Willimantic Chronicle Carbon Cap article, 1.17.08 Press

Willimantic Chronicle

Global warming fight comes to Windham

By DAVID HINCHEY
Chronicle Staff Writer

WILLIMANTIC — The Stop Global Warming Connecticut Campaign made a stop at Windham Town Hall Wednesday, as environmental advocates laid out their goals for the next legislative session.

Charles Rothenberger, from the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said a number of leading environmental organizations have made global warming their “No. 1 priority.”

Rothenberger said people have a “moral obligation to address this problem” and states continue to be the leader in the cause after little action at the federal level. He said a voluntary approach for tougher environmental standards would not be effective and advocated for “mandatory emissions targets” to be set. He said states such as California and New Jersey have set emissions reduction targets and he’s calling on the Connecticut governor and legislature to pass similar limits.
 
In a news release, advocates proposed a mandatory cap on global warming pollution that will cut emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 80 percent by 2050. According to a release, global warming in Connecticut affects the health of residents due to hotter summer temperatures, which could worsen the state’s air quality and threaten coastal residents and businesses with rising sea levels.
 
Christopher Phelps, program director at Environment Connecticut, said he’s hoping to “push the envelope in Connecticut.” “We need mandatory limits,” he said, adding the federal government has “done nothing” at this point and that states have begun to “tackle” the global warming issue.
 
Phelps said the one place where there’s much less talk and a lot more action is municipalities, who he said have set the bar high for the state legislators.
 
Alice Liddell, from Environment Northeast, touched on the importance of expanding rail lines for passengers and for freight. “We need to get the region on the path to long-term emissions reduction,” she said.

Liddell said afterward that policies of Environment Northeast advocate low-carbon fuel standards, advanced building energy codes and looking at carbon emissions in planning.
 
Windham First Selectman Jean de Smet — a member of the Green Party — called global warming “one of the most pressing environmental issues.” She said climate change is real and has consequences and said it was time for the state to reduce emissions.
 
De Smet touched on the Fenton River issue, noting that, in 2005, the river was pumped excessively to supply the University of Connecticut with water. That, coupled with an August and September drought that year, rendered a 2,000- foot- long stretch of the river near two UConn wells dry for 11 days and thousands of fish were killed.

De Smet said future development in Mansfield could also impact the town. De Smet said people need to reduce the dependence on foreign oil and she’s hoping to have a downtown with historic renovation combined with energy efficiency.