50 Years

Introduction                Letter                The Climate Challenge

The Status of Connecticut’s Environment After 50 Years

2021 marked fifty years since the Council on Environmental Quality (Council) was established by Public Act 872. On June 25, 1971, the legislature bestowed the Council with three primary responsibilities: to submit an annual report to the governor on the status of Connecticut's natural environment, and advise other state agencies on the environmental impacts of proposed construction projects. The Council now posts most of its advisories to its website. The Council, which commenced its activities in October of 1971, operated for the first year with only the nine members performing all the required functions. Late in 1972, pursuant to legislative authorization, an Executive Director was secured. In 1973, the Council was tasked with the responsibility to produce and distribute the Environmental Monitor, a summary of proposed land transfers by state agencies and of all state actions that are subject to a review under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act.

Since the Council’s creation, its annual reports have succinctly documented the many changes to Connecticut’s environment. In the first annual report, published in 1973, the Council focused on air quality, water quality, land use, and noise abatement. There was even some discussion of Connecticut’s offshore oil potential and a cautionary statement regarding “the risks associated with offshore drilling.” 

Generally, Connecticut’s environment is better than it was ten years ago and significantly better than the environmental conditions from when the Council was created in 1971. The greatest improvement has been to the state’s air quality. Despite, the recovery of bald eagles, the state’s wildlife has been changing and many species are in decline. Some recent negative trends in flora and fauna are the consequence of climate warming that is affecting the species that are found in Long Island Sound and in the state’s woodlands. Indeed, many of the indicators identified in this report are individually affected by climate change, but most are affected through their connections to one or more other indicators. 

As stated in the annual report published in 1973, “We, the people, have created our pollution problems, and we can solve them. Much has been done, but much remains to be done.”