“This is a chemical designed to kill,” said Rep. Backer. “The bio-accumulation of this chemical in certain sea life often affects their ability to cope with environmental changes such as a rise in water temperature.”

The bill prohibits any product containing methoprene from being used in the vicinity of Long Island Sound where potential run off could injure developing lobsters, such as application in any storm drain or water run-off in coastal areas. However, methoprene could be used in bird baths and swimming pool covers. The bill also charges the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station with monitoring the its application.

The legislation awaits action by the State Senate.

 “Special care needs to be given to the oyster population and critical shellfish habitat along the Housatonic River. This area is a historical and important oyster seed production resource,” said Rep. Backer. “It’s important for me to make sure all the precautions possible are taken.”

The limited dredging is a pilot project being coordinated among locals, CTDEEP, CTDOT, the New England District of the Army Corps and EPA Region 1. State and federal fisheries officials are also involved in the approval process.

The project is unique because the clean material to be dredged from the main channel using the Army Corps hopper dredge CURRITUCK will be disposed of near shore in the vicinity of Point No Point Beach in Stratford. It has been determined by the state and federal aquaculture entities that the disposal location will not impact the shell fish beds or fin fish spawning areas located more than one mile away.

The permitting process is next, followed by the dredging work, slated to begin in October and conclude about December 15, 2012 as to not impact shell or fin fish.

“From entrepreneurs creating cutting edge products in emerging industries to business leaders looking to expand long-standing companies, EXP is a program that demonstrates the state’s commitment to Connecticut’s small companies and their role in creating and protecting the jobs that will strengthen our economy,” said Governor Malloy.

In total, EXP will provide $100 million to help the state’s small businesses hire more employees and fund capital investments. The program, administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), offers loans and matching grants to Connecticut companies with fewer than 50 employees at the time of application.

The businesses to receive funding are:

• Nature’s First, Inc. of Orange is a manufacturer of food products sold in health food stores and supermarkets including Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, and other major regional chains. The company will retain four and create two new jobs as ownership leverages an investment of $370,000 with a Job Creation Incentive Loan of $100,000 and a Matching Grant of $100,000. The funding will support the import of powder and juice pulp from India to its domestic manufacturing facility.

“The state is smart to invest in companies like Nature’s First, a local manufacturer of healthy and nutritious foods,” said Senator Gayle Slossberg. “This grant award sends a message that Connecticut supports small businesses and is focused on growing jobs. I want to see more success stories like this one that ends with a growing and thriving workforce.”

“The bipartisan Jobs Bill passed in October continues to have a positive impact on small businesses in our local area,” said Representative Paul Davis. “Nature’s First inc., of Orange, which has an international presence, is another example of how government can help support job growth and small business expansion in the private sector. The benefits of this program extend to the entire community through greater employment opportunities and increased economic development.”

“Helping small businesses grow strong roots here in Connecticut, and in this region in particular, fueled my decision last fall to support an expanded menu of assistance options available to employers,” said Representative Themis Klarides. “Government can’t create private sector jobs, but it can certainly help create a climate where they can bloom. These types of state investments in our business community go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.”

• Nalas Engineering, of Essex provides chemistry and chemical engineering expertise to aid in the development of safe, robust and low-cost chemical processes. The company, currently housed in the UCONN Small Business Incubator at Avery Point, will invest $100,000 and receive a $100,000 Matching Grant to move to a larger location and expand in Essex. New machinery and equipment will be purchased and ten new employees will be hired, tripling the number now employed from five to fifteen.

“I’m delighted by DECD’s favorable consideration of Nalas Engineering’s strong application for this grant, and I commend local officials in Essex who encouraged the company’s move into town. A winning formula for economic growth is collaboration between the public sector and private business,” said Senator Eileen Daily. “This grant for Nalas Engineering is a prime example of how this partnership can work and it is great news for our local economy and for Connecticut.”

“This investment will allow Nalas Engineering to relocate to Essex and hire more workers—helping to help grow our local economy,” said Representative Phil Miller. “Governor Malloy is clearly focused on the needs of our small businesses and I want to thank him for his strong support.”

• The Rockfall Company, LLC of Meriden, a veteran-owned company established in 1998, is a team of seasoned planners, designers and construction professionals providing general contracting, construction management and mechanical contracting services, facilities design, project planning, and construction consulting. Specializing in light commercial and residential construction, the company’s finished products include office complexes, condominiums, retail space, and educational facilities as well as custom-designed residences throughout Connecticut. The company received a $250,000 Job Creation Incentive Loan, and a $20,000 Matching Grant, to expand the business, purchase a piece of equipment and hire five new employees.

“Our top priority is job creation and small business expansion. That’s what will jumpstart our recovery, and that’s what we had in mind when we passed the Jobs Bill last fall,” said House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan. “Governor Malloy’s decision to select The Rockfall Company of Meriden is a welcome boost to our regional economy.”

