SOUTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT IS IN THE NEW YORK CITY TO NEW HAVEN NEXUS:

On the left is the cover for the GALLIS report;  at the right is the 1995 regional plan for land use in Southwestern CT produced by SWRPA - and to Census 2000 data for our region from SWRPA WEBsite.  How do these documents relate to the upcoming CT Siting Council process re:  345kV lines?

There will be plenty of credit to pass around today when Gov. John G. Rowland signs the bill that will clean up the so-called Sooty Six power plants. Mr. Rowland and Environmental Protection Commissioner Arthur Rocque - both of whom opposed cleanup legislation the past few years - deserve a portion of the credit for finally helping this public health measure to become law.

A giant step toward tightening sulfur dioxide emission standards for the six old, soot-belching plants was taken last week when clean-air advocates and their legislative allies reached an agreement with Mr. Rocque and members of the governor's staff.  The House approved the bill 134-15; Tuesday, the Senate concurred on a 35-1 vote. Mr. Rowland is set to sign at a ceremony in Norwalk.

In a nutshell, owners will be given a year longer - until Jan. 1, 2005 - than this year's bill originally allowed to meet the new, tougher emission standard. Proponents won their overriding goal:  an end to emissions credit trading, a practice that allows some heavy-polluting plants to improve "on paper" only by buying credits from cleaner plants. The bill requires cleanup at the source - meaning that people living near the six power plants in Bridgeport, Middletown, Milford, Montville, New Haven and Norwalk will breathe cleaner air. The new standards can be waived for the duration of an electric power crisis, but only if there is a clear connection between the tougher standards and a power shortage.

When Mr. Rowland delivers as promised, Connecticut can claim to be a national leader in power-plant cleanup. The more restrictive sulfur-dioxide standards in combination with tough DEP regulations governing pollutants give the state an effective one-two punch.

After five years of fighting between clean-air advocates and plant owners and the legislative allies of each, this year's Sooty Six bill is legislation whose time finally arrived. Cleaner fuel to run the old power plants is readily available. There is no good reason why they should not be required to meet the same emission standards as all other power plants.

People who live near the plants and who applied grassroots pressure year after year, the legislature's top leadership - House Speaker Moira K. Lyons and Senate President Kevin B. Sullivan - and champions such as Sen. Donald E. Williams Jr. will deserve the lion's share of credit for their persistence in fighting for tough standards. Mr. Rowland, according to some lawmakers, is signing the measure because he was pushed into a corner.  Whatever. The only thing that counts is his signature. With that,
thousands of Connecticut residents in time will be able to breathe cleaner air. 

The brouhaha began when Nystrom attempted to amend the so-called Sooty Six bill. His proposal would provide protections for the workers in case any of the plants, including one located in Montville, close their doors because of the tougher standards. But Caruso called the amendment “a red herring.” Outside the hearing room, he accused Nystrom of offering the amendment to “bog down” the bill and “run out the clock.”

“I don't think he has the right to say he's pro-labor,” said Caruso, one of the main backers of the bill for the past five years. “He's never talked to us about this. He's never raised it on the floor.”

But Nystrom, a member of the Teamsters, said he has repeatedly voiced concern for the fate of the workers. In fact, he met with 42 of the workers at the Montville plant
Wednesday. Those employees believe the bill could close the power plant.  “Rep. Caruso practices the artful dodge of selective hearing,” said Nystrom. “I don't think people's jobs are something to be taking lightly around here. We've talked about jobs every year there's been debate on this bill.  “These are my constituents. That's why I'm doing this,” Nystrom said. “I have families in my home district who are going to lose their jobs.”

This year's version of the Sooty Six proposal is somewhat similar to the past bills, requiring the plants in Montville, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Middletown and
Milford to reduce the sulfur dioxide emissions at the smokestacks. The new bill also restricts the plants' owners from trading pollution credits from cleaner plants in order to
meet the stricter rules.

Advocates for the latest legislation claim the proposal should be amenable to Gov. John G. Rowland because it waives the tougher standards during power emergencies. In fact, the proponents are using the same language the state Department of Environmental Protection used when drafting some earlier regulations. Last year, the governor and DEP officials claimed the legislation could create energy reliability problems in a power crunch, prompting Rowland to veto the bill.

