Hurricane Sandy Map

As we await Sandy’s arrival to Connecticut and we all have power, check out the ongoing map project we’re working on. We’ll add things like shelters, closures, flooding and anything else that might be helpful to others. If you have any information to add to the map, either leave us a comment here, tweet us @wherewelive, or email wherewelive@wnpr.org. We’ll be updating this on an on-going basis.

***Update*** The map is open for anyone to edit. If you’ve never added a marker to a Google Map before, you can find instructions at goo.gl/fHKoq. Feel free to contact us with information too and we’ll get it up if that’s easier!

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Listener Poetry

After several days without power, boredom starts to set in. One listener of Where We Live (who I’m assuming was out of power for a long time) was bored but creative. We received this Ode to CL&P this morning. If you have other ways of expressing your feelings (good or bad) about CL&P please feel free to share them with us at wherewelive@wnpr.org.

Ode to CL&P
By Marci Moreau

An early snow begins our plight what seems so long ago
Too soon it falls on still dressed trees and brings us to our knees
Our homes go dark, our fingers cold and streets seemed paved with bark

Through all our faith is steadfast strong, we believe there is no fear
With riches plenty in our State help surely will be here
Alas we hear Jeff Butlers call echo through the night
With all we give, how much we pay, of course there will be light

Days march on, no phone, no food, my hair I want to dry
Thank goodness for the restaurants or I would really cry
We wait for hope with each new day yet nothing comes our way
I listen for Charles Shivery but he has naught to say

Our elders freeze, our children whimper and spirits become grim
Shelters fill and people hear apologies for there is no room at the inn
Business halts and much is lost in times so very tough
What will we do and how will it ever be enough

Still confused and cold and dazed, why were we not prepared
Tales of low inventory and no staffing all sound very weird
In final hours crews arrive from lands so far away
They hook things up and work so hard for that golden ray
Through the nights they mend the streets, our passages now clear
Alas we know our future plans need so much work from here

Adieu my friends I must return, my home is warm and bright
Back to life, to have a go and try to make this right
But first I call CL& P and say I cannot pay
It seems my funds have all been spent on dining out each day
But wait I’ll speak Sir Butler’s name, after all he is the chief
In that I trust he will agree to give me some relief
I am sure he will wait with patience for my bill
He understands just what it means to live amidst a very icy chill

Esty: Connecticut Committed To Nuclear

by John Dankosky - Connecticut’s new commissioner overseeing energy and environmental policy says the nuclear accident in Japan is going to require the nation to step back and look at the “challeges that need to be faced” before moving forward with new nuclear power plants.

Speaking on Where We Live, Dan Esty said that nuclear should be part of a “portfolio” of choices to provide clean and cheap energy.  ”Frankly all of the energy options going forward have challenges,” he said.  ”The nuclear industry has to make sure that it can dispose of waste safely, and frankly deal with accidents.  And I think we don’t yet know what the final outcome of the situation will be in Japan, but it does signal that we need to be careful.”

Esty said that Connecticut’s nuclear plants are a generation more advanced, and have more safety built into them.  He also called Connecticut “geologically stable” and a place where nuclear plants could avoid major natural disasters.

“So, I think there is likely to be a commitment to nuclear that goes forward.  But I think the difficulty is that this adds – the safety issues that are now at the forefront of people’s minds – adds to the challenge, which was already substantial for nuclear, based on the difficulty of getting new plants licensed and built,” he said.

“And, frankly, the large part of that challenge is economic.  These plants have not been built in an economical way in recent years.”

The Millstone Plant in Waterford generates up to 60 percent of the state’s electricity.

You can listen to the entire interview with listener questions on Where We Live.

Suit Filed Over Cape Wind Project

by John Dankosky – As sometimes happens, our timing is juuuust about right.   This week, we revisited a conversation about wind power, and the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket sound, which got the federal go-ahead in May.  Critics say it ruins the view, and might just be a give-away to a powerful developer.   As usual, it got people on our website talking.  This, from Mary:

The late Senator Kennedy’s point was not just about the view – it was about who owns wind, private developers, the same old oil and gas companines or the public? Note that the energy from the wind farm approved off of Block Island will neither be “owned” by Block Island residents, nor ensure that BI becomes energy independent. This is the problem – wind energy ought be the first step in a distributed energy network where communities can develop sustainable energy budgets. Note also that the fact that wind is pegged to the ever changing price of a barrel of oil, rather than the fixed long-term cost of wind farm construction reveals that the oil and gas industry is still managing our energy future.

