News Releases

Page 2 of 61

• 10/10/2024 DEEP and DECD Remind Residents of Opportunity to Provide Comment on Proposed Release-based Regulations

  (HARTFORD)—Today the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) are reminding the public that DEEP is accepting comments on the proposed Release Based Cleanup Regulations through October 24, 2024. These modernized regulations will remove barriers to cleaning pollution and return more polluted sites to productive use. This new, improved, process will replace the outdated Transfer Act with a practical system that relies on market-driven investigations to discover and clean up pollution.

• 10/9/2024 DEEP and CFPA Highlight Fall Hiking Opportunities, Offer Tips for Safe Fall Hiking

  (HARTFORD) — Ahead of the long holiday weekend, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) invite residents and visitors to enjoy this year’s vibrant Fall foliage from the many vantage points offered by DEEP’s State Forests, Parks, Greenways, and CFPA’s Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails.

• 10/4/2024 DEEP Announces Opening Days of Fall Turkey, Pheasant, and Small Game Hunting Seasons

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the Opening Days of the following fall hunting seasons:

• 10/2/2024 Connecticut Greenways Council Presents the 6th CT Trails Symposium

  (Hartford)--The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the legislatively appointed Connecticut Greenways Council, in partnership with Manchester Community College are hosting the sixth annual Connecticut Trails Symposium for local, state, and regional officials, property owners, managers, and volunteers on October 4, 2024.

• 9/30/2024 DEEP To Host Public Workshop October 17 on Passive Park Concept for Seaside State Park

  (HARTFORD)--The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will host a public workshop to inform the design of the Passive Park Concept for Seaside State Park in Waterford. The public workshop will be held in the Auditorium at the Waterford Town Hall on Thursday, October 17, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This workshop is the culmination of a public outreach initiative to inform the Passive Park Concept, which has included various stakeholder meetings and a public survey. After the public workshop, the architectural engineering firm DEEP contracted for the project will use the information and ideas gathered through the outreach and planning process to prepare a design for the Passive Park Concept at Seaside State Park.

• 9/27/2024 DEEP Celebrates Forestry Day at Goodwin Conservation Education Center on September 28th

  (HARTFORD) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announces its No Child Left Inside ® (NCLI) program comes to the Goodwin Conservation Education Center in Hampton on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM with free activities for all. In collaboration with the Friends of Goodwin Forest, DEEP State Parks and Forestry Divisions, and other partners, NCLI invites families and adults to enjoy the day in the great outdoors with many fun and engaging activities.

• 9/27/2024 Gov Lamont Announces Protection of 1364 Acres of Watershed Lands in Winchester

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, along with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Housatonic Valley Association, today announced the successful protection of 1,364 acres of watershed lands in the Town of Winchester.

• 9/26/2024 Celebrate Hunting and Fishing Day

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont has proclaimed Saturday, September 28, 2024, “Hunting and Fishing Day in the State of Connecticut” to coincide with National Hunting and Fishing Day; and to celebrate, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) invites you to celebrate at Black Rock State Park on Saturday, September 28, 2024, with a fun-filled, daylong event at Black Rock State Park, 2065 Thomaston Road, Watertown, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

• 9/25/2024 DEEP Seeks Input on Expanded DEEP Climate Resilience Funding and Loan Initiatives to Help Connecticut Communities Become More Climate Resilient

  (HARTFORD, CT) — Today, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced the strategic expansion of the successful DEEP Climate Resilience Fund (DCRF) program to better enable communities to access federal funding for climate resilience. This upcoming investment of state funds will help towns, Councils of Government, and other stakeholders pursue project planning, and in some cases construction, allowing them to tap into the billions of federal dollars available to improve local resilience. As Connecticut experiences mounting costs from severe weather events, securing federal funding for proactive climate resilience planning and investment is critical to getting more projects built and keeping communities safe. DEEP is seeking feedback on a new framework for the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund, including from municipalities, Councils of Government, tribes, electric distribution companies, academic partners, private entities, and non-profit organizations. DEEP made this new future grant round announcement as part of a tour of the Meriden Green resilience project, a 14-acre flood control project using nature-based solutions located in downtown Meriden. The announcement was part of the State’s Sustainability and Resiliency Week.

• 9/18/2024 DEEP Announces $485,000 in State Remediation Grants

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced the release of $485,000 in state grant dollars to support the assessment and remediation of blighted properties across four Connecticut municipalities, and announced the opening of the next round of funding under this program. The grants announced today, part of the first round of a new DEEP grant program, will fund projects spanning more than 133 acres of land, with the goal of revitalizing brownfield sites into public spaces and other beneficial uses.

• 9/19/2024 DEEP Urges Residents to Take Steps to Avoid Conflicts With Bears This Fall

  (HARTFORD, CT) —The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is strongly urging residents to follow best practices to reduce the likelihood of a conflict with a black bear this fall. So far, 2024 has featured a record high of 68 documented home entries by bears, as well as a bear that bit a resident in Cheshire in July. Conflicts with bears have tripled in recent years in Connecticut and bears have been observed in all of the state’s 169 cities and towns. Given the already high rate of human-bear conflicts in 2024, DEEP is urging residents to practice vigilance as we enter a time of year when bears are particularly active as they increase feeding ahead of the winter denning season.

• 9/17/2024 DEEP Launches Second Round of Electric Bike Voucher Program

  (HARTFORD) — Today, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced that the second round of the State’s successful electric bicycle (eBike) voucher program will open for applications at 12 p.m. today, on September 17. This program offers residents an alternative clean transportation option, with increased incentives for low-to-moderate income individuals and those who live in environmental justice (EJ) communities. DEEP held an event in Bushnell Park in Hartford yesterday with local and state officials, and eBike advocates and retailers to celebrate the launch of the second round of the program.

• 9/13/2024 Fall Archery Deer and Turkey Seasons Open in September

  (HARTFORD, CT) - Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reminds residents that the 2024 fall archery hunting season for deer on private land opens on Sunday, September 15, while the fall archery hunting seasons for deer on state land and turkey on state and private land open on Monday, September 16.

• 9/12/2024 Risk of Mosquito-borne Diseases Expands Across State, Residents Advised to Protect Themselves When Recreating Outdoors

  (HARTFORD)— The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) along with the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program is warning Connecticut residents that the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, mainly eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV), is still of concern.

• 9/9/2024 Bat Appreciation Day to Be Held at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine on Sept. 15

  (HARTFORD)—Join the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division and the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for a celebration of bat conservation at the Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine in East Granby on Sunday, September 15, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event helps raise awareness about the story of one of Connecticut’s most intriguing historical sites and its importance to the conservation of endangered species.