Issue Position: Environmental and Energy Conservation

Issue Position

Citizens in Hamden have been leaders in environmental and efficiency issues. I am proud of the role I have been able to play in institutionalizing these considerations as part of public policy, from moving ahead with a fuel cell at Hamden High School to recycling education and implementation in our elementary schools. At Ridge Hill School in Hamden, for example, many parents have begun recycling because their children -- having been introduced to it in school -- bring that lesson home. And every ton of waste that goes toward recycling as opposed to disposal saves money while also helping the environment.

I will continue support for such initiatives as your representative. For example, the State can and should encourage energy retrofits in our public buildings, incentivize addition of hybrid vehicles to the city/town fleets and State buses, implement energy efficiency standards for new buildings and preserve valuable open space (like Johnson's Pond and the "Gravel Pit" in Hamden). As your representative, I would also support municipal efforts to make changes in electricity procurement that can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, and negotiate trash contracts that encourage more recycling.

We must also invest in regional transit opportunities. The State is now considering, for example, the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail line, to give more transit options to people commuting within that corridor. Anyone who commutes to Hartford, as I do every day, knows what a benefit this will be, both in terms of reduced traffic, lower emissions and energy cost savings. Not only will transit solutions like this serve the direct needs of our district, but they will also help us court the right kinds of economic development that will serve to reduce the tax burden on all taxpayers, residential and commercial alike. We have to remember that targeted investments and smart environmental policy lead to cost savings, cost savings that occur year after year.

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