“It is encouraging to see a local veteran-owned small business benefit from one of these grants,” said Representative Cathy Abercrombie. “I am pleased to see our governor including a variety of businesses in this grant program and thank him for keeping Meriden’s small businesses in mind.”

“I thank Governor Malloy for his continued support of small business. The opportunity for this company to expand and hire more employees contributes to our economic recovery,” said Representative Emil “Buddy” Altobello.

• Jupiter Communications, LLC of Stratford, a printing company, has been in continuous operation since 1962, and is principally concerned with serving financial publishing companies. With an opportunity to capture a major new customer, Jupiter is investing $180,000 and receiving a Matching Grant of $100,000 to acquire new equipment and help the company bring work currently sourced out-of-state back in-house. Jupiter will retain ten jobs and add two more.

“I am very happy that the job creation programs the legislature passed last fall will help Jupiter Communications in Stratford retain ten jobs and even bring a couple of outsourced positions back here to Connecticut. Helping small businesses to succeed and start hiring again is one of my top goals, and I hope we will be able to pass an expansion of these job programs later this year,” said Senator Ed Gomes.

“I’m always thrilled when any investment is made in a Stratford business, especially in these tough economic times,” said Representative Terry Backer. “Lack of employment remains a major hurdle for communities like Stratford. This grant will allow for the hiring of local residents.”

“This new approach, giving grants to small businesses in a short time frame, can have a big impact on a company. Jupiter Communications is a perfect example. It is what was envisioned when the Jobs Bill passed last October,” said Representative Lawrence Miller.

“I'm happy to see DECD has worked with Jupiter to allow them to expand their business and bring out-sourced work back into their own operation,” said Representative Laura Hoydick. “It's good to see positive growth that stems directly from last year's bipartisan legislation taking effect right here in Stratford.”

“I am pleased that Jupiter Communications will be growing and creating jobs in our community,” said Senator Kevin Kelly. “Small businesses are the engine that drives our economy, and the Small Business Express Program is a good example of how state government should work in cooperation with business owners to put local families back to work.”

• Greenskies Renewable, LLC of Middletown has been awarded a $100,000 Matching Grant and a Job Creation Incentive Loan in the amount of $250,000. A solar integrator that specializes in solar financing, system design, project implementation, coordination, long-term system monitoring and maintenance, Greenskies will hire four new employees over the next three years as they work with several major multinational corporations to scale up a number of successfully completed pilot installations at locations throughout the northeast.

“We are lucky to have a visionary renewable energy company like Greenskies right in our own backyard in Middletown,” said Senator Paul Doyle. “This grant will help Greenskies continue to thrive and create jobs for four new people. This is the kind of investment we need to get the state’s economy back on track and get people back to work.”

“It is really great to see another business right here in our community expanding and growing with the support of the state,” said Representative Joseph Serra. “Greenskies, particularly with its mission of encouraging the use of solar energy, is a great fit for the Small Business Express program which will help add jobs to our local economy.”

“This is the direction our state needs to continue traveling, small business support and green jobs,” said Representative Gail K. Hamm. “I’m thrilled anytime investment comes to Middletown.”

“This Small Business Express Program is doing exactly what was intended when I voted for the Jobs bill last year. Businesses like Greenskies Renewable are able to use this grant to expand operations and hire new employees, and win for the business and for the state,” said Representative Christie Carpino.

“Greenskies is creating green jobs right here in Middletown. As a member of the Energy Committee, I’ve long been a supporter of renewable energy and I’m thrilled that Governor Malloy is helping this great solar business expand in Middletown,” said Representative Matt Lesser.

For more information on EXP or to apply for the program, visit the Small Business Express Program web page or contact Michelle Lugo at DECD at 860-270-8052 or Michelle.Lugo@ct.gov.

HARTFORD —— The Connecticut House of Representatives late Wednesday gave final legislative approval to a measure repealing the state's seldom-used death penalty after more than 9 1/2 hours of often gut-wrenching debate.

Senate Bill 280 cleared the House 86-62, a vote that broke largely along party lines. The bill now goes to Gov.Dannel P. Malloy, who has pledged to sign it, ending a form of punishment in the state that dates back to Colonial times when those convicted of being witches were sent to the gallows.

"This vote tonight ... allows Connecticut to break with a centuries-old tradition of executing people and rejoin the rest of the Western world, which has long since cut bait with the death penalty," said Benjamin Todd Jealous, the national president of the NAACP, who watched the back-and-forth from the House gallery. "It also moves our nation forward."

Connecticut will join the 16 other states, and the District of Columbia, that have abolished capital punishment. The bill, approved by the Senate one week ago, replaces the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of release, although it stipulates that the 11 men currently on death row will still face execution; capital punishment would be abolished only for those convicted of capital offenses in the future.

