News Releases

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• 6/28/2024 DEEP Celebrates the Passport to the Parks Program

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), joined by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, State Legislators, and representatives from the Connecticut Forest & Park Association and the Friends of Connecticut State Parks, held an event at Hammonasset Beach State Park today to celebrate Connecticut’s Passport to the Parks program.

• 6/21/2024 Lt. Governor, DEEP and DAS Commissioners, Cut Ribbon on New DEEP Western District Headquarters, the First Net Zero Executive Branch State Building

  (HARTFORD)--Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz today joined Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes and Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Commissioner Michelle Gilman for a ribbon-cutting and tour of DEEP’s new Western District Headquarters in Watertown. The new headquarters is the first net zero executive branch state building.

• 6/18/2024 DEEP Forecasts Elevated Levels of Ozone for June 18 - 21

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s (˚F) beginning today, with high temperatures persisting into Friday. The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch for Hartford and Tolland Counties, while a Heat Advisory is issued for Litchfield, Windham, Northern Fairfield and Northern New Haven Counties. These hot temperatures will contribute to elevated ozone levels for parts of inland Connecticut beginning on Tuesday and continuing through the end of the week. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for parts of Connecticut on June 18th, and may continue through Friday, June 21st.

• 6/7/2024 DEEP Applauds More Than $300 Million in State Bond Commission Funding Approvals

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today received more than $300 million from the State Bond Commission that will fund several critical and complex environmental initiatives across the state, including State Park upgrades, municipal clean water projects, and an effort to drain high water levels at Portland’s Jobs Pond.

• 6/6/2024 GreenerGov CT Awards Honor State Government Leadership in Sustainability Efforts

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM), and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) proudly hosted the annual GreenerGov Awards Ceremony today. This event celebrated the exceptional work taken on by agency staff to reduce their agencies’ environmental impact and advance Connecticut’s climate and sustainability goals.

• 6/3/2024 Governor Lamont Announces $10 Million in State Grants for Recreational Trails Across Connecticut

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes today announced the release of a series of grants totaling $10 million that will support the planning, building, expansion, and improvement of 45 multi-use trails located in towns and cities throughout Connecticut.

• 5/30/2024 Commissioner Dykes Statement on EPA Clean School Bus Award Announcement

• 5/29/2024 CT Greenways Council to Hold 25th Annual Greenway Awards and Kick Off CT Trails Day Events

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Greenways Council (CGC) will host its 25th Annual CT Greenway Awards at Riverfront Recapture’s Boathouse in Hartford on Friday, May 31. The event is traditionally held on the Friday before CT Trails Day, which occurs the weekend of June 1 and 2.

• 5/22/2024 Governor Lamont Announces Summer Tourism Season Kicks off at State Parks, Beaches, and Cultural Attractions

  (MILFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today visited Silver Sands State Park in Milford – one of Connecticut’s 110 state parks and 32 state forests – where he held an event to kick off the summer tourism season and encourage the state’s residents and visitors to consider the many outdoor recreation opportunities Connecticut has to offer.

• 5/21/2024 Share the Shore with Nesting Birds

  (HARTFORD) — As the summer beach season approaches, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reminds beachgoers and others recreating on the shoreline to share the shore with nesting birds.

• 5/20/2024 DEEP Announces More Than $980,000 in Grants for Marine Sewage Disposal Facilities for the 2024 Boating Season

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that 30 marine pumpout facilities will receive $980,982 in funding for the 2024 boating season under DEEP’s annual Federal Clean Vessel Act (CVA) program. This program is an effort to improve water quality in Connecticut’s navigable waterways by providing federally funded matching grants for qualifying projects that provide boat sewage disposal facilities, more commonly known as pumpouts.

• 5/16/2024 DEEP Encourages Boating Safety for National Safe Boating Week

  (HARTFORD) — The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) joins boating safety partners across the country in celebrating National Safe Boating Week from May 18-24, which serves to remind all boaters of the importance of boating safety skills and to prepare for the boating season. This observance week is the annual kick-off of the Safe Boating Campaign, a global awareness effort that encourages responsible boating.

• 5/15/2024 DEEP Pilots Parking Reservations System at Squantz Pond State Park as Part of Implementation of New State Law

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that it is piloting a new online reservation system to improve the visitor experience and park management on summer weekends and holidays at Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield.

• 5/15/2024 DEEP Re-imposes Alcohol Ban for Seven Recreation Areas

  (HARTFORD) — The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has imposed a temporary alcohol ban for seven state recreation areas. This ban is in effect from Wednesday, May 15, through Monday, August 12, at the following locations:

• 5/14/2024 DEEP Environmental Conservation Police Celebrate Graduation of the 2024 Ranger Academy

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) celebrated the graduation ceremony for the 2024 Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police Ranger graduating class last week. Fifteen recruits successfully completed a 120-hour training academy to become EnCon Rangers. An additional 10 Rangers will return to the field from previous years.