Already, DEP Commissioner Arthur J. Rocque Jr., has said his agency “strongly opposes” the bill because it eliminates the emissions credit trading provision. As in past
years, critics question whether the bill would risk the state's power supply. NRG Energy Inc., the Minneapolis-based firm that owns the Montville power plant and three others, claims the bill jeopardizes the economic viability of the electricity generators.  Nystrom's amendment failed on a party-line vote. The overall Sooty Six bill passed 18-6, progressing to the House of Representatives and possibly another committee. Later on, Nystrom was successful in adding his amendment to another bill. He said that proves he did not offer the proposal simply to kill the Sooty Six proposal.

At Friday's hearing, both lawmakers accused the other of impugning his name.  Legislators are not allowed to personally criticize one another during legislative hearings
and floor debates. During the committee meeting, Caruso claimed he was not specifically accusing Nystrom of trying to hurt the bill. But Nystrom said Caruso has a
reputation for criticizing fellow lawmakers.

“You are the one who continually makes these kinds of statements,” said Nystrom. “I am fed up with you.”

s.haigh@theday.com 

Nearly seven hours later, shortly before 8 p.m., police declared the complex secure and said no gunman was found.

 More than 1,000 lawmakers, visitors and Capitol staff were literally held hostage Wednesday as State Police tactical squads joined Capitol and Hartford police in searching the garage and adjacent LOB.  A state police helicopter and airplane flew over the building for hours, taking part in the search and police brought in an armored vehicle. The state Supreme Court building across from the Capitol also was closed, as were surrounding streets and the Capitol Avenue exit from Interstate 84.

Veteran lawmakers and Capitol observers called the lockdown unprecedented. And while those cooped up for hours made the most of it, jawboning and lobbying, the
threat's serious overtones could not be ignored.  Police considered the threat real because two people, women making separate reports, told authorities they saw an unidentified man holding a rifle or shotgun on top of the four-level parking garage. Authorities did not identify the women.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m., a few minutes after Rowland inaugurated the first full legislative session since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"We have looked evil in the eye and have drawn strength from the darkness," Rowland told hundreds of lawmakers and invited guests in the historic Hall of the House.
His budget proposal includes plans to provide a free college education for Connecticut children who lost parents in the September attacks. "I hope this will be the first bill to reach my desk," he said.

Rowland's plan also includes efforts to protect public water supplies, a system to prosecute terrorists under state racketeering laws and tougher penalties for people found possessing weapons of mass destruction.  "The people want to know Connecticut is safe and secure," Rowland said.

But as hundreds of people returned to the LOB for business and lunch, police closed it off. While the garage was searched, rumors ran wild, focusing on a reputed sniper
on the garage roof.  By 2:30 p.m., police ordered the evacuation of the office building, so hundreds moved to the Capitol, where they milled around until about 5 p.m. The legislative garage remained closed until 8.  State police said a criminal investigation is continuing.

"I feel as if I have an awful lot of work to do and I can't do it," said Rep. Jacqueline M. Cocco, D-Bridgeport.  Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin B. Sullivan, D-West Hartford, caught milling around the Capitol's first floor, said the last time a major evacuation occurred was during a 1998 bomb scare.  "It was deemed to be credible," Sullivan said of Wednesday's incident. "It is an ironic note that in this year, this is the only thing that will knock the State of the State speech off the front page."

"I've been here 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened," said Rep. Ernest E. Newton II, D-Bridgeport.   Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, said that while no one seemed too concerned, the reality of unexpected violence remained.

Rowland, in his Capitol office late into the evening, said he felt safe.  "This is not an inconvenience to me, though I do have concern for the people that are here," Rowland told WVIT-TV.

Ken Dixon, who covers the Capitol, can be reached at (860) 549-4670.

Energy and Telecommunications Membership
Nine members: five appointed by the Governor including the chairperson, one appointed by the Speaker of House, one appointed by the President Pro-tempore of the Senate, the chairperson of the Department of Public Utility Control, and the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. By statute, at least two Council members appointed by the Governor shall be experienced in the field of ecology and not more than one member shall have an affiliation with any utility, government utility regulatory agency, or facility under the Council's jurisdiction. 

The CT State Plan of Conservation and Development 1998-2003 is clear about priorities for development:

• http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd3/physical/c&dplan-rec/PlanLocR.htm#Priorities

WATER QUALITY:  http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd3/physical/c&dplan-rec/WaterQ.htm

WATER QUANTITY:  http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd3/physical/c&dplan-rec/WaterSup.htm

Air quality... keeping an eye on it...www.hazecam.net