June 9, 2004
PRO-ENVIRONMENT BILLS CREATE LASTING LEGACY FOR CONNECTICUT
By State Representative Bob Godfrey
It has been one of the most challenging years since the income tax for the General Assembly. Historic events had the potential to endanger the legislative process, yet Republican and Democratic legislators produced a state budget that earned wide-ranging support. What is more, it was achieved without bitter partisan wrangling or gridlock.
Even though the passage of a budget that neither raises taxes nor exceeds the budget cap is deserving of praise, it should not be overlooked that the General Assembly worked in a cooperative, bipartisan fashion to enact some of the most significant pro-environment legislation in history.
For Danbury, the benefits of the reforms put in place this session will be felt by residents now and will serve as a lasting legacy to future generations to show our concern for their health, safety and quality-of-life. Recently, the state Department of Public Health’s showed that more than one in ten of Connecticut’s children report cases of asthma, and in April, the Environmental Protection Agency released a report that shows Connecticut residents breathe some of the worst air in the Northeast. Reports such as these demonstrate that more work is to be done to pass pro-environmental legislation that benefits the health of all.
The Clean Cars bill (PA 04-84) ensures that, beginning in 2008, all new vehicles sold in Connecticut incorporate less-polluting engines and 10 percent use ultra low-emission, hybrid gas-electric or zero-emission technology. The landmark legislation will bring significant health benefits to residents of Connecticut, especially seniors and children, who are most susceptible to diseases related to air pollution. The stricter emissions standards under this bill will allow the more than one million Connecticut residents living within a mile of the state’s highways to breathe a healthy sigh of relief.
Likewise, the Climate Change bill (PA 04-252) sets bold standards for the future to confront the harmful effects of global warming when carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, produced in large part by the burning of fossil fuels, trap heat in the atmosphere. Without having a negative impact on our region’s business and industry, the "Climate Change" bill encourages the state to develop a long-range plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and sets an additional 10 percent reduction by 2020.
This session, the General Assembly confronted the reality that Connecticut’s aging power grid needed to be upgraded to meet current energy demands. We approved legislation (PA 04-246) that ensures any new power line built in the state will be buried underground or placed at an acceptable distance from any structure or field where children and families may be live or play. This is especially important for Danbury, whose dense population and location within a heavily populated part of the state, creates a greater demand for reliable energy. This bill shows that the safety of residents will not be overlooked.
The safety of environmental conditions is not limited to the outdoors, however, which is why I have proposed provisions protecting indoor air quality. The success of legislation passed last year protecting teachers and students from poor indoor air quality in schools was emulated by other facilities in the private and public sector across the state. This year, the Indoor Air Quality Projects bill (PA 04-129) bolstered last year’s legislation by permitting the release of state funds for programs relating to indoor air quality measures.
Unchecked rapid growth imposes stresses on local and state government by draining resources for education, transportation and other quality-of-life needs. I pushed hard for the Water Company Lands bill (PA 04-200), which establishes financial incentives for shareholders to preserve land purchased from water companies for open space purposes. The greater the percentage of purchased land that is allotted for purposes of conservation, the greater the share of profit earned by shareholders.
Indeed, the pro-environment legislation approved by the General Assembly will have implications nationwide as our state has effectively demonstrated we are on the vanguard of environmental legislation. Long after the budget cycle is completed and Gov. John G. Rowland’s impeachment proceedings are a mere footnote in history, these initiatives will have a long-lasting effect on improving our environment.
State Representative Bob Godfrey the State Representative from the 110th Assembly District in Danbury. The eight-term Democrat serves as Deputy Majority Leader and Chair of the House Democrats’ Bill Review Committee. Rep. Godfrey is also a member of the Judiciary, the Legislative Management, and the Public Safety Committees.