Proposals to reinvent the Northeast Corridor rail system could impact Connecticut more than any other state. But a lack of detail in the plans is causing exasperation even among those who have been pushing for rail improvements for decades, and it has environmentalists worrying whether losses will outweigh the benefits.
Climate Change
Posted inEnergy & Environment
EPA’s Gina McCarthy stops by with a Paris postcard
Gina McCarthy, the environmental regulator who worked in New England for Govs. Mitt Romney and M. Jodi Rell before leading the charge for President Obama on climate change, returned to Hartford on Friday for a post-Paris curtain call. She said the deal will create markets for clean energy.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Winter power, gas supplies, new pipelines – a volatile mix in CT
Another winter, another warning from the folks who run the power grid that natural gas shortages could cause power problems. The warning once again focuses all eyes on natural gas pipelines – viewed as either a big answer to the region’s power difficulties or a big problem, depending on whom you talk to.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Bridgeport election sparks anxiety over big environmental plans
BRIDGEPORT — With Mayor Bill Finch leaving office soon, there is concern for the incomplete environmental projects in his BGreeen 2020 initiative. Some worry that Mayor-elect Joseph P. Ganim, who campaigned on cutting taxes, could choose to pull the plug on some of the projects – especially those that involve city money.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Herbicide finding intensifies battle over GMO labeling
More than two years after passing the nation’s first law requiring labels on most foods containing genetically engineered components, there are still no labels for Genetically Modified Organisms – GMOs – in Connecticut or anywhere else in the U.S. But GMO labeling advocates now have some new ammunition for a counter-offensive.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT’s repeat flood damage dilemma: move out or rebuild?
Thousands of Connecticut homes have been repeatedly damaged by flooding due to storms. costing the government millions in insurance claims. The losses are now causing some to question the wisdom of policies that encourage rebuilding. They say that with climate change, those properties will grow more vulnerable and money would be better spent moving people out. So far, however, few homeowners are interested.
Posted inPolitics
‘Pope of the people,’ citing history, urges Congress to act
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis sent a message of personal and social responsibility to a joint session of Congress and the nation Thursday, but also gently pressed lawmakers to end their partisan bickering and legislative dysfunction.
Posted inPolitics
Liking his message, Malloy joins crowds in D.C. to welcome Pope Francis
WASHINGTON – The nation’s capital is living up to its reputation as a city of contradictions as it cheers Pope Francis’s gently accented words of hope and reconciliation amid a backdrop of a looming crisis – the increasingly likely shutdown of the federal government.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CBIA paddling against the current on climate change
The fall meeting of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s Energy and Environment Council features a keynote address by Yale professor and former DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty, sharing “his insider’s perspective on where climate policy is headed.” The event will also include a tour of Wallingford-based Proton Onsite, a global leader in gas generation and renewable energy storage. So why does the promotional description of the event in CBIA’s recent newsletter call for a reconsideration of Connecticut’s existing commitments to climate protection?
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Malloy signs U.S-Chinese greenhouse gas declaration
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy participated Tuesday in a U.S-Chinese climate summit to announce agreements by cities, state and provinces that he says signifies a greater willingness by China to restrict the production of greenhouse gases.
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro urges Pope to address social ills in speech to Congress
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rosa DeLauro has led an effort by congressional Democrats to urge Pope Francis to bring his social teachings to Congress when the pontiff makes his historic speech there on Sept. 24.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Invasive species keep coming. Will climate change bring more?
It’s an unexpectedly busy summer for invasive species in Connecticut. A new beetle is attacking pines and an old one is attacking ash trees. There’s another dangerous mosquito. The big question — will climate change bring even more problems?
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Climate change poses risks for Amtrak’s already vulnerable eastern CT rail line
The section of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor from New Haven to the Rhode Island border, which has hugged the state’s shoreline for more than 100 years, includes stretches of rail already vulnerable to storms and flooding. As climate change exacerbates the risks, just about that entire line is believed to be in some level of jeopardy. The second of two stories.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Text: Obama speech on climate change at Coast Guard Academy
President Obama used his commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London Wednesday to define climate change as a serious threat to global and national security. Here is the text of his speech, provided by the White House press office.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT to make a start on electric vehicle incentives
In the face of tight state finances, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is about to unveil financial incentives for electric vehicle purchases and leases using money from outside the state budget. Malloy will announce that $1 million from the Northeast Utilities/NSTAR merger settlement fund will be used to help jump-start a sluggish EV market in Connecticut.