Legislative Session: The legislative session began on January 6 and will end on June 9. See more here including the bills we are tracking, testimony and more. Take action here.

Beyond Gas, Clean Energy, & Climate

• End Gas Expansion: To address climate change Sierra Club Connecticut opposes gas expansion and advocates for deployment of clean energy. Recent articles on the topic in general: 

  • New York Times article “Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate, U.N. Says”​

  •  “Cities Confront Climate Challenge: How to Move from Gas to Electricity?” from Yale Environment 360

  • “After passing landmark climate law, Mass. officials now face the hard part: how to wean the state off fossil fuels” from the Boston Globe

• Here are some of the areas we are taking action to reduce the use of fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy:

  • Updating Connecticut’s Energy Efficiency program to end rebates for fossil fuel equipment and appliances. Connecticut’s Energy Efficiency Board is developing its 2022-2024 plan for the next 3 years of the program.  ​

• Ending Connecticut’s Gas Expansion Plan: Sierra Club and Save the Sound have filed for intervenor status on PURA Docket 13-06-02RE05, Investigation of Connecticut’s Local Distribution Companies Proposed Expansion Plans to Comply with Connecticut’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy—Program Review.

• TC/BH Expansion by Compression opposition: On April 13 at noon, Sierra Club held a learning session about the proposals to expand fracked gas compressor stations in Milford and Brookfield. See recording here. See also this story from Weymouth Massachusetts about the negative impacts being felt by nearby residents of a new compressor station there.

• Reforming ISO-NE - Sierra Club and other organizations jointly filed these comments on governance reform of ISO-NE, the regional grid operator. CT Mirror published this article on ISO NE.

• Opposition to New Fossil Fuel Power Plants: Sierra Club Connecticut is actively opposing a brand new 650 megawatt fossil fuel power plant in Killingly and 375 megawatts in Middletown. In November 2020, DEEP tentatively approved 375MW fracked gas generation in Middletown. Sierra Club is working with local advocates including the Jonas Center in opposition to the proposal; see fact sheet here. Our opposition was covered by the Middletown Press on March 31. See this article on Killingly, featuring allies.

• Waste Reduction: Sierra Club CT is working with allies led by CT Coalition for Environmental Justice to close the MIRA trash incinerator in Hartford and to implement Zero Waste policies. Sierra Club held a virtual meeting on April 15 on legislation to modernize the bottle bill and other Zero Waste legislation. See the recording here. Access Passcode: $1Z3X%P9. Several bills on Zero Waste are before the General Assembly.

Ready for 100​

• Local campaigns for 100% clean and renewable energy: Teams in five Connecticut towns (Hartford, Milford, Stamford, West Hartford and Windsor) are actively recruiting supporters to transition their communities to 100% clean and renewable energy. 

Clean Transportation​

• Electric Vehicle  Policy: Sierra Club is working with allies to advocate for policies that promote EV charging, fleet transition, rebates and more. Efforts in South Windsor on adopting local ev charging policies are covered in this Journal-Inquirer article. The Sierra Club joined our partners Plug In America, Forth, and the Electrification Coalition to release Version 4.0 of the AchiEVe: Model Policies to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption, the most comprehensive and current toolkit for transportation electrification in the nation. Share with your local elected officials, city/town staff, businesses and legislators.

Land & Water​

• Remington Woods: Sierra Club Connecticut’s Save Remington Woods campaign aims to protect Remington Woods from development and to be preserved in its entirety. Remington Woods is a 422 acre forest in Bridgeport and Stratford. The corporate owner (Corteva, formerly DuPont) meeting will be held virtually on May 11 at 6 pm. Join us in attending and asking for preservation.  See Sierra Club video here. Sign the petition to Save Remington Woods here. Donate to the campaign here.​

Insure Our Future​

• Sierra Club is partnering with CCAG and the Insure Our Future campaign to urge the Connecticut insurance industry to stop investing in and underwriting fossil fuels.  In April, the CEO of Travelers announced their new "carbon neutral" goal which, you guessed it, doesn't mention their massive fossil fuel underwriting or investments.  Like and retweet Bill McKibben who was not impressed: “This is greenwashing at its most brazen.” 

Wildlife​

• The Wildlife team is building support for SB 925 An Act Prohibiting the Import, Sale and Possession of African Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros and Giraffes. Read more and show your support here.