CT Climate News

We're watching what's happening with the 87-acre Morea Road development proposal that was continued on the Farmington Planning & Zoning Commission agenda for April 24, 2023.  The hearing extended past midnight and seems to have concluded without a vote on the project.  A good number of residents voiced their opposition to the development at the hearing and in written comments.  The hearing can be viewed here , and the minutes are available here . On April 18 Farmington Resident Don Barone filed freedom of information requests regarding the apparent conflict of interest given the developers' ties to the Planning & Zoning Commission.  You can read Barone's inquiries here . + + Links: Farmington TPZ Commission Farmington Planning & Zoning Department Farmington TPZ Commission Minutes & Agendas TPZ  Online Meeting Recordings - Meeting Recording for April 24, 2023 TPZ  Pending Application Documents - Application Documents for 4/24/23 March 27 Farmington

CT Climate News is a labor of love, trying to fill gaps in news, advocacy and citizen engagement, on top of our full time work. Sometimes blog posts can take a while to put together, so we don't publish nearly as much as we'd like. But we can be a bit more nimble with Twitter. You can see our Twitter posts here if you don't have an account.  We're @CTClimateNews. If our Tweet timeline doesn't automatically load (it might take a moment), just click the link below to see the feed. You can also access the feed in the menu at the top right corner of this page. Tweets by CTClimateNews

As we previously posted, NorthPoint Development LLC has requested a special permit to construct a 521,886-square-foot warehouse with 118 loading docks at 60-116 West Dudley Road in Bloomfield. A 15,750-square-foot building that now sits on the property would be demolished.   Bloomfield's April 4 Planning & Zoning Commission hearing on the proposal was continued to Thursday, April 27 .  The public hearing begins at 7 pm.  Click here for the agenda.  We encourage everyone who thinks Bloomfield doesn't need a warehouse to speak at the hearing.  Scroll down for links to additional info. Important!  To watch or comment during the hearing you must register first.  Open the agenda for live links shown below.   Other useful information: Staff memo recommending a motion to approve NorthPoint's request, with conditions. Written comments from 13 residents  (thank you!) YouTube recording of April 4 2023 Public Hearing https://www.bloomfieldct.gov/town-plan-and-zoning-commission 

In CT DEEP's sudden burst of negative press on bears, it’s deeply unfortunate that they failed to mention the simple steps to avoid attracting bears.  If CT DEEP really wants to educate the public on bears, those were multiple missed opportunities. Given that climate change is already killing off huge numbers of wildlife, we don't need to kill off even more for responding to the nuisance that we humans create and habituate them to. So we are asking CT media to kindly include a public service message whenever you cover bear stories.  Even better, don’t wait for the next bad news bear story.  Here’s some particularly good info from New Hampshire , Massachusetts and Vermont . As the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department puts it, “ It is your responsibility to avoid attracting bears . The most common sources of food that attract bears are: pet food, bird feeders, barbecue grills, garbage, household trash containers, open dumpsters, and sites with accessible food and food waste

Send your message opposing the development to the Town Planning & Zoning Commission via Town Planner Shannon Rutherford at  rutherfords@farmington-ct.org.  According to Farmington TPZ minutes from March 27 , the public hearing on the proposed development on 87 acres at Morea Road will be continued on April 24 ( agenda here ). Ten Farmington residents spoke in opposition to the development, and the Town Planner displayed correspondence from five others who wrote in opposition to the development. Farmington needs many more residents to speak up and oppose the development and protect the environment. Please tell TPZ and others that preserving natural habitat, not destroying it, is essential to protect against climate change and its consequences. Send your message to the Town Planning & Zoning Commission via Town Planner Shannon Rutherford at rutherfords@farmington-ct.org . Farmington residents may also be interested in the clearcutting application on the April 24 agenda ("

We all heard how electric supply rates were going to go way up as of January, and they have. Eversource's residential supply rate is now 24.17 cents per kilowatt hour, up from 12.05 cents per kilowatt hour in December. United Illuminating's rate also essentially doubled, now at 21.94 cents per kilowatt hour. But has anyone told you you could be paying about half as much by switching to a 100% renewable energy supplier? Probably not, and that's pretty dopey.  You'd think @CTDEEPNews would be hammering away at that message, but it doesn't seem like they are.  It doesn't seem like anyone is. Sure, switching to solar is better yet, but not everyone can do that.  But you CAN switch to a renewable energy supplier and save. A lot.  Eversource residential customers can save 53% by switching their supplier to Major Energy (11.39₵ per kWh, fixed for 5 billing cycles) or 44% through Think Energy (13.50₵ per kWh, fixed for 36 billing cycles). UI residential customer

Connecticut's new climate coalition held an informative legislative update on March 22. You can watch and listen here. And you can sign up for coalition emails/announcements here .

The Town of Bloomfield and Wintonbury Land Trust invite everyone to join an important discussion on climate change featuring award-winning science writer David Pogue for sensible, researched advice on how we can start to ready ourselves for what's ahead.  Preregister for the free webinar on Tuesday, April 18, from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Mr. Pogue is the host of 20 PBS "NOVA" science specials, a six-time Emmy Award-winning technology and science correspondent for CBS "Sunday Morning," a five-time TED speaker, and a "New York Times" best-selling author. Pre-register in advance for free to receive the webinar link. Attendees at the talk will be eligible for a special drawing to receive a signed copy of Mr. Pogue's recent book, "How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos." The webinar is cosponsored by Bloomfield Mayor Danielle Wong, Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services, Bloomfield Library, Trees for

 Connecticut promised to cut climate pollution to protect our future. But our state is not on track to meet obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscores the urgency and need for action.    Tell your legislator to keep CT's climate promise by supporting key bills that address climate and environmental justice. EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS CTLCV is asking all state Senators to support:   SB 1145 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions SB 1147 Environmental Justice   SB 1080 Transportation Carbon Budget   HB 6397 Zero Carbon Emissions   Thank you for your advocacy!   -Lori Brown Paid for by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters  

Today we're sharing the March 24 installment of the NYTimes Climate Forward newsletter, focusing on Your Power as a Citizen. Yes, our systems need to change to address climate change.  But our systems are made up of individual people.  Like you. To subscribe to Climate Forward yourself, scroll to link at bottom of this post. You can do a lot more about the climate crisis than watch your own carbon footprint. Here's how. For subscribers March 24, 2023 By Manuela Andreoni Senior Newsletter Writer, Climate Your power as a citizen What can I do, personally, about the climate crisis? You often ask us a version of this question. That was especially true this week, after the latest international scientific report on global warming. Some of the most obvious answers can seem frustrating. Not everyone can install solar panels on their roof or give up driving, for example. We get that. The good news is, while our individual carbon footprint is important, that's not the only thing