Speak Up for CEQ and DEP

Hi ,

Our last message gave you information on how to speak up about the Governor's budget proposals for DEP.

Today's message features more details on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the independent environmental watchdog that Governor Rell proposes to eliminate, and what you can do about it. We've tried to give you everything you'll need to know, all in one place.

Tell the Appropriations Committee to KEEP CEQ

CEQ is an independent watchdog that makes sure Connecticut's state and town governments enforce environmental laws. If you want a good quality of life, you need a clean, safe, preserved environment. Connecticut needs CEQ to hold state and town governments accountable for enforcing environmental laws.
We need an independent watchdog. The proposal to shift CEQ's duties to DEP is no answer. DEP can't be its own watchdog. The truth is, some elected officials care more than others about enforcing environmental laws that keep our land, air and water clean and healthy and our parks and beaches well maintained. Right now we have a DEP Commissioner who takes enforcement seriously. But it wasn't always that way. If she moves on, then what? Connecticut needs an independent watchdog to make sure our environmental laws are upheld.
CEQ's return on investment makes keeping it a no-brainer. You can take this to the bank: The annual $170,000 it costs to run CEQ pays for itself many times over. Each time CEQ steps in when a state or local agency isn't doing its job, costly damage to the environment is avoided or reduced. Each time CEQ speaks up about how state money is being used to undermine the state's own environmental goals (as when CEQ spoke up about state money being used to develop more than 100 acres of prime agricultural land, including active farms), that's priceless.

Three Things You Can Do:

Come to the Appropriations Committee's public hearing on FEB 17 at 6pm and speak up (details below; directions)
Contact members of the Conservation & Development subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee (details below)
Call or email your legislators (find them here)

What You Can Say:

CEQ must stay funded as an independent watchdog. Its modest funding is cost-effective and should be retained.
DEP already has too few staff to serve the public as efficiently or effectively as we need it to. Give it the resources it needs to do its job well.

Appropriations Committee Public Hearing | Tues, February 17, 6 pm
The General Assembly's Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing on the portion of the state budget that includes the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies. Governor Rell released her budget proposals last week, with some good news and bad for the DEP and bad news for Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The Appropriations Committee will make changes to the Governor's budget proposals, so it is critical to hear from every day citizens that environmental programs are important to them.

Council On Environmental Quality: The Governor has proposed eliminating funding for the CEQ, a nine volunteer, two-staff council with a miniscule budget of approximately $170,000 per year. CEQ has provided critical research on and attention to a broad variety of environmental issues and has served as a sounding board for citizens who have concerns about how their municipal commissions or the DEP are addressing environmental issues. (To view a CEQ recent report, go to http://www.ct.gov/ceq/lib/ceq/checklist_final_2.pdf )

DEP FUNDING: The important message for the Appropriations Committee is that DEP performs essential services for our communities, and that it already has too few staff to do its jobs.

The good news: the Governor's proposal would fix a defect in the way the agency has been funded, by paying for most positions out of the state's General Fund rather than out fees that DEP collects. The fee levels have been set too low to keep up with inflation and operational costs.

The bad news: The Governor's proposal fails to provide funds in the General Fund for staffing required to meet the demands on the department.

The other bad news: The Governor's budget proposal would cut DEP staff positions. While DEP's workload and responsibilities have increased, its staffing levels have already been cut dramatically in recent years.

Details on Attending the Hearing
Tues., Feb 17, 2009, 6pm, Legislative Office Building, Hartford (directions)
LOB Room 2C

Bring a book, a laptop (the entire Legislative Office has free wireless access) or a friend or two and spend an evening listening to your fellow citizens express their concerns.

Public speaker order for the public hearings will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9: 00 A. M. until 10: 00 A. M. in the LOB Atrium and from 10: 15 A. M. until 1: 00 P. M. in Room 2700 of the LOB. The list of speakers registered through the lottery system will be posted outside the designated hearing room two hours prior to the start of the public hearing. Speakers who arrive after the lottery is over will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list.

Contact the Appropriations Subcommittee on Conservation and Development

Sen. Bob Duff (Co-Chair)	240-0414	Duff@senatedems.ct.gov
Rep. Terry Backer (Co-Chair)	240-8585	Terry.Backer@cga.ct.gov
Sen. Scott Frantz	240-0474	Scott.Frantz@cga.ct.gov
Sen. Andrew Maynard	240-0584	Maynard@senatedems.ct.gov
Rep. Sandy Nafis	240-8500	Sandy.Nafis@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Deborah Heinrich	240-8585	Deborah.Heinrich@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Ezequiel Santiago	240-8585	Ezequiel.Santiago@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Peter Villano	240-8585	Peter.Villano@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Jack Thompson	240-8585	Jack.Thompson@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Terrie Wood	240-8700	Terrie.Wood@housegop.ct.gov
Rep. Diana Urban	240-8585	Diana.Urban@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Roberta Willis	240-0280	Roberta.Willis@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Richard Roy	240-0440	Richard.Roy@cga.ct.gov
Rep. John Stripp	240-8700	John.Stripp@housegop.ct.gov
Rep. Fred Camillo	240-8700	Fred.Camillo@housegop.ct.gov