Today, word that the first lawsuit challenging that federal approval has been filed. Boston.com has the story:

Six groups and three individuals, from California to Cape Cod, argued in federal district court in Washington that the controversial project will “exact a terrible toll” on federally protected migratory birds and possibly whales. The 30-page lawsuit says federal officials failed to collect data on the project’s impact on bird migration and whales and refused to adopt protective measures for the rare roseate tern and piping plover.

Monday’s Where We Live: DEP in Legislative Cross-hairs

Update: You can listen to the entire interview here.

Amey Marrella - Photo by Chion Wolf

by John Dankosky – Amey Marella is pretty new to her job as Connecticut’s DEP commissioner, but it must seem like she’s been at it for a loooooong time.  With the state continuing to hemorrhage jobs, lawmakers – spurred by the business community – are pushing for changes to her department.  They say businesses have trouble working with the agency; they say the permitting process is too long and too confusing; and they say that the DEP is too much of an “advocate for the environment.”  (More on that later)

As Mark Pazniokas reported in The Connecticut Mirror in February, bills aimed at changing the department range from “nuanced” to “openly hostile.”  One bill would eliminate the DEP altogether and let the Department of Economic and Community Development handle the permitting.  Another would prescribe more oversight of DEP’s “guidance statements” that tell companies how to comply.

DEP supporters say the agency is short-staffed, and that’s part of the reason for long permitting delays.  But, Christopher Phelps of Connecticut Environment told the Mirror that these bills are aimed at something more fundamental: “Taking the environment cops off the beat.”

Some observations, which I’ll be talking about with Marella:

• Several of these bills, including the one that would put environmental regulation in the hands of a state development agency are being pushed by Democrats, who have generally been kinder to environmental regulations.
• Marella, having heard from lawmakers and Governor Rell has worked to “streamline” the permitting process.  (But the example she gave Pazniokas of an easier road to get your residential boat dock built will not exactly thrill business advocates.)
• The CBIA is very involved in this issue, and lobbyist Eric Brown told the Hartford Business Journal “I think the problem with DEP is that too often it views itself as an advocate for the environment,” Brown said. “But the DEP’s responsibility is not just to the environment, it’s also to the state and economy.”  I can’t wait to get Marella’s reaction to that.
• In other writing, Brown seems to set up an either-or situation: “Environmental advocates and the DEP both claim publicly that a strong environment and a strong economy go hand-in-hand.  Businesses agree. But while we have the cleanest environment in at least 150 years, our economy is the worst it has been in decades.”
• Finally, all this talk of a DEP that’s not “business-friendly” reminds me of the reporting WNPR’s Nancy Cohen did years ago on the Rowland-era department, at a very different time in its history.  A time when regulators were sometimes told by superiors that business interests should supersede environmental concerns.  A time when political favors were tied to environmental regulations, and whistleblowers were muzzled.
• We’ll also be talking about the impact of higher fees at state parks – meant to help close the budget gap.  Will this mean fewer people enjoying Connecticut’s natural resources?

We want to hear from you:  Are you worried that Connecticut’s environmental regulations will be weakened in an attempt to be more “business-friendly?”  Or, are you a business owner who has a story about a regulatory system that’s broken?  Join the conversation at 860-275-7266, email wherewelive@wnpr.org or leave a comment here.

Where We Vote: Rob Simmons on Climate Change

By Libby Conn–  When John asked Rob Simmons this morning about any mistakes he’d made in congress as the Representative for Connecticut’s second district, Simmons pointed to his support for cap and trade legislation, saying:

Rob Simmons shows off his Barry Goldwater book - Photo by Chion Wolf

At the time that I was involved with that issue, there was a huge amount of information out in the public domain focusing on issues of climate change and global warming, etc.  Over time, that information has become modified with new information and with some very disturbing news about how that data was manipulated, improperly, by folks who had a vested interest in manipulating it.  And so there’s been a shift away, if you will…

But then Simmons went on to explain that it was actually his time serving as Connecticut’s Business Advocate that convinced him that a cap and trade system would result in higher energy costs for businesses in the state already struggling to operate with some of the nation’s highest rates.

JD: Are you backing away though from the idea that human activity has an impact on the climate? Do you still believe that what we do here does raise the temperature of the planet and something needs to be done about it?