"For decades, we have not had a workable death penalty," Malloy said in a statement issued just moments after the 10:57 p.m. vote. "Going forward, we will have a system that allows us to put these people away for life, in living conditions none of us would want to experience. Let's throw away the key and have them spend the rest of their natural lives in jail."

Throughout the lengthy debate, lawmakers publicly struggled with their ethical, legal, political and moral convictions.

"There are many that believe by creating a law that allows us to take a life in exchange for a heinous act of murder ... is somehow protecting society and protecting ourselves," House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey said, as the debate wound down. "With due respect to those who feel that way, I have to disagree."

Those who believe in capital punishment invoked the Sept. 11 attacks, the Petit family murders in Cheshire and a host of other horrors as they made a case for preserving the death penalty.

"I'm a man of faith and I won't tell you I haven't wrestled with my faith," said Rep. Russ Morin, D-Wethersfield. "But I'm going to be clear: I'm not torn on this matter, not one bit."

Morin said his support for the death penalty is rooted in a lesson learned in kindergarten: Actions have consequences. "The perpetrators of these types of heinous crimes have made their decision," he said. "The decisions they've made must have these consequences."

But supporters of the repeal effort say the state's death penalty is irrevocably broken — just one man, serial killer Michael Ross, has been executed in the past 50 years, and that was after he waived his appeals. Rep. T.R. Rowe, a Republican from Trumbull who supported the repeal bill, called the current death penalty "a paper tiger."

Others pointed out that government is not infallible, and the chance, however slight, of an innocent person being executed is too grave a risk when the punishment is death.

Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, cited the case of Kenneth Ireland, who spent 20 years in prison before he was cleared by new DNA evidence. "The government does make mistakes, please remember that and support this bill," she said.

Rep. Terry Backer said he is torn by the gravity of the decision. "I agree that this bill is imperfect," he said.

But Backer, D-Stratford, noted that 289 people convicted of capital murder nationwide were later exonerated.

"Many of the mistakes we make as [a] government ... have done things that haven't quite worked out the way we hoped they would work out ... but we are always able to go back and fix those things," he said. "Unfortunately, when we are wrong in these cases, there is no way to put them back on track."

There were at least 15 attempts to amend the bill. Republicans offered proposals to carve out certain categories of criminals, such as cop-killers and terrorists, and make them eligible for the death penalty. Another sought to ensure that prisoners do not have Internet access. All of the amendments were rejected.

In the final hour of the deliberations, Rep. Art O'Neill, R-Southbury, proposed a nonbinding referendum on the death penalty, "a real vote by the people of the state of Connecticut [which] would provide the kind of guidance so many [lawmakers] have been seeking." Like the other efforts to tinker with the bill, this one failed.

House Republican leader Larry Cafero called the measure "a fraud on the public" because the repeal is prospective and would not apply to the 11 men currently on death row.

"How can you say in your heart and with your vote that it should no longer be the policy of the state of Connecticut to commit anyone to death and yet at the same time say, 'except for these 11 guys?"' Cafero said. "How do you justify that?"

Cafero said the prospective nature of the bill is a political calculation that undercuts the moral arguments made by opponents of the death penalty.

Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, one of the most vigorous supporters of the repeal effort, didn't dispute Cafero's view that the prospective part of the bill was born as a compromise. "But the reality is I am in a room with 150 other people and I'm not so young that I believe … I know everything," said the New Haven Democrat. "Part of what we do here is, we figure out how do we make things happen."

Holder-Winfield said he favors complete abolition, even for the 11 occupants of death row. But, he said, "If I can't get the state to stop executing people that are already on death row, at least I can stop the state from executing people that may be on death row in the future."

Opponents of capital punishment say Connecticut is a key part of their strategy to take the question of the constitutionality of the death penalty to theU.S. Supreme Court. When Malloy signs the Connecticut bill, New Hampshire will be the only New England state with the death penalty.

"We're not going to be able to abolish the death penalty in Georgia, where Troy Davis, an innocent man, was executed," said Jealous, the NAACP president. "Or Texas ... until we can go to the Supreme Court and abolish it for the entire country. And we won't be able to do that until we can prove to the Supreme Court that a majority of the states have abolished it. ... Connecticut is the tipping point state."

A small group of repeal supporters, several of them family members of crime victims, watched the debate from the House gallery.

The sentiments of family members were invoked by those on both sides of the issue. Rep. Michael Molgano, a Republican from Stamford, said he understands the impulse for retribution felt by some people who lost loved ones to murder. But Molgano, who broke with his party's leaders to support the repeal bill, said he also spoke with others who say the death penalty brings no solace.

"Life imprisonment without the possibility of release is a severe and appropriate sentence for those deserving permanent exile from society," Molgano said.

A communicant at St. Bridget of Ireland Church in Stamford and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Molgano invoked the words of Pope John Paul II.

Life in prison with no possibility of release, Molgano said, "values life while upholding justice."

