Transmittal Letter to Governor Ned Lamont

Executive Summary               Introduction               The Climate Challenge

May 7, 2024

The Honorable Ned Lamont
Governor of Connecticut
State Capitol
Hartford, CT 06106

Governor Lamont:

The Council is pleased to submit Environmental Quality in Connecticut for 2023, as authorized by Connecticut General Statutes (CGS), Section 22a-12. The Council was established on June 25, 1971 by Public Act 872. This report uses over forty indicators of environmental health and human activity to illustrate environmental trends, both positive and negative, for the 2023 calendar year. As required, the Council has also included recommendations for “remedying the deficiencies of existing programs and activities, together with recommendations for legislation”. The Council’s annual report indicates both improvement in some areas of environmental quality and regression in others.

Though this report can be printed, it is designed to be read as an online document on the Council’s website. Online, the values on its charts will appear under the reader’s cursor and the reader can access the many supplemental documents which are hyperlinked within it. “Quick Summary” boxes above most of the charts show the data trends for the past year and past decade.

In sending this report, the Council wishes, also, to acknowledge your efforts through the Governor’s Council on Climate Change and leadership to address the State’s serious climate challenge. The Council’s annual report notes that greenhouse gas emissions from in-state sources, such as the electric power sector and the transportation sector, continue to be a significant concern.

I would be remiss if I did not reiterate our concern for the two open Council seats that might threaten the Council’s ability to achieve a quorum in 2024, thereby effectively prohibiting the conduct of further business.

It remains my personal privilege to serve the people of the State in this capacity and I look forward to any input or suggestions which you may have to inform the Council’s work.

Respectfully submitted,

Keith Ainsworth, Esq.
Acting Chair