Connecticut
Gov. Lamont said he's focused on affordability with start of legislative session
Governor Ned Lamont said his goal of making Connecticut more affordable will require long-term solutions to fix long-standing problems.
Still, he also hopes to find short-term relief for families struggling to make ends meet.
“You want to bring down the price of electricity,” Lamont said during a one-on-one interview with NBC Connecticut. “You need more supply, you want to bring down the price of housing, you need supply.”
Lamont’s State of the State address focused on the price of many essentials, including electricity, housing and prescription drugs.
He admitted the state can do little to help with groceries, though.
” I don’t want to over promise,” he said. “There’s not much I can do about eggs.”
Lamont did make energy prices a major focus, noting the frustration customers had after surging electricity bills during the summer.
Lamont reiterated Thursday that the state needs to focus on increasing supply – something that could take years.
He defended purchasing more expensive green energy to boost supply in the short-term. Lamont also said he’s trying to get hydropower from Canada.
“That’s something that worries because I don’t have control over it,” he said. “I’m talking to the energy generators, I’m talking to the Trump administration. I’ll be seeing what we can do to get more energy here.”
He also defended the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and Chairman Marissa Gillette, who has been the target of criticism from energy suppliers and Republicans who feel she’s been too heavy-handed.
“Marissa’s really good,” Lamont said. “She holds Eversource accountable. They don’t like that.”
He also said the state needs to boost its housing supply.
He’s made funding for housing – including grants for construction and help for first-time buyers – a priority, but now, he’s pushing lawmakers to speed up local permitting processes.
Lamont said that’s not an invitation to mandate zoning reform.
As Lamont crafts his budget proposal for lawmakers, he’s watching what happens down in Washington, D.C.
The governor’s proposal is due in February, but the current federal spending plan expires in March.
Lamont and lawmakers are worried the Republican-held Congress and President-Elect Donald Trump will cut funding for Medicaid, education and other federal aid.
While he waits, Lamont will receive pressure from Democrats to relax the state’s fiscal guardrails. The governor said he’ll listen, but doesn’t think the state is ready to make major changes.
“Look, we’ll see,” he said. “We’ve paid down by the end of this year, say, $10 billion of pension. We’ve gone from the worst-funded pension system in the country to below average. Below average is not good enough to me.”
Lamont said he plans to work with the Trump administration but vows not to budge on certain policies, including immigration.
America First Legal, founded by Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Miller, recently sent a letter to Lamont pressuring him to comply with Trump’s deportation plan.
The letter said the group had identified Connecticut as a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” something that “subjects you [Lamont] and your subordinates to significant risk to criminal or civil liability.”
Lamont said he doesn’t want to see changes to Connecticut’s immigration policy. The Trust Act states Connecticut agencies do not cooperate with federal deportation efforts except for undocumented immigrants who are charged with Class A or B felonies.
“If you want to get that 16-year-old dreamer out of Guilford High School, go look somewhere else,” Lamont said.
Lamont also wants to see changes at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, focused on attracting more students.
For now, that’s a task for Chancellor Terrence Cheng, who was the subject of an audit last month questioning his spending and expenses.
Lamont said he will talk with Board of Regents Chairman Martin Guay before deciding whether to reappoint Cheng.
“I’m going to let him make the call, making sure we’re making the changes at Connecticut State we need to keep it on the right path,” he said.
Lamont is halfway through his second term in office. He said Thursday he’ll make a decision after the session about running for a third term.
“I don’t want to get pushed around politically either,” he said. “So I’m going make up my mind after the session, see how people think we’re doing.”
Connecticut
Sierra Club Connecticut, State Representatives Host Black Lungs Matter: Juneteenth Press Event – CleanTechnica
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Hartford Advocates and Community Members Gathered to Remember, Honor Path to Freedom
HARTFORD, Ct. — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut and State Representatives Minnie Gonzalez, Maryam Khan, and Jilian Gilchrist hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the broken promises that have contributed to this impact. Speakers included state representatives, public health and civil rights experts, plus local voices from Sierra Club Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice.
The groups are concerned that Governor Lamont is no longer moving ahead with eliminating all carbon emissions from state building heating and cooling systems, as he pledged in Executive Order 21-3. The Trump Administration has also cancelled at least $50 million in federal grants for environmental justice projects across New England, a substantial portion of which was slated to come to Connecticut environmental justice organizations.
Environmental injustice refers to the fact that environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution, and the health harms that they cause, are disproportionately experienced by people of color and low income people. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, tribal affiliation or disability, in the environmental decision making which affects them.
“Just like the enslaved people in Texas were some of the last to gain their freedom, the asthmatic children of Hartford are likely to be the last to breathe clean air,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative. “The Governor should keep his clean air promise to Hartford, and help fight back against the environmental injustice of the Trump Administration.”
“As a Puerto Rican woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live healthy lives,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, who represents the residents that are most exposed to the pollution from Capitol Area Systems.
“As a representative of Hartford, I am deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our city breathes clean air,” said Rep. Maryam Khan. “On this Juneteenth, we recognize the painful legacy of environmental injustice that has disproportionately harmed Black communities. Today, I stand with the Sierra Club in demanding action to tackle air pollution in Hartford. No child’s future should be stolen by the air they breathe.”
“Connecticut has made commitments to Environmental Justice,” said Sharon Lewis, an Environmental Justice Advocate. “Juneteenth reminds us that commitments matter only when they reach the people they were intended to serve.”
“We cannot allow the environmental justice goals and objectives in this city to be ignored,” said Attorney Cynthia Jennings. “Any investment of our tax dollars must be used to improve the health and safety of residents in every Hartford community.”
“Let’s remind the Governor that Black Americans deserve to breathe clean air in Hartford,” said Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer Alycia Jenkins. “Once justice is won for Black Americans, justice will be won for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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NEW CANAAN, Conn. — An elderly driver was rescued from his vehicle after he accidentally crashed into a swimming pool in on Tuesday.
It happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut.
The Tesla plowed through a fence and set of trees before plunging into the water. Police say he was trying to park at the time.
The community pool was closed when it happened, so no one was swimming or in the path of the vehicle.
Lifeguards and first responders entered the pool to help the driver out of the vehicle.
Lifeguard Mike D’Urso, 18, described what happened.
“Me and my coworker were setting up the umbrellas when we heard a loud crash and we turned around and there was a car right in the middle of the pool,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso said the man was conscious and alert, but the vehicle began to take on water.
“The car began to sink a couple minutes in, and my concern was that the water would rise above his head and wouldn’t be able to breathe,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso and EMS workers pulled the victim out through the passenger side window. The driver said he wasn’t injured, but he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The pool will have to be drained, cleaned and refilled. Officials hope to have it reopened by the weekend.
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One person is dead after a double shooting in Hartford, police said.
ShotSpotter notified police of shots fired around 7 p.m. on Magnolia Street.
When officers got to the scene, they found a woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
Police identified the victim as 46-year-old Diana Tirado of New Britain. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was another woman in her 30s with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk. She was taken to the hospital, where she is listed in stable condition. Her identity has not been released.
Police have not identified a suspect at this time.
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