A bill repealing capital punishment in Connecticut cleared both the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2009, but was vetoed by then-Gov.M. Jodi Rell.

On Wednesday, her successor, Malloy, reiterated his belief that capital punishment has no place in the state's criminal justice policy.

"I'm pleased the House passed the bill, and when it gets to my desk I will sign it," Malloy said in his statement. "I want to be careful in the tone of my remarks, out of respect for the gravity of the issue at hand and out of respect for people on both sides of the issue. When I sign this bill, Connecticut will join 16 other states and almost every other industrialized nation in moving toward what I believe is better public policy."

The legislators forming the LIS caucus steering committee are:

• State Representatives Lonnie Reed (D) (steering committee co-chair)
• State Representative Vincent Candelora (R) (steering committee co-chair)
• State Representative Patricia Widlitz (D)
• State Representative Elissa Wright (D)
• State Representative Clark Chapin (R)
• State Representative Marilyn Giuliano (R)
• State Senator Andrew Maynard (D) (steering committee co-chair)
• State Senator Edward Meyer (D)
• State Senator Len Fasano (R) (steering committee co-chair)
• State Senator Scott Frantz (R)
• State Senator John McKinney (R)
• State Senator Eileen Daily (D)

The original 12 members of the caucus represent shoreline communities; others have worked in the past with New York to defeat the Broadwater floating Liquid Natural Gas plant proposed for Long Island Sound. The Broadwater issue will serve as a model for future caucus efforts to address regional differences, solve regional problems and meet regional needs.

“I welcome this diverse group as we continue to fight for Connecticut’s top natural resource,” said State Representative Terry Backer (D-Stratford).“As our Soundkeeper for the last 25 years, I hope to provide my expertise and support for this great cause.”

Goals of the caucus include:

• Economic development and job growth opportunities
• Attracting maritime businesses while solving the inevitable dredging conflicts that accompany such ambitions.
• Environmental issues--reducing run-offs from storm water and other pollutants; protecting the sound's beaches, water quality, the shellfish industry, storm preparation, future shoreline development, zoning, insurance, homeowner rights, seawalls, breakwaters
• Bi-state cooperation with New York
• Advocating for focused legislation
• Acquiring important coastal areas for public use
• Expanding improvement bonding beyond marinas to things like ferries, expand the clean marina program to "clean maritime programs"....other waterfront areas, ferries, docks etc...work on incentives for doing environmentally beneficial projects
• Supporting federal asks for projects and funding that are critical to CT (NOAA, LIS Restoration Fund, Clean Water State Revolving Fund, etc.)
• Meeting the 2014 deadline for nitrogen reductions
• Protecting lobsters (prohibit insecticides from water)

“I'm grateful to Governor Malloy for approving this $500,000 grant in my district,” said Rep. Backer. “Reusing an industrial site for an industrial/commercial purpose while generating jobs and bolstering our tax base is a success on all fronts.”

Plans have the 1650-1700 Stratford Avenue location becoming the Two Roads Brewing Company with plans to bring about 70 jobs to Stratford.

“There is a renewed commitment for brownfield redevelopment across the state,” said Rep. Backer. “I’m encouraged by this and look forward to furthering this policy.”

Brownfields are contaminated former industrial sites that can be remediated for public use or redevelopment.

http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?A=4010&Q=501370

Environmental activists from across the state packed a hearing room last week to argue against the proposed rollback of a recent law banning pesticides on school grounds.

"We have proven beyond a doubt that pesticides harm young children," Sen. Ed Meyer, co-chair of the Environment Committee, said. "The message that has to go out today is that the health of our young children is under attack from the pesticide lobby, and we have to do everything in our power to thwart that attack."

Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides because of their smaller bodies and developing nervous systems, according to Meyer.

Despite support for the existing ban from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the bill was voted out of the Planning and Development Committee and has been placed on the House of Representatives' calendar for possible action.

Meyer said the bill is being advanced by pro-pesticide forces "who are upset with Connecticut's attempts to transition from decades of pesticide-laden playing fields" to playing fields maintained with purely organic methods.

"The ban hasn't been in effect very long and now the pesticide industry wants to plow it under," Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chair of the Environment Committee, said. "They want to spread their poison on the ground because they pray to the almighty dollar."

Current law prohibits pesticide use on the grounds of elementary and middle schools and daycare centers. The bill would repeal the ban and allow "integrated pest management" (IPM) for school fields. While IPM is often touted as a common-sense approach to managing agricultural fields, environmentalists and children's health advocates warn that IPM allows groundskeepers to freely apply pesticides to school grounds and fields.

"IPM permits the use of quite toxic pesticides," Jerry Silbert, M.D., executive director of the Watershed Partnership, said. "It's a rather weak and toothless regulation compared to a ban."

The state's largest municipal lobby disagrees.

