Greetings! The 2024 legislative session begins on February 7, 2024, and there is a great opportunity this year to pass some significant legislation on pollution and climate, waste reduction, protection from chemicals, and wildlife protection. Our legislative committee will be hard at work, advocating for our priorities and keeping you updated on what is happening at the State Capitol. Make sure you keep up with our website’s legislative page for updates throughout the session. 

 

Our goals to reduce pollution, and protect climate and health include ramping up the deployment of clean energy such as solar power, clean heat and battery storage; passing the Advanced Clean Car Rule II and the Advanced Clean Truck Rule; and strengthening our greenhouse gas law. You can send a message to your legislator about these issues by following the above links. Following up with a phone call is always appreciated and enormously impactful. 

 

To help stem the tide of Connectiut’s waste crisis, we will also be advocating for legislation that will reduce organic waste by both requiring donation of extra food and diversion of food scraps from the waste stream. This will reduce pollution from incineration and landfilling, save money and create good jobs. We will keep you updated on the progress of this legislation as the session moves along. 

 

To protect Connecticut residents and ecosystems from toxic chemicals, we will be advocating for a ban on the forever chemical PFAS from a variety of everyday products, including cosmetics, ski wax, clothing, and furniture. We will also be supporting legislation that bans the pesticides Neonicotinoids and Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, which are severely harming bees, birds, raptors, and wildlife here in the state. Again, please follow the above links to send a message to your legislators to help garner support for these important bills. 

 

Our wildlife committee is working on banning steel leghold traps, which exposes wildlife to needless suffering and also on promoting native plants over invasive species. More information on how to advocate for these issues will be forthcoming. 

 

Advocacy from folks like you can look many different ways. You can email or call your own legislators; email or call Legislative Leadership; have an in-district meeting with your legislator; write testimony on legislation; testify at the public hearing; come to one of our Lobby Days; or write a Letter To the Editor. Sierra Club is happy to support you in any way we can if you would like to try any of these actions. Just reach out to me at ann.gadwah@sierraclub.org.

 

We hope you will continue to support our legislative work this session and help us advocate for these important bills. Without amazing members and supporters like you, we could not do the work we do. Thank you! Talk next month. 

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Ann Gadwah is our Advocacy & Outreach Organizer with a focus on our legislative work at the State Capitol.