Connecticut’s Pollution in Frontline Communities Bill

As of spring 2023, the Connecticut Legislature is considering a bill backed by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, which would give that agency, as well as the Connecticut Siting Council, the authority to deny or place conditions on a permit for polluting facilities in environmental justice communities if the cumulative environmental and health impacts there exceed a threshold higher than impacts borne by other communities.

As negotiations continue, debate surrounds whether the agency should be permitted to deny or place conditions on a permit in such situations, or whether it should be required.