Month: August 2019

State Lawmakers Allie-Brennan, Flexer, and Boyd Lead Campaign to Oppose Killingly Power Plant Construction

State Senator Mae Flexer (D-Killingly) and State Representatives Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-Bethel) and Pat Boyd (D-Brooklyn) are leading a group of over two dozen legislators in calling on Governor Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) to oppose the construction of a gas-fired power plant in the town of Killingly.

“We commend the strides that the Governor and his administration have made toward green energy solutions in our state such as Executive Order 3,” says Rep. Allie-Brennan, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee as well as the Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Clean Energy Caucus. “This is why we find the Siting Council’s approval of this plant confusing. This year, we supported initiatives like the off-shore wind bill and the extension of solar programs which both invest more in renewable energy. In light of these successes, the construction of this plant is in direct conflict with our goal of curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Two years ago, plans for a similar facility were rejected because it was deemed unnecessary. If need has grown since that period, we should explore investing in clean alternatives like solar and wind power. The argument against increasing greenhouse emissions is compelling and we must assume a leadership role in exploring those options. Now is the time for bold, innovative solutions…it’s not the time to backtrack.”

“The Connecticut Siting Council’s decision to approve the construction of the Killingly Energy Center is disappointing and something I have long opposed,” says Sen. Flexer. “Killingly already makes a highly disproportionate contribution to the power generation needs of Connecticut and neighboring states. The future of Connecticut’s goal of reducing our carbon emission is at stake as is the health and wellness of Killingly and surrounding communities. Connecticut should be leading the way to combat climate change, not building more polluting infrastructure. I hope Governor Lamont will join us in opposing this fossil fuel power plant.”

“Our state has made significant progress implementing green technology to reduce our carbon footprint, but this proposed facility contradicts that progress. We need to work collaboratively to move our state forward and lead by example for other states that continue to employ technologies that endanger the environment and exploit natural resources,” says Rep. Boyd. “As state leaders, we must balance the need for adequate, affordable and reliable utility services with the need to protect our environment.”

26 members of the Senate and House Democratic caucuses co-signed the Letter sent to the Governor’s Office this morning. The petition urges the administration to oppose the Killingly plant and asks for a review of the permit processes offered through the Connecticut Sitting Council and other state agencies to ensure that they account for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions limits set by state law in 2015 under the Global Warming Solutions Act and this year’s Executive Order 3.

According to the Letter, if constructed, the gas-fired power plant would account for 5 percent of Connecticut’s total yearly GHG emissions, or 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Today’s action follows a summer of outcry from state environmental advocacy groups, including an August demonstration outside of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection offices in Hartford, and last week’s Climate Strike, which saw millions marching around the world, including 1,000 in front of the Connecticut State Capitol Building.

“The Siting Council’s approval of Killingly, another fossil fuel power plant, immediately contradicts Governor Lamont’s commitment to getting Connecticut to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040,” says Samantha Dynowski, State Director of Sierra Club Connecticut. “Moving forward with this plant is a colossal mistake. We applaud the climate leaders in the legislature who spearheaded this letter to stop the Killingly plant and ensure that decisions made by bodies like the Siting Council adhere to Connecticut’s climate goals and policies.”

“Fracked gas and other fossil fuels are our past, not our future,” says Lori Brown, Executive Director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters. “Given Governor Lamont’s commitment to clean energy and a zero-carbon electric grid, there is no reason to move ahead with the Killingly project. Studies show investments in natural gas are on the decline. Connecticut should not invest in a dated, dirty, and depleted fossil fuel when we are making significant strides in solar, offshore wind, and other clean, renewable energy sources.”

Flexer Response to Fasano on Planned Parenthood Funding

Today, State Senator Mae Flexer released the following statement in response to Senator Fasano’s comments on the Senate Democratic plan to provide state funding for Planned Parenthood:

“As Senate Democrats stated in the letter to Commissioner McCaw, the one thing we could not prepare for in this past budget was the irrational and harmful actions of President Trump. A full and accurate reading of state statute that Senator Fasano references shows that the Department of Social Services in fact does not have the ability to offset this loss in federal funding. Planned Parenthood voluntarily chose to no longer accept Title X funding in order to avoid the new gag rule that the Trump administration attached to Title X. The gag rule prevents Planned Parenthood from offering full and medically accurate health care. The federal government did not explicitly reduce funding, which is required under current state law. Therefore, action is required to protect women’s health care in Connecticut from President Trump.

“If Senate Republicans would like to join Senate Democrats in denouncing the actions and policies of President Trump we would welcome their support. Having full bipartisan support of Planned Parenthood and the services they provide in this state and across the country would send a strong message to the Trump administration.”

For more information on the Senate Democratic plan, click here.

Sen. Flexer, Democratic Senators Pledge to Right Trump’s Wrongs and Fund Planned Parenthood

Senate Democratic Caucus Vows to Protect Women’s Health Care & Offset Loss of Federal Title X Funding

HARTFORD, CT – Senator Mae Flexer and a group of Democratic state senators said the Senate Democratic caucus will protect women’s health care and provide state funding for Planned Parenthood in Connecticut in order to defend the organization from President Donald Trump’s attack. The dozen Planned Parenthood clinics in Connecticut are now operating under a Trump-ordered gag rule that prohibits them from providing referrals for legal abortion services.

Health care advocates say President Trump’s changes will lead to a decline in the quality of patient care and may force some clinics to close their doors. Federal Title X funding in Connecticut for Planned Parenthood amounts to about $2.1 million per year.

In a letter to Office of Policy and Management Commissioner Melissa McCaw, Senator Flexer and other Democratic senators asked to work with Commissioner McCaw to find this funding within the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget. In addition, the Senate Democratic caucus plans to make the provision of funding to offset President Trump’s attack on women’s health a major priority in adjusting the Fiscal Year 2021 budget in the next session.

“For far too long, women’s healthcare has been the target of repeated attacks and threats of defunding,” said Senator Flexer. “The actions by the Trump administration harms thousands of women across the country. I’m eager to work with my colleagues and the Office of Policy and Management to ensure Planned Parenthood receives funding and that women in Connecticut are not impacted by the damaging decisions of this administration.”

For more than 40 years, federally funded Title X family planning clinics across America have ensured access to a broad range of family planning and related health services for millions of low-income or uninsured individuals, including breast and cervical cancer detection, screening and treatment; treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; HIV testing, and contraception.

But President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence recently pushed for a change to Title X Funding that prohibits Title X health care providers from counseling patients about abortion. The rule was announced in February, and it is currently being challenged in court in 20 states. A federal appeals court ruled last month that the Trump-Pence policy changes can take effect even as those lawsuits are pending.

In 2019, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England — which operates 12 health clinics in Connecticut — received $2.1 million in federal Title X funding (about 5% of its total budget).

In Connecticut in 2017, nearly 44,000 patients received services through Title X funding; about a third of those patients were women under the age of 25, about a third earned less than $12,000 a year, a third were Latino and a third African-American.