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The DOT holds a post-facto hearing on a moot issue Jim Cameron The Connecticut legislature seems unable to even discuss the crucial replenishing of the Special Transportation Fund to keep mass transit rolling… but they found hours to debate the merits of declaring pizza the “official state food.” Really? Kudos to the nine lawmakers who voted “no,” not because they don’t like pizza but because they saw this issue as a waste of time. Also in the “waste of time” category were the recent series of virtual public hearings (May 18, 19, 20 and 25) by the Connecticut Department of Tr...

A rundown on how each state representative voted on the zoning reform bill. Myth: The Planning and Development Committee’s proposed bills would end our local decision making on zoning and land-use. Fact (Spin from Democrats): This legislation empowers local communities to plan for the future. Nothing in any proposed Planning and Development Committee bill eliminates local decision making on zoning and land-use. Instead, these changes add clarity, transparency and consistency to local zoning regulations. a. Connecticut law (8-2) gives the authority to regulate land use to the 169 towns and...

Local solar association fights fair wages with disinformation and fear The Tobacco Valley Solar Farm in Simsbury is currently the largest in Connecticut. SolarConnecticut, a local solar association, has been quietly lobbying against Connecticut Senate Bill 999, legislation that protects Connecticut’s renewable energy workforce from developers who pay poverty wages while raking in profits for their investors. Interestingly, SolarConnecticut’s opposition to SB 999 runs counter to the position of the national solar industry, which advocates for the same prevailing wage and workforce traini...

Ban styrene to creat a stronger, healthier, more equitable, viable, and sustainable recovery for Connecticut. H.B. 6502 is just the bill to recreate a stronger, healthier, more equitable, viable, and sustainable recovery for Connecticut. It would phase out expanded polystyrene take-out food packaging containers (EPS Foam) and address other important plastic pollution reduction initiatives. YES to H.B. 6502 because it is urgently needed to protect the health of our school children, all residents and our environment, it will help reduce our State’s growing solid waste crisis and save taxpayer...

Israel is not defending itself The threatened eviction of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The invasion of the Al Aqsa mosque by Israeli troops, firing rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. The bombing of the building in Gaza which housed the Associated Press and Al Jazeera press organization. All during the pandemic raging in Gaza. It’s all a pattern of erasure that is part and parcel of Israel circa 2021. Erasure of any trace of Palestinian presence between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Erasure of Jerusalem’s stat...