Marcia Chambers Photo
State Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr., co-chair of the legislature’s Environment Committee, moved on several major environmental and legislative fronts this past week in concert with the annual celebration of Earth Day.
He advocated for the “Long Island Sound Blue” plan, after the bill won unanimous passage in the House of Representatives. He pressed for passage of new bills to phase out single-use plastic bags and to prevent the sale of toothpastes and cosmetics that contain harmful microbeads. Kennedy and State Rep. James Albis (D‑East Haven,) the House chair of the Environment Committee, said single-use plastic bags clog up “our waste stream and pollute our waterways,” including Long Island Sound.
With Permission
And last weekend Kennedy headed to Foote Park in Branford to take a look at the town’s baseball fields – all free of pesticides. He said other towns can emulate Branford’s baseball fields, which under the leadership of Alex Palluzzi, Jr., the head of the town’s recreation department, are now pesticide-free without sacrificing the quality of the fields. Kennedy is now pushing a bill to ban pesticides in all municipal playgrounds.
Kennedy told a meeting of the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) last night that he has received strong Republican support on environmental issues. He gave an overview of his legislative environmental efforts, as did State Reps. Lonnie Reed (top photo) and Sean Scanlon. They brought the Dems up to date on budget, property tax, drug and education issues.
Kennedy told the DTC that it’s been a busy session. He said he gets over 450 emails a day and an additional 100 telephone calls a day.
Kennedy: L.I. Sound Blue Plan On Track For Passage
Kennedy praised the recent unanimous passage in the House of Representatives of the Long Island Sound Blue Plan. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for a final vote. He said the plan will provide “a detailed inventory of all natural resources, plant and animal habitats, and environmental features along Connecticut’s coastline. It will also provide information on the impact that climate change could have on the coast, allowing for more effective preservation strategies in the future.” It will take several years to be completed, he said.
Kennedy, Reed, and Kennedy’s wife, Kiki Kennedy, know what some want to place beneath the waters of Long Island Sound. They, along with former state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and former Branford First Selectman Unk DaRos, led the fight against Islander East, a natural gas pipeline seeking a home beneath Branford’s waters. That was back in 2004.
Then came a legal fight, led by Blumenthal, against Broadwater, a floating liquefied gas terminal that he said would be an easy target for terrorists. Blumenthal, now a U.S. senator, along with Rep. Reed and scores of others, won that fight in 2009.
Gov. Malloy Presses For Passage
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy came to Branford in February to press for this legislation. He chose Branford because Long Island Sound, a great natural resource, was the scene of the Islander East and Broadwater battles. (Click here to read about that.) Between New York and Connecticut, the Sound’s coastline stretches more than 600 miles, according to a state report.
Gov. Malloy said this bill is important to the Connecticut coastline because “it allows for comprehensive and regional planning for the Sound for the long term. There is a pressing need for us to act, and I would like to thank the House for passing it.”
“Establishing a Blue Plan for Long Island Sound is vital to its preservation and the development of job-creating commercial entities along Connecticut’s coastline,” Kennedy said.
Robert Klee, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection commissioner, said, “The State of Connecticut holds the submerged lands and waters of the Sound in perpetual trust for the use and benefit of the public. The new tools offered by the Blue Plan proposed in this legislation will help us better exercise our responsibilities to safeguard this resource. Action on this bill is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day.”
The Blue Plan would be completed through a coordinated effort by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the University of Connecticut, as well as relevant state agencies, colleges, universities, and other stakeholders. These groups would gather information on the waters and submerged lands along Long Island Sound, and compile them into a detailed guide. The final plan will take affect following final approval by the General Assembly.
Single-Use Plastic Bags & Microbeads
In an Earth Day speech outside the Capitol, Kennedy said, “Rhode Island had to clean 4,300 of these bags off the coastline in the past two years. On Earth Day we need to renew our commitment to being good environmental stewards, and make steps toward preserving the natural world that we want to leave behind for our children.”
Earth Day, which began on April 22, 1970, marks the anniversary of what many consider the beginning of the modern environmental movement in America.
If passed, Senate Bill 349 will phase out the use of single-use plastic bags in favor of environmentally friendly reusable bags. Americans use an estimated 100 billion plastic bags every year. Connecticut residents use and discard about 400 million of these plastic bags each year. Plastic bags are used on average for only 12 minutes before being discarded and can take up to 1,000 years to break down, allowing them to clog the state’s waste stream and pollute waterways.
Across the Sound, Southhampton, New York, banned the use of single-used plastic bags on Earth Day this year.
“The first Earth Day inspired everyday citizens and government leaders to work together to create a safer, healthier environment for people and wildlife,” said Stewart Hudson, executive director of Audubon Connecticut.
Hudson said that Audubon knows that where birds thrive, people prosper. The Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon here today are a testament to how changing our behavior can change the environment for the better. These birds – once almost extinct as a result of pesticide overuse – are making a comeback and both are now found nesting in the City of Hartford. Let’s keep the spirit of Earth Day alive by passing this suite of bills that will ensure healthier communities for people and birds in the future.”
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