News Releases - 2025

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• 3/13/2025 DEEP Bureau of Outdoor Recreation to Host Seasonal Job Fair March 16th

  (HARTFORD)--The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is holding an event to promote a number of exciting seasonal positions offered within the agency. On March 16, DEEP will host a recruitment job fair at DEEP’s Western District Headquarters in Black Rock State Park, Watertown. DEEP’s seasonal jobs are great way to work outside this summer, with hourly rates ranging from $16.35 to $20 per hour. Seasonal positions are also an excellent first step for students or young professionals to kickstart a career in the environmental field.

• 3/7/2025 DEEP Reminds Residents To Use Best Practices When Wood Burning for Heat During Remaining Days of Winter

  (HARTFORD)— Burning wood to keep a home warm is a long-standing tradition in New England, and we still expect to have a few more cold days before spring truly arrives. Depending on the source of the wood, wood burning can provide a cost-effective alternative to use of fossil fuels. This practice does produce indoor and outdoor emissions harmful to human health, however, which is why 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. Properly burning the correct type of wood limits exposure to wood smoke, which is a toxic air pollutant.

• 2/26/2025 DEEP Launches Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) to Identify Strategies to Affordably and Reliably Meet Connecticut’s Growing Electricity Needs

  (HARTFORD) - The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that it is launching the state’s next Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) to assess Connecticut’s growing electricity needs and identify pathways to meet these needs affordably and reliably for the state’s residents and businesses.

• 2/19/2025 Connecticut Greenways Council Accepting Nominations

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

• 2/13/2025 DEEP Announces Recipients of 2025 Grants for Aquatic Invasive Species Control on Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers

  (HARTFORD)-The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced the recipients of the fifth annual round of funding through the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grant Program, with a total of $400,000 going to 12 projects that will reduce the impacts of aquatic invasive species on inland waters in Connecticut.

• 2/11/2025 DEEP Expands Scope of Energy Efficiency Procurement to Enable Businesses as Well as Residents to Benefit from Innovative Approaches to Lowering Energy Bills

  (HARTFORD)- As noted in Governor Lamont’s State of the State address in January, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is conducting a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) to invite bids from efficiency suppliers to expand access to electric efficiency for United Illuminating (UI) and Eversource customers. This week, as part of the RFP process, DEEP released an updated schedule and expanded scope for its electric efficiency and affordability procurement. The initial draft request for proposals (RFP) was focused on energy efficiency measures delivered to residential customers. In response to bidder requests, DEEP is now expanding the RFP scope by clarifying that interested bidders could include energy efficiency measures for commercial and industrial customers, as well as residential customers. In addition, interested bidders would be permitted to use the customer’s electric bill to collect payments from the participating customers to pay for the installed measures over a period of time if those payments are less than the expected savings from the efficiency measures.

• 2/4/2025 Release-Based Cleanup Plan Poised to Transform Connecticut’s Blighted Properties and Spur Economic Growth

  Today, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes, and Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner Dan O’Keefe announced that the release-based cleanup regulations (RBCRs) have been submitted to the Connecticut General Assembly for review and approval. These regulations will streamline the remediation and redevelopment of blighted properties impacted by releases. Approval by the General Assembly’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee (LRRC) is the final step in the regulatory adoption process.

• 1/28/2025 DEEP Now Accepting Applications for $144M in Broadband Infrastructure Funding

  (HARTFORD, CT)—The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that it is now accepting applications from pre-qualified providers for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. This major milestone is another key step in the process of bringing affordable access to broadband internet to Connecticut residents, and reflects an enormous effort and coordination across multiple state and federal agencies.

• 1/24/2025 2025 Connecticut Duck Stamp Reproductions Now Available

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that the 2025 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation (Duck) Stamp, which features Connecticut artist Alice Han’s depiction of a Northern Shoveler, is now available in limited quantity as a Conservation Edition Print.

• 1/23/2025 DEEP to Host 19th Annual No Child Left Inside® Winter Festival February 1st

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Winter is a great time to celebrate the outdoors with your friends, family, co-workers, or anyone who loves the crisp New England weather! The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) invites the public to join DEEP’s No Child Left Inside® 19th annual Winter Festival at Burr Pond State Park, 384 Burr Mountain Road, Torrington on Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10 am to 3 pm.

• 1/22/2025 DEEP Environmental Conservation Police Make Arrest in September 2, 2024 Fatal Boat Accident

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police arrested Clayton Hackling, 26, of Lyme, on January 22, 2025, in connection with the fatal boat accident that occurred at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook on September 2, 2024. EnCon officers conducted an extensive investigation with assistance from the New London State’s Attorney Office.

• 1/21/2025 DEEP Launches Matching Funds for Community Resilience Projects as Part of Its Climate Resilience Fund

  (HARTFORD, CT) —The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for a new matching funds grant program to support Connecticut communities pursuing funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. DEEP's new matching grants program is a component of the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund, which helps communities to invest in projects needed to address vulnerabilities to extreme weather and reduce impacts to critical infrastructure.

• 1/17/2025 DEEP Reminds Connecticut Residents that New Incentive Levels for CHEAPR Program Began Jan 1 2025

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is reminding the public that incentive levels for the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Vehicle Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program changed on January 1, 2025. As prices for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) continue to decline and consumer interest in the CHEAPR program continues to grow, the new incentive levels will enable DEEP to continue to meet consumer demand for the standard CHEAPR rebate within available resources, while prioritizing higher incentive levels to improve EV affordability for low- and moderate-income residents in Connecticut.

• 1/16/2025 DEEP Launches 2025 Seasonal Staff Recruitment

  (HARTFORD) — Looking for a fun seasonal job this year? Apply to one of the hundreds of exciting seasonal opportunities at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)! These opportunities typically combine spending time outdoors, conserving and providing access to the state’s most beautiful natural areas, and serving as an introduction to potential careers at DEEP or other environmental fields. Compensation ranges from $16.35 to $20.00 per hour for most positions and starts at $20.00 per hour for lifeguards.

• 1/15/2025 DEEP Announces Request for Qualifications for Community Resource Hubs

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking proposals from qualified organizations to serve as DEEP Community Resource Hubs (Hubs) in environmental justice communities in Connecticut. The purpose of the Community Resource Hubs will be to better connect Connecticut residents in environmental justice communities, including economically distressed communities, with DEEP services and programs that can benefit residents and their communities.