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CT town has concerns about planned 4.65-megawatt solar array. A treasured scenic view is one of them
Citing concerns about views from the Heublein Tower, potential environmental damage and more than $300,000 in unpaid property taxes, Simsbury has successfully asked state regulators for a public hearing on Lodestar Energy’s plan for a solar array on Nod Road. The company is proposing a 4.65-megawatt solar facility on about 19 acres at the former Tower Ridge Country Club. The state Siting Council must decide by June 2 whether to declare the project needs no certificate of environmental compatibility and public need; Lodestar wants that designation because it would streamline the approval process. Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis this winter was able to secure a hearing so neighbors and other residents can offer their opinions before the council votes. “As drafted, the application raises serious concerns about potential harm to both the wetlands and the flood zone,” she told the Siting Council in a Dec. 30 letter. “We recommend relocating all development outside these sensitive areas and outside Simsbury’s local Upland Review Area.”
East Lyme to embark on $17 million PFAS removal
East Lyme — It’ll take $17 million to upgrade a town water treatment plant near East Lyme Middle School so it can remove PFAS, or forever chemicals, from three wells that provide drinking water for residents. If all goes according to plan, Water and Sewer Department Chief Operating Officer Ben North said Monday the project should be done in fall or winter 2027. North said he hopes the final cost will end up being less. Unfortunately, he said, there’s no grant funding available, and the town will have to borrow to pay for the project. Last week the Board of Selectmen voted to let the town use about $165,000 in funding left over from other projects to pay for preliminary engineering and equipment and to help with the down payment on the loan the town will eventually need to get. The town will start paying back the loan when the work is complete, and when it makes its first payment, it also has to pay the accrued interest all at once.
https://theday.com/news/845516/east-lyme-to-embark-on-17-million-pfas-removal/
In New Haven, state plans $113M State Street Station upgrade, Court Street Bridge closure to cars
NEW HAVEN — A more than $100 million project to upgrade aging infrastructure at State Street Station received mixed feedback at a recent public information session with the state Department of Transportation. During last week’s session at High School in the Community, DOT officials, as well as representatives of engineering and architectural firms, said they’re looking to elevate the overall landscape bridging State Street and Wooster Square. The officials specifically talked about two related projects: upgrading the platform, elevator and stairs at State Street Station and narrowing the Court Street Bridge and closing it to vehicular traffic. According to DOT Project Manager Jonathan Kang, the combined projects are estimated to cost $113 million from state and federal funding. Kang said the narrowing of the Court Street Bridge is required for track alignments to support plans to replace and elongate the currently deteriorated center platform. Doing so, he said, will allow for passengers to enter and exit trains more quickly as more doors will be serviced and will improve access to the station through Court Street. Currently, an average of 40 trains stop at State Street Station on weekdays, officials said.
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-ct-dot-state-street-station-21306706.php
Congress advances transportation funding bill
The legislation largely maintains funding for public transportation and passenger rail but slashes a program to add intercity passenger trains. U.S. House and Senate appropriators agreed Tuesday on bipartisan legislation to fund transportation through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends Sept. 30. The bill “provides the overwhelming majority of public transit and passenger rail investments” funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The House passed the bill Thursday and the Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week to prevent a partial federal government shutdown on Jan. 30. The bill is “a really good-news story for our industry,” APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said in a hastily arranged webinar for its members Wednesday. When combined with advance appropriations from the IIJA, the bill provides $21.1 billion to public transportation, a $168 million increase over the Fiscal Year 2025 level, according to APTA. However, more than $500 million was cut from a capital investment grant program for fixed-guideway transit, including light rail, subways, commuter rail and bus rapid transit.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/congress-thud-transportation-appropriations-fy2026/810465/
New Haven weighs eminent domain to acquire English Station for waterfront park
NEW HAVEN — City officials are weighing the use of eminent domain to acquire the 8.6-acre island that houses the long-idle English Station power plant if negotiations with the owners fail, a move aimed at transforming the contaminated industrial site into a public park and outdoor pool. The option is spelled out in a Jan. 9 letter and proposed order sent by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers. The administration is seeking alder approval to pursue the acquisition of Ball Island, a property the state has indicated it is willing to remediate. The order would authorize the city to negotiate with the property’s owners — Paramount View Millennium LLC and Haven River Properties LLC — to purchase the site, which the city hopes to rename the “Park at Mill River.” It also includes language allowing the city to initiate eminent domain proceedings if a voluntary sale cannot be reached. “Be it further ordered that if it is not possible to negotiate the terms and conditions of a mutually acceptable conveyance … then the mayor is hereby authorized to direct the filing of eminent domain proceedings,” the order states, citing authority under the city charter and state law.
