Connecticut
CT smog problem gets no relief from Supreme Court’s EPA ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday halted, at least temporarily, a Biden administration rule that would have helped moderate Connecticut’s longstanding summertime smog and other air quality problems.
The rule would dramatically cut Midwestern and Western power plant and industrial emissions that travel east into Connecticut and contribute to the state’s high asthma rates and air quality that is perpetually out of compliance with federal standards.
The court’s action, a 5-4 decision written by Neil Gorsuch with the three liberal justices and Amy Coney Barrett dissenting, once again thwarts decades of legal efforts by Connecticut to force upwind states to do something about the cross-state pollution that disproportionately plagues Connecticut.
“This case is going to have a direct impact on the air quality of Connecticut and the entire Long Island Sound region, the entire New England region,” said Roger Reynolds, senior legal director for the environmental advocacy group Save the Sound. “Connecticut and New York are working hard to reduce emissions, but that’s being completely undermined by pollution that’s coming in through these Midwest power plants. And if we’re not able to address the pollution from the Midwest power plants, we’re never going to be able to effectively address pollution in Connecticut.”
“This disappointing decision is a serious setback for Connecticut’s air quality and public health,” said Attorney General William Tong in a statement. “As Justice Barrett states in her dissent, this injunction ‘leaves large swaths of upwind states free to keep contributing significantly to their downwind neighbors’ ozone problems for the next several years.’ That’s an unacceptable outcome. But our fight is not over. While the Supreme Court has temporarily paused enforcement of the Good Neighbor Provision, we will continue to aggressively pursue our ongoing litigation.”
The ruling adds to the list of recent pushbacks to Biden administration environmental policies by this most conservative iteration of the Roberts court. Two years ago, it prevented the Biden administration from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. It narrowed what bodies of water can be protected under the Clean Water Act. Before this term ends, there will a major decision that many expect will significantly weaken the power of administrative agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency to follow the science. On Tuesday, the court announced that next term it would take up a challenge to the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act that requires in-depth environmental reviews for federal projects.
“This is the worst three years for the environment in the Supreme Court ever, since the passage of our major environmental laws in the early ’70s,” Reynolds said. “There is a clear pattern of weakening the ability of agencies, and there’s a particular focus on the EPA.”
The rule at issue, known as the Good Neighbor Plan, was finalized by the Biden administration in March 2023. It ordered 23 states in the Midwest and West to reduce pollution from their power plants and industrial operations, tightening previous standards set in the Obama administration. The Trump administration took no similar action, even though to be in compliance with the Clean Air Act, it was supposed to. The Clean Air Act, in place since 1970, contains a good neighbor policy designed to keep upwind states from polluting downwind ones.
While the rule was implemented in some of the states, many states had fought the plan, resulting in a hodge-podge of court rulings that have and have not included stays of the rule. A few states that were not granted stays appealed to the Supreme Court as an emergency, and the court decided to hear the appeal to decide whether to grant the stay while the various cases continue to wind through courts.
Connecticut was among a dozen states and other entities that filed comments with the Supreme Court asking it to not impose a stay.
In the meantime, Connecticut is facing yet another summer of air pollution and bad air quality. Pollution emanating from the west and south of Connecticut typically travels east and north on the prevailing winds and in the summer essentially “cooks” in the sun, forming ozone or smog. Connecticut is its landing pad.
The EPA has noted that “southern Conn. experiences the highest ground-level ozone levels in the eastern half of the U.S. The ozone recorded at air quality monitors in Southwest Conn. comes almost entirely (90-95%) from out of state. Connecticut cannot reach attainment with EPA’s ozone air-quality standard without upwind emission reductions from sources in States south and west of Connecticut.”
The American Lung Association’s 25th annual State of the Air Report, released late last year, found that, once again, Connecticut received an F grade in four of its eight counties for high ozone levels, and that Fairfield County has the worst ozone pollution east of Texas.
For nearly half-a-century most of Connecticut has registered ozone that exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards set by the EPA. Right now, the southern part of the state — Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex counties — doesn’t even meet the more lenient 2008 standards. Officially, that’s called being “in non-attainment,” and those counties worsened in recent years to being in “severe non-attainment.” The entire state is in moderate non-attainment with the stricter 2015 standards. It’s anticipated that designation will worsen to “serious.”
Already this ozone season, which runs from March through September, the state has registered 12 bad air days. In the whole of last season there were 19, low for the state and nothing like the brown cloud pollution of the 1970s.
Some of what causes the state’s ozone problem is created locally, largely from transportation. The last coal-fired power plant in New England — the Merrimack Station near Concord, N.H. — is set to close in 2028.
The Good Neighbor Plan as conceived would have taken effect in 2026. EPA projects that in that year alone it would have prevented some 1,300 premature deaths, avoided more than 2,300 hospital and emergency room visits, cut asthma symptoms by 1.3 million cases, avoided 430,000 school absence days and 25,000 lost workdays.
The high court is likely to see the case again as the lower court challenges continue to play out.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.
The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.
The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.
Cost Breakdown
Coventry: $2 million
Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Guilford: $2 million
The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.
Ledyard: $2 million
The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.
Mansfield: $2.2 million
Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.
Thomaston: $2.5 million
Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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