Contents:
NEWS
Regional Thinktank
Clean Air
Homeland Security
Electrical Power Supply
CT Planning Overview
SOUTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT
IS IN THE NEW YORK CITY TO NEW HAVEN NEXUS:
On the left is the cover for the GALLIS
report; at the right is the 1995 regional plan for
land use in Southwestern CT produced by SWRPA - and to Census 2000
data for our region from SWRPA WEBsite. How do these
documents relate to the upcoming CT Siting Council process
re: 345kV lines?
There will be plenty of credit to pass around today when Gov. John G. Rowland signs the bill that will clean up the so-called Sooty Six power plants. Mr. Rowland and Environmental Protection Commissioner Arthur Rocque - both of whom opposed cleanup legislation the past few years - deserve a portion of the credit for finally helping this public health measure to become law.
A giant step toward tightening sulfur dioxide emission standards for the six old, soot-belching plants was taken last week when clean-air advocates and their legislative allies reached an agreement with Mr. Rocque and members of the governor's staff. The House approved the bill 134-15; Tuesday, the Senate concurred on a 35-1 vote. Mr. Rowland is set to sign at a ceremony in Norwalk.
In a nutshell, owners will be given a year longer - until Jan. 1, 2005 - than this year's bill originally allowed to meet the new, tougher emission standard. Proponents won their overriding goal: an end to emissions credit trading, a practice that allows some heavy-polluting plants to improve "on paper" only by buying credits from cleaner plants. The bill requires cleanup at the source - meaning that people living near the six power plants in Bridgeport, Middletown, Milford, Montville, New Haven and Norwalk will breathe cleaner air. The new standards can be waived for the duration of an electric power crisis, but only if there is a clear connection between the tougher standards and a power shortage.
[Please read the rest of this article in the archives at the Hartford COURANT website]Nearly seven hours later, shortly before 8 p.m., police declared the complex secure and said no gunman was found.
More than 1,000 lawmakers, visitors and Capitol staff were literally held hostage Wednesday as State Police tactical squads joined Capitol and Hartford police in searching the garage and adjacent LOB. A state police helicopter and airplane flew over the building for hours, taking part in the search and police brought in an armored vehicle. The state Supreme Court building across from the Capitol also was closed, as were surrounding streets and the Capitol Avenue exit from Interstate 84.
Veteran lawmakers and Capitol observers called
the lockdown unprecedented. And while those cooped up for
hours made the most of it, jawboning and lobbying, the
threat's serious overtones could not be
ignored. Police considered the threat real because two
people, women making separate reports, told authorities they
saw an unidentified man holding a rifle or shotgun on top of
the four-level parking garage. Authorities did not identify
the women.
Energy and Telecommunications Membership
Nine members: five appointed by the
Governor including the chairperson, one appointed by the
Speaker of House, one appointed by the President Pro-tempore
of the Senate, the chairperson of the Department of Public
Utility Control, and the commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Protection. By statute, at least two Council
members appointed by the Governor shall be experienced in
the field of ecology and not more than one member shall have
an affiliation with any utility, government utility
regulatory agency, or facility under the Council's
jurisdiction.
The CT State Plan of Conservation and Development 1998-2003 is clear about priorities for development:
For its chapters on H2O quality and supply--and environment and land use policy:WATER QUALITY: http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd3/physical/c&dplan-rec/WaterQ.htm WATER QUANTITY: http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd3/physical/c&dplan-rec/WaterSup.htm Air quality... keeping an eye on it...www.hazecam.net