Plans last year for new transmission lines through two much bigger municipalities, Fairfield and Bridgeport, spurred the legislature to carve a role for local government and state lawmakers before the state’s Siting Council can approve a utility project. In East Haven, local activists opposing the expansion of Tweed airport, called into question the commitment of Democrats in Hartford to so-called environmental justice communities. This year the legislature passed a bill, House Bill 7004, to allow small towns with 16,000 or fewer residents to vote by referendum on state permitting of unwanted projects. A sponsor of the bipartisan bill told CT Examiner the legislation was a direct response to plans for a trash incinerator in Plainfield. But it could also prevent the construction of a second incinerator in Preston, and the third trash incinerator located in the immediate area. But a week later, on July 8, Lamont vetoed House Bill 7004. “Allowing permitting decisions to be overturned by referenda undermines the principles of objectivity embedded in our state permitting process, will discourage important investments in infrastructure, and will drive up the cost of living for residents,” Lamont said.
A Bill, a Veto, a Question of Where to Build What’s Unwanted in Connecticut