More than $7 million will help Connecticut’s most vulnerable citizens

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced that he was pleased Connecticut will receive more than $7 million in energy assistance to help eligible low income homeowners and renters meet their home energy costs. The grants were announced today by Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt.

“Yesterday’s announcement by the FAA is very disappointing.  The FAA has ignored repeated requests from me and my colleagues for information about how their proposed changes to regional flight patterns would impact the people of our state, and their decision yesterday demonstrates an utter disregard for the quality of life of residents of Connecticut who will be affected by the Integrated Airspace Alternative.  I will continue to work to oppose this proposal.” 

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) successfully secured more than $30 million for critical transportation, urban development, and environmental needs in Connecticut. The funding, which was included in the Senate's Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Energy and Water bills, was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week.  The Senators also secured funding for the Women’s Business Development Center in Stamford, CT as part of the Financial Services appropriations bill.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) applauded legislation approved on June 28 by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that will provide funding for afterschool and gang prevention programs for Connecticut youth, equipment upgrades for Connecticut’s public safety systems, and research initiatives at the Institute of Exploration in Mystic, CT, among other things.  Dodd and Lieberman worked to secure funding for Connecticut projects in the bill that will provide more than $4.5 million in new federal funds for initiatives statewide.

The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved legislation that would provide funds for environmental preservation and conservation efforts across Connecticut, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman announced today. Dodd and Lieberman secured funding for a number of Connecticut projects in the appropriations bill that covers the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other independent federal agencies.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection will receive a grant for $219,563 from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.  The grant money will be used to compile reports on quota monitoring, stock assessment, development, evaluation of fishery management plans (FMPs) and management measures, and to provide this information to marine staff.  The grant also provides funds for enforcement of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management plans.

Last Friday, Senator Dodd (D-CT) sent a second letter to Marion Blakey, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), expressing strong concern about the Integrated Airspace Alternative (IAA) that may route flights over southwestern Connecticut.  Senator Dodd received no response to his first letter, which was sent April 24.  On the same day, at a public hearing regarding the IAA in Stamford, Connecticut, FAA officials failed to provide clear and adequate answers to questions posed by more than two hundred concerned citizens, who attended in hopes of learning how the IAA would affect them.

"Today we honor the thousands and thousands of men and women whose sacrifice has paid for our freedom and safety. Every day America thrives is a silent tribute to them; but today above all, we pause our lives, bow our heads, and remember that all we hold dear is founded on their blood.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) secured $ 45 million in authorized spending for Connecticut water resource projects in a bill that passed the Senate today.  The bill, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, gives the Army Corps of Engineers authority to undertake essential water resource studies and to construct and modify water resource projects.

Connecticut’s Congressional delegation urged the Bush Administration to provide federal relief funds to help repair damage caused by the devastating nor’easter that hit the region last month.  In a letter to President Bush and Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Director Arthur Cleaves, the delegation calls on the administration to grant the state’s request for federal assistance.