Cathy Osten

Sen. Osten Appointed to Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission, Nuclear Energy Advisory Council

HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) has just been appointed as a new member of two state councils whose policy focus match the interests and needs of her and her constituents: the State Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission, and the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.

The appointments were made Friday, October 8 by Senate President Martin M. Looney.

The State Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission was created in 1973. The mission of the 12-member commission is to continually review and study the State Capitol building and grounds with an eye on preservation and restoration, including any necessary structural changes, enhancing the interior and exterior of the building, making better use of existing space, and reducing public safety hazards.

The Nuclear Energy Advisory Council was created in 1996. The 14-member council focuses on the safety and operations of nuclear power plants in Connecticut, helps ensure the public health and safety, and tracks any problems arising from plant operations.

“I have been fighting for some time to have the John Mason statue removed from the exterior of the State Capitol and have it redisplayed elsewhere, with the proper historical context, and not in some place of honor atop Connecticut’s seat of government,” Sen. Osten said. “I think a seat on the State Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission will give me the ability to better make these arguments and to help modernize our sometimes romanticized version of history, which often ignores the impact that some of our state ancestors had on other of our state ancestors. We have to go into these discussions with our eyes and our hearts and our minds wide open.”

“The Nuclear Energy Advisory Council is also important to me because Connecticut’s only nuclear power plant, Millstone, is located in southeastern Connecticut and is a major employer in the region. Millstone also generates 50 percent of the power we use in Connecticut. Keeping Millstone operating safely and efficiently and ensuring state policies assist Millstone in its power generation and job creation are at the top of my list on this council.”