RS: I think we all know that the Clean Air Act, which was signed by Richard Nixon, kind of ironic, and the creation of the EPA, created by Richard Nixon was in response to clean air issues.  I mean, I’ve suffered fro asthma.  So I understand how air pollution and particulate matter in the air can affect our health and our lives.  And that particulate matter, in some cases, is created by human beings…the same issue goes to water.  If you pollute the water and we don’t have clean water, we don’t have the opportunity to live in a quality environment.  So we want to make sure the water is clean.  I remember the days when the rivers of Connecticut ran different colors based on the dyes being used by the velvet mills.  So there’s no question that certain human behavior causes pollution that we need to be concerned about.

JD: The idea that carbon dioxide is one of those pollutants though is something that’s changed since the Nixon administration…..Do you believe that the US moving forward needs to have controls on carbon dioxide emissions, so that the temperature of the earth does not continue to rise?

RS: We need common sense solutions and that’s why I support nuclear power.

At least one caller, Susan, was confused:

Susan:  I thought that Mr. Simmons skirted the question about whether or not he accepted the science about C02 and the cause of global warming and I would like to hear a definitive answer from him because that is kind of the crux of the issue.

RS: It’s nice to have a definitive answer if there is a definitive answer….I’m not convinced there is a definitive answer I’ve read a number of books on both side of the issue and I think it’s basically part of a discussion that is ongoing….I’m continuing to educate myself on the subject and will continue to do so.

JD: You changed your stance on cap and trade, you said, because you thought it would kill business.  But when you supported it at first, it must mean that you believed global warming was happening and there was a reason that we should have cap and trade at all.

RS: There was a lot of information out on the subject at the time.  But in retrospect, as we update ourselves, as we live and as we learn, we’ve discovered that some of that data was manipulated and incorrect.  The entity in Great Britain that was charged with millions of dollars of research on the subject concealed some of their findings, and worked to disregard people who had alternative viewpoints…..I think this issue is a developing issue where new information is being brought to bare and we have to keep our mind open to that.  What really concerned me, as the Business Advocate, is that we have the highest energy costs in the continental United States.  To lay another layer of cost on these companies without being certain that other countries will engage in the regime , without being certain that the science is absolutely correct, it is a job killer and we can’t afford job killers right now.

We had some tweeters take issue with Simmons’ characterization of the science and the significance of  “climate-gate.”:

@wherewelive the climate change emails were shown to be innocent of what Simmons is accusing by an independent panel.

And…

@wherewelive Simmons is just out of touch with reality w/r/t global warming. The email scandal doesn’t impact the main body of research.

In any case, it doesn’t seem that Simmons, or anyone will have an opportunity to vote on cap and trade legislation again anytime in the near future.  Though the House passed legislation last year, the Senate never did so and the policy has, to a certain extent, fallen out of favor.  President Obama’s most recent budget didn’t include the term at all.  Read more on the demise of cap and trade in yesterday’s New York Times.

Fish, Fishermen and Sustainable Fisheries

by John Dankosky – Two pretty remarkable books and a scary film inspired our conversation about fish today on Where We Live.

During my trip down the Pacific Coast Highway last summer, Sasha Issenberg’s The Sushi Economy was my reading material.  It chronicles the amazing transformation of blue fin tuna from unappetizing “junk fish” meant for cat food to one of the world’s most prized, most expensive, and most endangered delicacies.

It struck a nerve, because a big chunk of that trip was spent hanging out in the working port of Newport, Oregon.  It’s a place where fishermen still go out and bring back albacore, oysters and crabs.  As I ate fresh, wonderful food there that had come back on boats only hours earlier, I felt this amazing disconnect from most of the fish I eat – which is frozen, then flown halfway around the world.  That’s what The Sushi Economy is all about – disconnected dinner.

While in Newport,  I may have been thinking about my disconnect from the food, but I became more connected to the people who go and hunt it.

New Bedford Fishing at night - courtesy RoryNugent.com

It’s no wonder that The Deadliest Catch has become such a hit, because it tells one of our most primal stories.  Those stories are the heart of Rory Nugent’s Down at the Docks. It introduces us to the fishermen who make New Bedford, Massachusetts America’s biggest fishing fleet.

The guys who Nugent profiles – to a man – can’t stand the scientists, the “greenies” who tell them how much they can and can’t fish.

These are guys who wouldn’t even be swayed by Rupert Murray’s film, The End of the Line, about our coming fishing catastrophe.  It shows that our current fishing trends will wipe out fish stocks within 50 years.

Murray shared his personal guide for eating fish in a sustainable way:  Eat small fish, not the big ones like tuna and swordfish.

