Rachel's Democracy & Health News #958, May 8, 2008

CONNECTICUT ENACTS A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LAW

[Rachel's introduction: After five years of work, the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is celebrating the passage of a new environmental justice law.]

By Mark A. Mitchell M.D., MPH

[Mark Mitchell is President, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice (www.environmental-justice.org).]

Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is celebrating our latest success. The Connecticut legislature passed HB 5145, our first environmental justice law, after five years of effort. Due to the hard work of Representative Jack Hennessy and our partners, the law passed by a vote of 139 to 9 in the House after 90 minutes of debate and unanimously in the Senate with no debate -- only 2 days before adjournment.

The law, if signed by the governor, will recognize 25 low income towns (called distressed municipalities) and low income neighborhoods in 34 other Connecticut towns as environmental justice communities. If certain types of major polluting facilities are proposed in these neighborhoods, the applicant for a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection or the Siting Council would be required to do two things before building or expanding one of these facilities:

[The text of the new law is available here.]

** They would be required to get approval for an enhanced public outreach plan, to include a public meeting to explain what is being proposed at least 60 days before the agency makes its decision, and

** They would negotiate with the chief elected official and the environmental justice community about environmental benefits to offset some of the proposed environmental hazards. These optional benefits may include funding for environmental education, diesel reduction, walking or biking trails, or urban forestry.

There was also an amendment put on by Stratford republicans that would limit storage of asbestos containing material next to residences.

The types of new or expanded facilities that would be regulated in environmental justice communities include:

1. electric generating facilities with capacities of more than 10 megawatts;

2. sludge and solid waste incinerators or combustors;

3. sewage treatment plants with a capacity over 50 million gallons per day;

4. three types of solid waste facilities (intermediate processing centers, volume reduction facilities, and multi-town recycling facilities) with a combined monthly volume in excess of 25 tons;

5. new or expanded landfills, including those that contain ash, construction, and demolition debris or solid waste;

6. medical waste incinerators; and

7. major sources of pollution under the Clean Air Act (e.g., large factories).

Thanks you all who made calls and helped lobby for the bill. We also thank our partners who helped make this happen, including the CT Department of Environmental Protection, Congregations United for Racial Equality and Justice, the League of Conservation Voters, the African American Affairs Commission, Paul Comer, the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut and CCEJ members throughout the state.

We could not have done it without our legislative champions. In addition to Rep. Jack Hennessy of Bridgeport, who spent countless hours working on the bill and then over an hour answering questions about the bill on the floor of the House, we were supported by Sen. John Fonfara of Hartford, Rep. Steve Fontana of North Haven, Rep. Marie Kirkley-Bey of Hartford, Sen. Toni Harp of New Haven, Sen. John McKinney of Southport, Sen, Mary Ann Handley of Manchester, Sen. Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury, Rep. Dick Roy of Milford, Rep. Bob Godfrey of Danbury, Rep. Diana Urban of North Stonington, and Sen. Marty Looney of New Haven. There were 46 legislators who co-sponsored the bill. Thanks again for all your support.

The language of the new law is available here.