Rivers Alliance
of Connecticut
Connecticut's United Voice for River Conservation

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(Page last updated Mon May 19, 2008)

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THE 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN CONNECTICUT
Disappointing AND Promising

In this document: RIVERS ALLIANCE LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP FOR 2008, THE PROMISE GOING FORWARD and RIVERS ALLIANCE POSITION ON LEGISLATION IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL WARMING or Click here for our 2008 Agenda and 2007 Legislative Summary

RIVERS ALLIANCE LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP FOR 2008

An extraordinary number of environmental bills were introduced this session, some 70 being voted out of the Environment Committee.  The Appropriations Committee wrestled with urgent requests for additional funds for social services, education, and especially, from the environmental community, for the Department of Environmental Protection.  

Progress on environmental issues appeared steady until mid-session, when the state surplus turned into a deficit, and the governor and the General Assembly decided to stand pat with the budget from last year.   Then, House Speaker Jim Amann announced he would not seek re-election, immediately refocusing representatives on their new political futures.  Precious hours in the last days of the session were given over to saying goodbyes to Mr. Amann and other legislators who are stepping down.  The total number of bills passed was under 200, which is low even for an ordinary short session, much less one with no money bills. 

Here follows a list of selected bills of importance to protecting state waters.

DEP FUNDING.  Rivers Alliance was one of the leaders in a broad coalition seeking additional funding for the DEP.  This agency is essentially operating on the same level of appropriations as when it was founded in the early 1970s.  The Council of Environmental Quality has released a report detailing how underfunding of the DEP has resulted failures to maintain state parks and to monitor and enforce the rules applying to clean air and water.  The Appropriations Committee added $3 million to the DEP budget for staff and operations.  This was lost when the entire budget revision was canceled, but we start next year with a press campaign in place and a precedent for increased funding.

RIVERFRONT PROTECTION (SB 362)   This was the lead rivers bill this session, a thorough re-write of a similar bill introduced by Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Trout Unlimited in 2007.  Again, it was a coalition effort.  The original bill called for 100-foot buffers of natural vegetation along all streams and rivers (with exemptions for developed areas and agriculture).  The bill made it through the Environment and Appropriations committees, but was extensively and poorly revised in the Planning and Development Committee, where it failed by a vote of 9 to 10.  Bill was hugely opposed by the Home Builders Association of Connecticut, but, more important, because of its complexity, did not have support of CACIWC (the association of state wetlands and conservation commissions) or the DEP.  Work is continuing on this vitally important effort. 

ENHANCEMENT TO INLAND WETLANDS AND WATERCOURSES ACT.  This bill strengthened the authority of local commissions to protect wetlands and clarified that the burden of proof is on the applicant seeking a permit.  It was simple and universally approved by stakeholders, including CACIWC and the DEP.  It passed in Environment, was killed in Planning and Development, and then revived as an amendment to another bill.  It died in the last day of the session, evidently due to opposition from some House Republicans.  The only group openly opposing this bill was the Home Builders Association of Connecticut.  This is a must-pass for next year.  

FUNDING FOR 5-MILE RIVER AND THE PARK RIVER.   Bills to provide funding for studies of the 5-Mile River in Fairfield County (repeatedly floods) and the Park River in Hartford failed because of the state financial downturn.

GLOBAL WARMING (HB 5600).   This was the big environmental winner of the year, setting limits for carbon emissions in Connecticut and putting in place variety of goals and strategies to limit and mitigate impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.    

FACE OF CONNECTICUT (HB 5873).  This was a major win for the coalition that came together last session to combine advocacy for protection of open space, farmland, historic sites, and urban centers.  It creates a Face of Connecticut Account in the General Fund and a Steering Committee to help coordinate relevant programs and make recommendations on funding. 

PROTECTION OF LANDS CONSERVED BY LAND TRUSTS AND OTHER NON-PROFITS FROM LOCAL TAXATION.  A Superior Court ruling against the Aspetuck Land Trust opened the door for local taxation of conserved lands held by non-profit groups.  Language blocking such taxation was attached to the Face of Connecticut legislation.

BOTTLE BILL (SB 357).  This commonsense but controversial (in some quarters) legislation would add containers for water and some other non-carbonated beverages to the state bottle-deposit program.  Despite bitter opposition from retailers and bottlers, it appears this bill would have passed last and this year if Speaker Amann had allowed it to come to a vote in the House.  With Mr. Amann’s retirement, this bill will have a better chance next year. 

MORATORIUM ON PACKAGED SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS (SB 136).  Packaged on-site sewage treatment technologies can enable density on sites too small for traditional septic treatment.  Thus they can be used to make or break smart-growth planning.  Unfortunately their record of performance is poor and monitoring and enforcement is weak.  The bill made it through the Environment Committee but then died.  The challenging problem of getting these systems to work right is very much alive. 

BAD BILLS DEFEATED.   Rivers Alliance and others successfully staved off legislation aimed at supporting rock mining in reservoir lands; legislation providing ill-conceived for opportunities to override state and local conservation regulations; and legislation promoting ATV use on state lands. 

THE PROMISE GOING FORWARD

Leadership in the House next year will be friendlier to pro-environment legislation.  Very likely, Rep. Chris Donovan, the Majority Leader, will step up to be Speaker, and Rep. Denise Merrill, now Co-Chair of Appropriations, will become Majority Leader. 

Senate President, Don Williams, and Sen. Ed Meyer, now co-chair of the Environment Committee, are both strong advocates for environmental causes, and Senate Minority Leader, John McKinney is one of the most reliable Republican supporters of environmental legislation.  

Important bills relating to rivers, wetlands, land-use, and the DEP made progress this year, and will start next year in a good position. 

RIVERS ALLIANCE POSITION ON
LEGISLATION IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL WARMING

Rivers Alliance believes that protection and improvement of the state’s waters is the best means to attain an economically and environmentally healthy future for the state.  Global warming and sprawl development increasingly threaten streams and aquifers, lakes and estuaries.  Lack of clean water is one of the first symptoms of global stress.  Our policy response is to support actively all efforts to solve the global crisis, and to lead the way in protection of waters.