"The use of pesticides through an Integrated Pest Management Program is the common sense approach to addressing pest populations while ensuring the health and safety of those inhabiting a facility," Kachina Walsh-Weaver of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said. "The US EPA urges all schools to utilize IPM for this purpose by 2015. Absent an effective method, towns and cities have been facing increasing costs to deal with emergency situations (which then call for a greater level of pesticides to be used) and the replacement of playing fields."

The Environmental Protection Agency supports IPM for school grounds.

"The EPA recommends that schools use integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pesticide risk and exposure to children. Put simply, IPM is a safer, and usually less costly option for effective pest management in a school community," according to the EPA website. "A school IPM program uses common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in your school buildings and grounds. An IPM program takes advantage of all pest management strategies, including the judicious and careful use of pesticides when necessary."

"We have been big supporters of IPM for the agricultural world, but not for the playground," Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford, said last week. "We've gained this ground and don't want to lose it."

"IPM means it's virtually impossible to tell how much pesticide is being applied to a field," Dr. Silbert, said. "There are now documented safe, cost-effective ways to maintain school lawns and sports fields without the use of toxic chemicals. It's appalling that involuntarily exposing children to toxic pesticides at schools is even being considered."

Among those urging lawmakers to stand fast in the face of pressure from the pesticide lobby was Stacy Prince of Westport, whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia as a three-year-old and who is at risk for other cancers because of the chemotherapy that saved her life.

"One of the first things I learned was the connection between pesticide exposure and childhood cancers," Prince said. "If HB 5155 passes, it will be a major setback for the protection of young children. Please don't allow pesticide companies to make my child and others 'externalized costs' of their profits."

Proponents of the bill contend that school fields are deteriorating because organic turf management is not only costly, but also ineffective. Since the law took effect on July 1, 2010, the Connecticut Parks Association (CPA) and the national pesticide trade association, Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), have lobbied hard against the pesticide ban, leading to an additional year of organic phase-in for school athletic fields. Also supporting the bill is the industry-sponsored Connecticut Environmental Council (CTEC), an umbrella organization that represents groundskeepers, pesticide applicators and the Connecticut Farm Bureau, among others.

"Over the 18 months since the ban took effect, school grounds have deteriorated until the athletic fields are almost unplayable," CTEC's lobbyist, Michael Dugan, said. "IPM allows 'judicious use' of pesticides, which has already removed tons of pesticides from athletic fields while maintaining them in playable conditions. Simply put, organic methods don't work and are expensive to maintain."

William McMinn, director of facilities for Madison Public Schools, said they've made an effort to address the ban on pesticides and have met with Dr. Silbert and The Watershed Partnership many times, but despite these efforts "within 18 months, we had a substantial change in the turf thickness on the athletic fields."

"Weeds were out of control around the buildings and landscape beds," McMinn testified in February. "It is my opinion that the fields will get worse, not better if we do not change the law to allow the comprehensive and effective IPM programs."

Raymond Purtell, director of Glastonbury Parks & Recreation, also testified in support of the legislation. He said the bill includes provisions that are "more than sufficient to protect the public and safeguard the environment."

He said the bill requires the pesticides to be applied by a licensed pesticide applicator with a certification. School staff, parents, and guardians are notified in writing about the pest management plan, and students and staff may register to be notified prior to the planned pesticide applications. Also applications can not be made during school hours, and records of the applications must be maintained for five years.

Ray Favreau, director of the South Windsor Parks & Recreation, said since passing the ban "we, as public grounds care takers, have lost critical tools from our professional tool box."

He said it's akin to taking a stethoscope away from a doctor, or a socket wrench away from a mechanic.
"At best, it makes the job much more difficult with less success and acceptable results," Favreau said. Without IPM "we are faced with serious deterioration of athletic fields to the point of being unsafe, we are left with little to no remedial options for treatment of problems such as weeds or insects."

"If fields are deteriorating from pesticide-free care it's because the people responsible are not doing it correctly," said Dr. Silbert, noting that prior to 1950, all school playing fields were maintained organically. "I don't think the pro-pesticide forces appreciate the subtle and long-term effects lawn pesticides have on children's health, even at low concentrations."

But Bart Russell, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, told the Planning and Development Committee that he strongly supports the bill because towns need the flexibility to manage athletic fields to protect the safety of student athletes and protect their "considerable investment" in developing fields and grounds. He calls IPM critical to maintaining a "level playing field," free from holes, bumps and clumps of weeds that may cause injuries to young athletes or trigger allergies and/or asthma attacks.

In a March 8 letter to the General Assembly, a coalition of environmental groups and children health advocates countered that exposure to pesticides can worsen asthma symptoms. "It's important to understand that pesticides don't make playing fields soft, they don't fill bare spots or mud holes and they don't grow grass. A transition to a natural, non-chemical approach to turf management must include training."

