Beyond Gas, Clean Energy & Climate

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Sierra Club is working with community and statewide partners to replace Hartford's Capitol Area System with a 100% renewable alternative. Learn more and add your name urging Gov. Lamont to commit to a 100% renewable replacement for the fossil gas energy plant and buildings it serves. . On July 7, Sierra Club submitted these comments to the Department of Administrative Services along with 238 public comments from Sierra Club members and supporters.

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On July 21, Sierra Club joined in a letter to the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection expressing concerns about the accuracy of the 1990-2021 Connecticut Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

 

Compressor stations: The giant fossil fuel corporation Berkshire Hathaway Energy and TC Inc. (BHETC) is proposing to drastically increase the amount of gas it pushes through its 414 -mile long "Iroquois" fracked gas pipeline by expanding compressor stations in Connecticut and New York.  The expansion applications are now before Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Sierra Club is working with residents of Brookfield to raise awareness of the proposed doubling of the Brookfield Compressor station. Local residents now have a Facebook page, please like it!

 

Air quality monitoring/citizen science: Since May 2021, Sierra Club members have been learning about air monitoring in Connecticut and have analyzed data from various sources. The team is now working on a paper on the topic, Stay tuned! For more information contact Martha. Air quality monitoring was in the news in June as smoke from Canadian wildfires led to hazardous air; many residents looked for information from real-time air monitoring sites like EPA’s Air Now.

 

DEEP is in the process of updating the Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES), a guide for future energy decisions. Sierra Club is urging DEEP to draft a CES that stops expanding the use of fracked gas and starts decreasing all polluting fossil fuels, electrifies everything, prioritizes equity, and does not recommend false solutions. A draft CES is expected to be released for public comment soon.  

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Zero Waste

Sierra Club Connecticut is working with allies led by CT Coalition for Environmental Justice to oppose trash incineration and to implement Zero Waste policies. In response to legislation passed that opens the door to more incineration that could be funded by the Green Bank, Sierra Club Chapter Chair Susan Eastwood wrote this op-ed that appeared in the CTMirror on July 4. On July 6, CT Mirror published this article about the controversy.

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Clean Transportation

Sierra Club is working with allies to advocate for policies that promote car-free transportation, electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging, fleet transition, and more.  Sierra Club Connecticut is urging passage of two sets of clean transportation regulations drafted by the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. In August, Chapter Chair Susan Eastwood published this op-ed in the CT Post in support of the clean transportation regulation. Comments were due on August 30. Sierra Club submitted these comments in support (cars and trucks), we joined 38 organizations in these letters of support (cars and trucks), and over 500 Sierra Club members and supporters sent in comments to support the adoption of the clean transportation regulations.

National Drive Electric Week events are taking place in Connecticut September 22 to October 1, check out the map of events taking place!

 

Land & Water

Remington Woods: Sierra Club Connecticut’s Save Remington Woods campaign aims to protect Remington Woods from development and to be preserved in its entirety. Remington Woods is a 422 acre forest in Bridgeport and Stratford. Sign the petition to Save Remington Woods here.  Are you following Save Remington Woods on Facebook? Visit and see our latest posts. 

 

Wildlife

Wildlife: The Wildlife Committee is working to protect wildlife in our state through education and policy change, including bear education, and raising awareness of the dangers of mowing hayfields on the local grassland bird population, including the Bobolink. . On July 6, Sierra Club Education and Activist Hour featured a presentation and action on grassland habitats and wildlife.
 

Insure Our Future

Insure Our Future: Banks, Asset Managers, and Insurance companies are all implicated in financing the fossil fuel industry. Here in Connecticut, Sierra Club is partnering with CCAG and the Insure Our Future campaign to urge the Connecticut insurance industry to stop investing in and underwriting fossil fuels.  

 

Legislative Session

The Legislative Committee has begun preparing for the 2024 legislative session that will begin on February 7, 2024. Priority issues for the Chapter include climate, clean energy, wildlife, waste reduction, and toxics. Contact Art Helmus, Legislative Chair, for more information.