A guy who understands how to choose the right fish to eat is Chef Bun Lai, of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven.  It’s said to be the “only restaurant in the northeastern United States to serve what’s called “sustainable sushi,” made only with fish that aren’t endangered by over-fishing.”  (Read more here, in Greg Hladky’s excellent Advocate article about eating endangered species) Lai told Hladky:

“We were really thinking about better ways to eat that weren’t commercial.  So many commercial practices are bad for the environment.”

For those looking to learn more about sustainable seafood, Tom Dudchik of CT Capitol Report sent along this link, mentioned on the show – Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. It includes a pretty interesting “State of Seafood” report.

Another great link, about Sustainable Sushi.

Below, watch a trailer from The End of the Line.

Coal Documentary on Monday’s Where We Live

by John Dankosky - As is the custom, Where We Live will be presenting a special for the President’s Day holiday on Monday.  It’s a documentary by our friends at The Environment Report, called “Coal: Dirty Past, Hazy Future.” Here’s part of their description:

An in-depth look at the future of coal in this country. The Environment Report explores the role that coal plays in our lives and in the lives of those who depend on coal mining for a living. Can coal truly be a viable option in the new green economy?

Continued Coverage of the Middletown Explosion

by Catie Talarski

Five people died in an explosion on Sunday at the Kleen Energy Power Plant in Middletown.  Mayor Sebastian Guiliano confirms that there were twelve people injured in the blast, and currently all workers have been accounted for.

Kleen Energy Plant after explosion, photo by Steve McLaughlin

Ray Hardman spoke with Middletown’s Deputy Fire Marshall this morning on Where We Live – along with WNPR reporter and Middletown resident Lucy Nalpathanchil, who was live on the scene.  We talked to UCONN Mechanical Engineering professor Lee Langston to understand more about the potential cause of the explosion – and a representative from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

The Colin McEnroe Show touched base with Ed McKeon at the Middletown Eye, former city councilman Earle Roberts Jr., OSHA, and Mayor Guiliano.  You can hear the interview with Guiliano here.

Governor Rell has assembled a panel of state agencies to identify the cause and origin of the explosion.  Members of the U.S Chemical Safety Board arrived today to begin their investigation. Spokesman for the C.S.B., Daniel Horowitz, says the agency was turned away at the plant by the Middletown police department.  They plan to return this afternoon, and hope to gain access.

WNPR reporter Harriet Jones provides some background information on Kleen Energy Systems.  Listen to WNPR for continued coverage throughout the afternoon.

Aerial views of the Kleen Energy Power Plant:

Yale Study Shows Americans Care Less, Believe Less, in Climate Change

by John Dankosky - A new study by Yale and George Mason Universities shows that public concern about global warming has dropped sharply since the Copenhagen Climate Summit in December.  But, we found some Yale student scientists who are still optimistic, despite the falling public support for their research.

Click here for the full study – here’s what it shows:  Only a few years after former Vice President Al Gore won a Nobel Prize and worldwide acclaim for leading a global fight against climate change, it seems Americans have cooled on the issue.

The study shows that only 50% of Americans now say they’re “somewhat” or “very” worried about global warming, that’s a 13% decrease since Fall of 2008.  The percentage of Americans who think it’s happening at all has dropped 14 points to only 57%.  It also shows public opinion drifting away from belief that humans are causing global warming…and away from trust in scientists.

The survey was conducted after the controversial Copenhagen Summit, and following weeks of “climate gate” controversy, surrounding scientists who were said to have “cooked the numbers” to support their climate change positions.  But Kasey Jacobs, a graduate student in Environmental Science at Yale, told WNPR’s Where We Live that she thinks public opinion can come back around – in time to push through substantive climate change legislation in Congress.

“People are concerned…and I don’t think that’s changed in the last two or three months.  Maybe nationwide, maybe when just talking specifically about climate change and global warming.  But, when you really talk to people about the issues, they want action.  And, I think as that happens, and there’s more awareness raising, and there’s more programs on TV and more celebrities talking about it, I think we can get that momentum back up to where we need it to be to pass a good bill.”

Alark Saxena - courtesy Yale

Jacobs’ colleague, Alark Saxena, said that despite the sagging interest in the US, people in other countries are still very concerned about the impacts of climate change.

“Yes, the perceptions change, priorities change, but at the same time, to be honest, I felt that Copenhagen becoming such a huge event was a positive step toward we becoming really more and more and more interested toward environmental issues.  And, environmental issues becoming the forefront of many developmental challenges.”

Saxena and Jacobs were part of a large Yale university contingent at the Copenhagen Summit.

Listen to Where We Live’s preview of the Copenhagen summit here.