Audubon Connecticut, the state organization of the National Audubon Society, offers free training to municipal groundskeepers who need help transitioning to an organic approach after decades of simply spraying pesticides on fields. "Since 2007 we have trained roughly 500 people—including municipal groundskeepers, commercial landscapers, golf club managers and private landowners—in natural (organic) turf management," said Sandy Breslin, director of government affairs at Audubon Connecticut.

"HB 5155 is poised to seriously weaken Connecticut's landmark school pesticide legislation after only one growing season and before it has had time to prove successful," Breslin testified. "Requiring the use of so-called Integrated Pest Management on public and private school grounds at this juncture would seriously set back efforts to transition to a healthier and more sustainable school environment for our smallest and most vulnerable children, reversing legislation that also provides benefits for birds and other wildlife."

On Friday, the Environment Committee will hold public hearings on another bill, which would prohibit synthetic pesticides, but add microbial and biochemical pesticides to the groundkeeper's arsenal of weed-killers.

“We write to you today in full support of the Town of Stratford’s application to DECD for funding through the 2012 Municipal Brownfields Grant Program,” wrote the Stratford legislative delegation in a letter.

“I am excited to welcome a new business to Stratford,” said Senator Kelly. “We must encourage greater private investment, and the brownfield grant program allows businesses to utilize existing industrial buildings, clean them up, and bring jobs to our communities. Some of my top priorities include economic development and job creation, and I look forward to supporting similar initiatives in the future.”

“This project is a win/win,” said Representative Backer. “Using the state's brownfields legislation as a vehicle to clean up this location while bringing in private development to our town is a home run. The reuse of this industrial land means its return to Stratford's tax rolls plus welcome jobs for our citizens.”

“I think it’s very significant that we are turning the Baird building into a home for the Two Roads Brewery,” said Representative Hoydick. “We are getting the dual benefit of bringing jobs to Stratford and cleaning up an industrial site. By locating this new business in Stratford it will also enhance the existing cultural attractions of Perry House, Judson House and the Shakespeare Theatre.”

The $574,000 grant would aid in the remediation of previously unidentified contamination in the main building of the former U.S. Baird Corporation.

“Jobs, jobs, jobs, that is what the people in my district are concerned about right now as I meet them at the local coffee shop,” said Representative Miller. “This brownfield grant program is the perfect way to encourage businesses to come and bring their jobs to Connecticut.”

The bipartisan Stratford delegation concluded their letter by writing, “This project is vital to the success of the revitalization of the town of Stratford. Two Roads brewery’s unique business model plans to bring 70 jobs to our community.”

LETTER ATTACHED: Please see the Stratford legislative delegation’s letter to the DECD Commissioner.

Conservation Officer Brian Carey stood and looked over the blackened landscape at Stratford Point Tuesday.

“It’s awesome,” he said, after fire swept through the area.

The blaze was not unexpected, and its destruction was welcome. Connecticut Audubon coordinated the effort as part of its efforts to restore Stratford Point and create a sanctuary.

Flames consume invasive species and thatch on Stratford Point Tuesday, Feb. 28, making room for the return of native plants to the former Remington Arms gun club. (John Kovach Photo)

Called a “prescribed burn,” the highly controlled effort used fire as a tool to remove invasive species and thatch that had accumulated in knee-high grass at the former Remington Arms Gun Club. Besides providing a hiding place for rats, the thatch provided nutrients for the invasives.

Firefighters from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Forestry Division briefed a gaggle of press members, observers and town officials, as well as Stratford firefighters on standby, on safety before they set about setting some 20 acres ablaze, in segments.

To establish a means to contain the fires, perimeters were burned around areas before the main body of fire was set. When flames reached the previously burned areas, the lack of fuel killed them.

Flames were sparked using drip torches, a sort of oil can containing a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel.

The procedure is not new.

“The practice mimics the periodic fires that occurred in the Northeast in pre-Colonial times when Native Americans burned grasslands and woodlands to manage habitat for game, and when lightning strikes caused occasional natural fires,” according to a release from the Connecticut Audubon Society.

But controlled burns are rare in Connecticut, because of the density of its population.

The crew in Stratford Tuesday did about a dozen such burns last year on sites ranging in size from an acre and a half to 20 acres, according to Ralph Scarpino of the DEEP Forestry Division, firefighting supervisor for the state. All of those controlled burns were on state-owned land, he added.

Connecticut has four full-time personnel who handle forest fires. There were 13 in Stratford Tuesday.

“There usually aren’t this many,” Scarpino said. “There are new people, trying to get people indoctrinated.”

State Rep. Terry Backer said the scene gave him flashbacks to age 10 or 12, watching his grandfather burn his fields each fall or winter in preparation for the next planting season.

He also looked at the gun club, once a seat of lead contamination, and recalled it being among the first projects he undertook on the road that led him to become Long Island Soundkeeper.

Connecticut Audubon began last year to restore the dunes at Stratford Point. Soon planting of native species will begin, Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation for the society, said.

