Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

News Releases - 2024

Page 1 of 8

  • 11/15/2024 Celebrate the 2024 Winter Holidays at Two Connecticut State Park Museums

    (HARTFORD)--The winter holiday season is upon us, and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks & Public Outreach Division plans to celebrate with the festive transformation of two of its historic homes: Gillette Castle in East Haddam and Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby.

  • 11/14/2024 DEEP Announces Firearms Deer Hunting Season Begins November 20

    (HARTFORD, CT)- Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today issued a reminder that a variety of hunting seasons are currently underway or about to begin, most notably the opening of the fall firearms deer season on Wednesday, November 20. Specific deer hunting season information is available on the DEEP 2024 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide web page.

  • 11/8/2024 Red Flag Conditions Pose High Fire Risk Across Connecticut This Veterans Day Weekend

    (Hartford, CT) - As Connecticut heads into the Veterans Day weekend, residents are urged to exercise extreme caution due to Red Flag Warning conditions forecasted today and extending through the weekend. The state faces critical fire weather with strong winds and extremely dry conditions, increasing the risk for wildfires. Until Connecticut receives a soaking rain of at least 2-3 inches, it will not be sufficient to lower the fire risk, and the public is urged to maintain a cautious approach to any activities involving fire or equipment that could spark a blaze.

  • 11/8/2024 DEEP Announces First Opportunity for Service Providers to Participate in the $144M Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program

    (HARTFORD, CT) – The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has launched the prequalification process for eligible entities to participate in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that will provide $144M to the State of Connecticut for broadband infrastructure expansion projects in 2025. Participation in the Prequalification Phase is essential to ensure potential applicants meet compliance requirements ahead of the application phase of the program. Unless providers and other entities interested in bidding on projects prequalify, they are ineligible to proceed in the program.

  • 10/31/2024 DEEP Announces New Funding Opportunities for Urban and Community Forestry

    (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce two new funding opportunities for urban and community forestry projects led by Connecticut governmental entities and non-profit organizations.

  • 10/29/2024 DEEP Launches Expanded Home Electric Efficiency and Affordability Procurement Draft Request for Proposals

    (HARTFORD, CT) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today the launch of an Expanded Home Electric Efficiency and Affordability draft request for proposals (RFP) to deliver expanded electricity bill savings to residential customers of Eversource and United Illuminating. This RFP process will build on Connecticut’s existing, highly successful utility-run energy efficiency programs, which deliver hundreds of dollars in energy bill savings each year to thousands of participating households. DEEP is soliciting competitive proposals from companies, including electric utilities and other private entities, for cost-saving household electric energy efficiency measures. Among the types of responses DEEP is soliciting are performance contracting approaches that reduce the upfront costs of installing energy efficiency and lower monthly energy bills, while also providing additional opportunities for Connecticut’s energy efficiency workforce.

  • 10/26/2024 DEEP Warns of Extreme Fire Danger in Connecticut

    (Hartford, CT) — Today, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) instituted a ban on the use of outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors in all state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas due to statewide severe fire weather conditions and the ongoing Hawthorne Fire on Lamentation Mountain that is affecting Berlin, Meriden, and surrounding areas. This ban follows Governor Ned Lamont’s declaration of a state of emergency across Connecticut yesterday. The Governor’s declaration mobilizes all state resources to address active and potential wildfires and enforce precautionary measures to protect residents, property, and natural resources.

  • 10/25/2024 DEEP Applauds State Bond Commission Approval of $10M to Support Sustainable Waste Reduction Efforts By Municipalities

    (HARTFORD)—The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) applauds the State Bond Commission’s approval earlier this week of $10 million in funds to support sustainable waste reduction efforts by municipalities.

  • 10/24/2024 DEEP Provides Update on Wildfire Response

    (Hartford, CT) - The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), along with many local fire departments, and state and out-of-state resources, continues to respond to several wildfires across the state, including in Berlin, Canaan, Vernon, and Weston.

  • 10/24/2024 Connecticut Celebrates Bat Week from Oct. 24-31

    (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is celebrating the importance of bats during Bat Week, an international event celebrated annually during the week before Halloween. Bats play a critical role in ecosystems worldwide and provide tremendous value to humans in a variety of ways. Bats in North America also currently face an unprecedented population crisis, making it even more important to call attention to these often-misunderstood creatures.

  • 10/23/2024 Governor Lamont Announces $30 Million Investment for Infrastructure Improvements at State Parks

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, chairman of the State Bond Commission, today announced that the commission voted at its meeting this morning to approve an allocation of $30 million that will be used for infrastructure repairs and refurbishment needed across the Connecticut State Parks system, including $3 million that will be used to make critical repairs at state parks impacted by the extreme flash flooding event Connecticut experienced on August 18, 2024.

  • 10/22/2024 DEEP Soft Launching All-Terrain Wheelchairs at Five Connecticut State Parks and Forests to Increase Access to the Outdoors

    (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to offer Connecticut State Parks and Forest visitors the ability to reserve all-terrain wheelchairs at five State Park and Forest locations through the remainder of the fall hiking season. DEEP will be using the soft launch to gain valuable feedback from users which will help inform the deployment of these wheelchairs in the spring, for the full duration of the 2025 recreation season.

  • 10/21/2024 DEEP Seeks Comment on Draft Proposal for DEEP Community Resource Hubs

    (HARTFORD) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today released a draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and a notice of an opportunity for public comment on its proposal to partner, through multi-year contracts, with qualified organizations to serve as Community Resource Hubs in Environmental Justice (EJ) communities across the state, whether urban or rural. The draft RFQ outlines a new initiative aimed at enhancing DEEP’s outreach, facilitating community engagement in program design, and improving access to beneficial environmental and energy programs and services. This initiative is part of DEEP’s ongoing effort to ensure equitable access to environmental and energy programs, grants, and services, particularly in communities historically overburdened by environmental challenges.

  • 10/18/2024 DEEP Requests Proposals for Grants for Aquatic Invasive Species Control on Lakes Ponds and Rivers

    (HARTFORD, CT) –The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is now accepting proposals for the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grant Program for 2025. Applications will be accepted through December 6, 2024. Please visit the DEEP AIS Grant Program website for details on how to apply for 2025 grants.

  • 10/11/2024 Governor Lamont Announces $28 Million To Increase Broadband Access in 88 Towns and Cities

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes today announced the release of $28 million in grants awarded under the first round of the state’s ConneCTed Communities Grant Program.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next