities in states with a PaintCare program, especially those that operate household hazardous waste collection programs, transfer stations, r