Carey envisioned the wildflowers, native to Stratford, that will replace the blackened earth where species from afar had taken root. He saw the culmination of a long project as the smoke drifted toward Long Island Sound.

At one point, as dry grass was lit ablaze, a bald eagle soared overhead.

“When you fight for something for two years,” Carey said of the restoration of Stratford Point, “it’s awesome when it comes back.

Standing at the Birdseye boat launch in Stratford, Chris German recalled learning to sail in the waters just a few feet away.

Now he can’t stand how inaccessible so much of Connecticut’s coastline has become.

German, founder and executive director of Connecticut Community Boating, is seeking 10,000 signatures supporting an effort to open the Long Island Sound to all, “regardless of income or residency.”

The petition can be found at change.org, titled State of Connecticut: Open Long Island Sound to EVERYONE regardless of income or residency.

That would be accomplished by creating five public access points, from which the public could sail, boat, swim, fish or kayak. The cost would be $35 per month.

Middletown, which is along a river, as well as coastal communities in Greater New Haven, Bridgeport, Groton and Norwich are the targeted communities.

“Everything in Connecticut is a 45-minute drive from the water,” he said.

The model on which German bases the community boating facilities has been used for 100 years in Boston.

Those who wish to spend time on the sound, German said, must go through towns along the coast that charge non-residents fees to use their beaches and docks.

“It’s the same story all the way up the coast,” German said. “You can’t get to the beach if you’re a non-resident.”

Most towns sell resident — and more expensive non-resident — passes to maritime facilities. German said that fees from out-of-towners are being used by coastal towns to balance their budgets.

“There’s some degree of access, if you consider that people can sit at Bond’s Dock and look out over the water,” German said. “If you want to swim, the water is too damn polluted nine times out of 10. If you’re a Trumbull resident and you want to come down” to the water, it’s $100 a season to access the beach because out-of-town residents don’t vote.”

The cost of passes, coupled with the price of boats and fuel, is making boating impossible for “somebody making $30,000, $40,000 a year.”

German said state and federal funding supports construction of boat ramps and similar facilities, which are then closed off to those who do not live in a beach-front municipality through the imposition of fees.

“We need to charge fees, we need to cover expenses,” German said. “But charging everybody makes it impossible.”

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection provides public boating ramps, and what German called a “half-assed” pier in Niantic.

“We do have public boat ramps around the sound,” state Rep. Terry Backer said. Back is also the Long Island Soundkeeper “They’re not the most well developed or well defined. A lot are near bridges. He has a good point on low-cost, low-access boating.

“We support community access to water,” Backer added. “It’s how we build support for the long-term preservation of the Sound.”

German said he has tried to establish a permanent facility for Connecticut Community Boating for five years.

“Basically, everything we have tried to do for five years has been shut down,” he said. “The Army Corps of Engineers, the [Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection], Bridgeport, New Haven didn’t want us; New London, Groton shut us down. No one wants to allow public access to water.

“My house funded CCB to start,” he added. “There’s no money, no more options to myself, I can’t keep going any more unless we have state and local support.”

"We have worked together with Connecticut Community Boating in the past, and are still favorably disposed to allowing them access to a waterfront parcel near downtown to continue their community boating activities," said Elaine Ficarra, director of communications for Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. "We still need to work out the details and be sure that the use is consistent with the overall plan for activating the waterfront.”

As a 501c3, Connecticut Community Boating cannot be a political organization.

“We don’t want to be,” German said. “We need to make it a statewide priority to develop waterfronts.”

Those who are able to access the Long Island Sound for sailing, fishing, boating and swimming would patronize businesses in the towns they visit, he said.

He envisions a public-private partnership, with the expressed support of 10,000 petition signers, creating the community boating system.

“One of the great things about a non-government organization is we can do things state, federal and local government are supposed to do but are unable,” German said. “We’re eligible for all sorts of funding on the federal, state and international levels. We can do things a lot cheaper than the government: Use interns, get donated boats. It makes so much more sense to privatize.

“We need to work publicly, privately, and come together,” he added.

Information about Connecticut Community Boating can be found at ctcommunityboating.org.

State Rep. Terry Backer (D-Stratford) will run for re-election in Stratford's 121st Assembly District, a seat he has held for close to 20 years.

The longtime state representative and Soundkeeper and the Little League field house at Short Beach that will be dedicated to him. Credit Fred Musante

After successfully battling brain cancer for more than a year, the 57-year-old lawmaker looks forward to serving the Lordship section and South End for another two-year term.

"If I feel as good as I've been feeling come the end of the 2012 legislative session and the good Lord keeps me here, I'm running," Backer said in a statement. "I feel blessed and have more work to accomplish."

Backer began serving Stratford in January 1993. During these last 19 years, he also maintained his role as the Long Island Soundkeeper, his main job and passion outside the legislature. Backer will be celebrating his 25th year as the Long Island Soundkeeper in 2012.

