Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen, and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Robert Klee released the following statements following the proposed decision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny Connecticut’s Clean Air Act Section 126 petition related to the Brunner Island Power Plant:

Governor Malloy said, “Once again, the Trump administration is putting the lives of Connecticut residents at risk. We know that in Connecticut the air we breathe is severely impacted by upwind polluters, such as Brunner Island. It is therefore incumbent upon the EPA to protect the health and wellbeing of all of our residents, regardless of where they live. We will continue to pursue all legal avenues to protect the health of the people of Connecticut.”

Attorney General Jepsen said, “Clean Air Act enforcement is critically important to the health, safety, and well-being of Connecticut residents. Today’s proposed decision is not supported by the record; Connecticut residents should rest assured that my office will continue to work in close consultation with DEEP and the administration to force EPA to deal with emissions from the Brunner Island plant that negatively impact our state's air quality.”

Commissioner Klee said, “Today’s ruling is deeply disappointing, but not unexpected as we have witnessed time and time again with the current administration’s desire to place the interests of special interests over people and the environment. While Brunner Island has made significant progress in reducing their emissions, there is no guarantee they will continue to do so in the future. The only way to ensure the protection of Connecticut’s air is an order from the EPA to do so, which we will continue to advocate when DEEP officials testify at the hearing in Washington, D.C. next week.”