Blumenthal introduces bill to help prevent roadside deaths of police, construction workers
After a series of deaths on Connecticut highways in recent months, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is introducing legislation aimed at minimizing roadside accidents involving construction workers, state police and good Samaritans. The legislation would provide federal funding to states for creating more awareness, as well as providing tools to collect data on where and when these accidents tend to occur. That would give law enforcement more information when determining where to patrol. State Department of Transportation workers and State Police joined Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Thursday at the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden to announce the proposed legislation. Blumenthal spoke of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop in May 2024. Blumenthal’s legislation is not designed to protect just construction workers and first responders, but also members of the public who can be killed in work zone accidents, too, he said.
These are the major school construction projects that made Connecticut’s priority list
Six major school construction projects across Connecticut have secured spots on the state’s building priority list for 2026. The projects in Milford, Norwich, Seymour, Stamford, Waterbury and Westport — including two new elementary schools, one new middle school and other upgrades — are expected to cost more than $300 million altogether. Each year, school districts can apply for state grants for major construction projects, like building a new school, renovating an existing building or adding onto it. After the state Department of Administrative Services reviews these applications, it compiles the priority list and presents it to the governor’s office and legislature’s School Construction Project Priority List Review Committee. The committee unanimously approved the 2026 priority list on Jan. 14, and it’s now up to the state legislature to give the green light for funding. For 2026, the Department of Administrative Services is recommending $141.7 million in new grant funding to support the six school building projects. Local funds pay the rest. Just how much the state will cover for each project is dependent on the reimbursement rate, which the Department of Administrative Services calculates using a formula based on a town’s wealth.
Study: Nuclear, natural gas would save New England hundreds of billions over renewable mandates
A coalition of free-market think tanks, including Connecticut’s Yankee Institute, released a study Tuesday arguing that New England would save between $400 billion and $700 billion by 2050 if states replaced planned wind and solar projects with nuclear power plants and natural gas facilities. The study, “Alternatives to New England’s Affordability Crisis,” estimated meeting the region’s 2050 energy needs with nuclear power would cost $415.3 billion and achieve 92% carbon-free power, while natural gas would cost $106.9 billion with a 24.5% emissions reduction. A combination of nuclear and natural gas plants — called the “Happy Medium” scenario — would cost $195.8 billion and cut emissions by 50%, according to the analysis conducted by Always On Energy Research. The coalition compared these projections to findings from their 2024 study, which estimated meeting regional energy demand under current renewable energy mandates would cost $815 billion by 2050. The renewable scenario would cause New England families’ electricity bills to increase from $175 per month in 2024 to $384 per month by 2050, the study found.
The Trump administration favors natural gas. What does that mean for CT?
Doug Burgum, the U.S. Department of Interior secretary, said the quiet part out loud. It was a few days before Christmas, an hour or two after he had announced that five offshore wind projects under construction — including Connecticut’s Revolution Wind — was being halted “due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.” Burgum told Fox News another story: “We have a solution in New England right there, which is natural gas from Pennsylvania, which would generate power five to 10 times more than all these … five projects put together.” Natural gas. In some circles it’s viewed as the holy grail of power supply. In others it is one of the worst climate change nightmares imaginable. And then there’s pretty much everything in between. The U.S. produces more natural gas than any other nation. It also exports more. The Trump administration has clearly said it wants to do more of both. That was a pillar of President Donald Trump’s day one executive order, Unleashing American Energy, which put renewables like wind and solar on notice while creating a glide path for extracting and marketing more fossil fuels.
CT plans $90 million project to improve a busy highway ramp. What to know.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation plans a big change in a highway ramp and the project is intended to improve safety, according to the agency. The planned changes are for improvements at Exit 46 on Route 15, according to the agency. The exit is close to the Hero’s Tunnel that takes traffic under West Rock between New Haven and Hamden. The estimated construction cost for the project is $90 million, according to the agency. The project is anticipated to be done with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds. “The installation of acceleration and deceleration lanes on Exit 46 will improve safety, mobility, and connectivity on Route 15, and the immediate connections with Route 69 and Route 63,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Manager Jeffrey Pfaffinger said, in a statement. “The project also proposes to relocate the existing Route 15 northbound on-ramp to a new loop ramp,” he said. “We encourage the public to attend this (Feb. 3) meeting to share their feedback with the CTDOT project team to incorporate into the design.”
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