News Releases - 2023

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• 4/6/2023 DEEP Developing 2023-2028 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is conducting a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) process to evaluate outdoor recreation resources and issues.

• 4/5/2023 DEEP Invites You to Celebrate Spring Fishing Day April 8

  (HARTFORD) - The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) invites all residents and their families to celebrate Spring Fishing Day this Saturday, April 8, by getting out and going fishing, or by helping DEEP stock selected trout parks around the state.

• 4/4/2023 DEEP Reminds Residents to be Bear Aware

• 3/30/2023 Nomination Process for New Connecticut Greenways Now Open

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) and the Connecticut Greenways Council today announced that they are now soliciting nominations for official state greenway designations.

• 3/29/2023 DEEP Begins Cold Water Safety Campaign

  (HARTFORD)—Boaters across the state have been taking advantage of mild early spring temperatures and boating activity is only expected to increase as the weather warms. Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will be publicizing cold water safety through a targeted social media campaign to remind residents about the dangers of boating in the spring.

• 3/20/2023 DEEP Announces 2023 Sky's The Limit Hiking Challenge in Connecticut State Parks

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Ready for an outdoor adventure exploring Connecticut State Parks and Forests? The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (“DEEP”) State Parks ring in spring on Monday, March 20, 2023, with the release of the 2023 Sky’s The Limit Hiking Challenge (“STL”), an annual checklist of hiking locations chosen from the state’s 142 parks and forests.

• 3/7/2023 DEEP Announces Two Clean Energy Procurements

  (HARTFORD) -- The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today its intention to conduct two new procurements for grid-scale zero-carbon energy resources this year as the state continues making progress on Governor Lamont’s Energy Action Plan to improve energy affordability and reliability and achieve state statutory mandates for greenhouse gas emissions reduction of at least 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050 and a 100 percent zero carbon electric sector by 2040.

• 2/17/2023 DEEP Statement on Connecticut Air Quality Inquiries

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) has a statewide air quality monitoring network in place that constantly monitors the air we breathe and a practice of issuing air quality alerts if we have reason to believe our air quality will be impaired.

• 2/8/2023 DEEP Launches 2023 Seasonal Staff Recruitment

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is seeking applicants to join our seasonal workforce. A wide variety of jobs are available that combine spending time outdoors, conserving and providing access to the state’s most beautiful areas, and serving as introductions to potential careers at DEEP. The positions benefit from recently raised hourly rates, ranging from $15 to $19/hour.

• 2/3/2023 DEEP to Host 17th Annual No Child Left Inside® Winter Festival

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Winter is a great time to celebrate the outdoors, so children and their caregivers are invited to join the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) No Child Left Inside® 17th annual Winter Festival at Burr Pond State Park, 384 Burr Mountain Road, Torrington. Multiple outdoor winter activities for the entire family are planned for Sunday, February 5, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Winter Festival is a partnership between DEEP’s No Child Left Inside® and Fish with CARE (Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education) programs along with the City of Torrington.

• 2/3/2023 DEEP Launches Free Swimming Lesson Program in Partnership with Connecticut YMCAs

  (WATERBURY, CT) – Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) Commissioner Katie Dykes joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05), local and state elected officials, and YMCA leaders today to announce $1.5 million to fund free swimming lessons to qualifying children. The partnership with the YMCA will enable 14 participating YMCA pools in the state to offer lessons over the next three years.

• 2/2/2023 DEEP Reminds Residents of “Best Burn” Practices to Limit Exposure to Air Pollution Caused by Residential Wood Smoke

  (HARTFORD, CT) – With the arrival of seasonable winter temperatures across Connecticut, many residents are burning wood as an economical option to heat their homes. Depending on the source of the wood, it can be a cost-effective alternative to using fossil fuels. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is urging residents to protect their health and that of their family, friends, and neighbors by employing “best burn” practices to limit exposure to wood smoke, which is a hazardous air pollutant.

• 2/1/2023 DEEP Announces Funding and Path Forward to Improve Seaside State Park

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced today funding for improvements at Seaside State Park in Waterford.

• 1/25/2023 Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Working Together on Multi-State Transmission Infrastructure

  (HARTFORD, CT) - A coalition of New England states today jointly announced steps they are taking to pursue federal funding designed to encourage transmission infrastructure investment.

• 1/20/2023 2023 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition Welcomes Entries through March 15, 2023

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Attention all creative young artists and art educators in Connecticut! Entries are now being accepted for the 2023 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition. This annual competition is coordinated and sponsored by the Connecticut Waterfowl Association, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division. The competition is part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) environmental education program known as the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program.