Hi, everyone!

 

May has come and gone and we’re all looking ahead to summer (or for Bald Eagles, as the young individuals pictured above were doing at a Remington Woods event led by Jhoni Ada). And there are plenty of Chapter events and outings to look forward to this summer. But before highlighting some of those, I’d first like to look back at our eventful month just past.

 

The Connecticut legislative session came to an end on May 6. One of the more positive outcomes was the passage of a solar bill, albeit with some frustrating compromises. Still, the bill provides for the vitally important renewal of the solar tariff programs, which — in recognition of the numerous benefits solar power brings to the stability of our electric grid, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the affordability of electricity in our very expensive state — will now continue to provide incentives to residential and non-residential customers to adopt this earth and cost saving technology. The solar bill also provides the legal framework for the sale and use of plug-in solar in Connecticut and for the streamlining of the permitting process for solar projects across the state. Those measures should both broaden accessibility to and increase the adoption rate of solar in the coming years. 

 

Another positive achievement was progress towards passage of a leaf blower bill that would provide incentives for municipalities to transition from gas to battery-powered leaf blowers. The bill was approved by the state Senate but was not taken up by the House. This bill was championed by Sierra Club volunteer Vincent Giordano, who is continuing his work by advocating for towns to pass ordinances restricting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. See his article in this newsletter regarding New Canaan, the 5th Connecticut town to pass such an ordinance.

 

Speaking of Connecticut towns, a spectacular Sierra Club bike ride through many of them took place on May 30 and 31. Led by Sena Wazer and Sydney Collins, eighteen riders covered 100 miles. They started in Brookfield, camped overnight in Middletown, and continued on the next day to finish in Mansfield. The goal of the ride was to bring people together from across Connecticut to speak out against fossil fuel expansion and support a cleaner, healthier future. The kickoff in Brookfield involved community members to highlight the proposed expansion of a local methane gas compressor station. The ride closed with a rally in Mansfield, where speakers focused on the Enbridge gas pipeline running across Connecticut which is currently being expanded regionally. In addition, in Middletown participants painted a mural to demonstrate our love of the Connecticut River and to raise awareness of a proposed Eversource gas pipeline that would go under the river and impact state parks in Middletown, East Hampton and Higganum. What an amazing way to raise awareness of the impacts these gas pipelines and infrastructure have on our health, environment and utility bills. You can see pictures of the ride and other details on Instagram or Facebook.

 

Upset you missed taking part in that outing (I bought a bike and intend to be ready for the next one like it)? Well, Connecticut Trails Day Weekend takes place June 6-7, and Sierra Club will be exploring Machimoodus State Park along the Salmon River (home to the fabled “Moodus Noises”), Sunrise State Park in East Haddam and more. For more information about those hikes, see Kenneth Selling’s article.

 

Also in June, Alycia Jenkins will be leading two events highlighting our campaigns to convert the Capitol Area System from methane gas boilers to a geothermal network and to bring other thermal energy networks to Hartford and reduce pollution from gas and oil. On June 10, a “Raise A Glass” happy hour will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Fire By Forge that will focus on Capitol Area System, and, on June 18 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the State Capitol, we will hold a Juneteenth Press Conference entitled “Black Lungs Matter.” Information about these and other happenings can be found on our Events & Outings webpage. 

 

Hope you all have a great June!

 

With solidarity and care,

 

Mike Ungaro

Chapter Chair of Sierra Club Connecticut