Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), along with Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-2), praised today’s Senate passage of the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River Act, a bill sponsored by Dodd and cosponsored by Senator Lieberman that would assign federal Wild and Scenic status to the Eightmile River.  The bill asks the Secretary of the Interior to designate Eightmile River as Wild and Scenic, following a comprehensive study highlighting the river’s intrinsic and environmental value. 

The entire Connecticut Delegation wrote to Governor M. Jodi Rell contesting the assertion that Connecticut saw a reduction in federal transportation funding.  The delegation countered the claims by outlining the actual increase in resources that the Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive in fiscal year 2008 for critical transportation initiatives.

Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation praised today’s decision from New York Governor David Paterson to reject the proposed construction of the Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas Floating Storage and Regasification Unit on Long Island Sound.  The project was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last month despite vehement objections from Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Representatives John Larson (D-CT1), Joe Courtney (D-CT2), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3), Chris Shays (R-CT4), and Chris Murphy (D-CT5), along with other members of Congress and numerous environmental groups. 

Working to restore local control over liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal placement, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), and Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced legislation today to repeal portions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which gave that authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Such decisions had historically been decided by state siting agencies.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) hailed today’s report by The Nation’s Report Card that found Connecticut eighth-grade students ranked first, along with students from New Jersey, out of 45 states in writing tests in 2007.    More than 165,000 eighth- and twelfth-graders across the nation participated in the writing assessment, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education.  Dodd is a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families.   

Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation yesterday strongly urged New York Governor David Paterson to reject the proposed construction of the Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas Storage and Regasification Facility in Long Island Sound.  The project was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last month despite vehement objections from Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Representatives John Larson (D-CT1), Joe Courtney (D-CT2), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3), Chris Shays (R-CT4), and Chris Murphy (D-CT5), along with other members of Congress and numerous environmental groups.  Final approval of the project now rests with the State of New York.

Senators Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT), Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) called on the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee to fully fund the Long Island Sound Restoration Act and the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act at $40 million and $25 million respectively for Fiscal Year 2009.  In a letter to Subcommittee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Ranking Member Wayne Allard (R-CO), the Senators underscored the importance of these programs in restoring the environmental health of the Long Island Sound and protecting and preserving the Sound’s shorelines.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) visited Norwich on Friday to announce the federal funding he secured for construction of the Norwich Intermodal Transportation Center, currently in the final stages of development.  Dodd joined Mayor Ben Lathrop to discuss the need for improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which may pose a threat to the environmental well-being of the Thames Estuary in southeastern Connecticut.  Dodd first met with Mayor Lathrop to discuss these initiatives when the Mayor visited Washington, D.C. in January.   The city of Norwich is seeking federal funding for the Sound Norwich Wastewater Project in the Fiscal Year 2009 Interior Appropriations bill and has also requested additional funds for the transportation center in the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.  

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that $16,116 in federal grants was awarded to the volunteer fire department in Scotland, Connecticut. The grants were made possible through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program’s Fire Prevention & Safety Grant initiative, administered by the U.S. Fire Administration. In 2007, the AFG program awarded approximately $490 million in grants nationwide to enhance first-responder organizations and to help them effectively provide response equipment, personal protective equipment and vehicles. 

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced that the fire departments of Old Mystic and Willington Hill will be awarded with over $180,000 in federal grants. These awards were made possible as part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program’s Fire Prevention & Safety Grant initiative, administered by the U.S. Fire Administration. In 2007, the AFG program awarded approximately $490 million in grants nationwide to enhance first-responder organizations.