Backer was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2010. He underwent eight hours of surgery and is now on chemotherapy. In a November interview with Patch, he said his doctors told him he might only have a few years to live.

"I feel capable," Backer told Patch Friday. "It's been my life's work to make Connecticut and Long Island Sound the best place for residents."

Backer said it's important to continue to fight for his constituents struggling to keep their home, and for people who are without jobs. He said a state representative has an obligation to the state operation.

"I'm not going to be a rat leaving a sinking ship," Backer said.

HARTFORD— After fighting brain cancer for more than a year, state Rep. Terry Backer said Tuesday that he will run for re-election if he keeps feeling as good as he does now.

Backer, a Stratford Democrat who is among the longest-serving legislators, was looking chipper at the Legislative Office Building Tuesday as he spoke about his future. He underwent six hours of brain surgery at Bridgeport Hospital in October 2010 to remove a tumor, and he has since undergone radiation and chemotherapy.

But the 57-year-old lawmaker said he was feeling very good as he spoke to a lobbyist and then two reporters in the atrium of the LOB.

"If I'm on my feet like I am today, and the good Lord keeps me here, I'm running," Backer said in an interview with Capitol Watch. "I feel blessed. Everything could have been worse. You know what? They're not always right. The Lord has really blessed me."

A former competitive power lifter who was known for his hefty size, Backer has since lost 85 pounds during his health battle. He is sometimes weak and has missed votes at times when the state House of Representatives was in session. He is technically 100 percent medically disabled, but some days are better than others.

"I didn't want to be called disabled," Backer said.

Backer first arrived at the Capitol in January 1993 when Lowell Weicker was serving as governor. He has won 10 elections, and has also served under Republicans John Rowland and M. Jodi Rell, and the current governor, Dannel P. Malloy.

Backer is currently celebrating his 25th year as the Long Island Soundkeeper - his main job outside the legislature. He said he is currently "the longest-serving keeper" in the United States in a job that he said served as the model for keepers in Russia, China, India, Mexico, Colombia, and other countries.

"I'm the guy who started it," Backer said. "It blossomed into an international movement."

Last year, Backer returned to the Capitol on the final day of legislative session, prompting a huge roar of applause in the historic Hall of the House. After casting some votes, Backer finally became tired and then left the chamber. The crowd broke out into applause once again.

"Don't get used to this seat being empty - I'm coming back," Backer said at the time.

The Courant's Jon Lender reported that day that: As he walked out with a slow but steady gait, Backer was hugged and greeted by colleagues from both parties who like him for a big personality that stands out among the many more-restrained political types in the General Assembly.

An environmental advocate, especially regarding Long Island Sound, Backer also has long stood out in his blue-collar appearance: His white hair and beard that, along with the jeans and the work shirts he often wears, make him look a bit like an old seafarer.

"I'm doing better," he said after the one-day return to the Capitol following a few weeks' absence during his recovery.

"I mean, the last MRI showed no regrowth of tumors. But also, I believe that positive attitude and prayer assist in the medication to make you better," Backer said. "I'm staying in touch. Believe me, there isn't a bill that's important to my constituents that I don't have input into."

“Protecting the environment has been my focus for many years as everything we do as human beings affect the quality of our surroundings and eventually what we do, good or not so good, is reflected back,” Rep. Backer said. “As a legislator and as a private citizen I will continue to do my best to maintain a healthy planet for us as well as future generations.”

CTLCV’s Environmental Scorecard assesses both lawmakers’ votes on environmental legislation and their roles in championing specific issues. Twelve bills dealing with environmental issues were presented this year including some that passed such as banning the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) in thermal receipts, a program to collect paint and paint containers for disposal, a forest conservation program and clean energy legislation.

CTLCV Co-Chair David Bingham said of the legislators who received high scores, “despite the pressures of economic distress, they upheld policies that are critical to providing clean air and water and make Connecticut an inviting state to do business.”

The goal of the legislation is to jump-start job creation and foster long-term economic growth. Incentives for small business, cutting red tape, incentives for innovation, economic development tools and workforce development and training are all addressed in the bill.

One of the key components of the legislation is the Small Business Express Package which will make $50 million/year available to small businesses through incentives, grants and loans.

Another vital component is aligning programs at vo-tech schools, community colleges and universities with high demand job needs of employers, including the state’s manufacturing technology companies.

Other components of the jobs bill include:

• Consolidating and increasing the tax credit for new hires
• Incentivizing investments in emerging technology (Angel Investors)
• Building innovation centers in key cities and investing in innovative ventures
• A second “First Five” program
• Cutting the business entity tax
• Streamlining the business permitting process
• Remediating old industrial sites/brownfields
• Computer upgrades to foster seamless communication between business and the state
• Workforce development, education and training
• Allowing the Airport Authority to designate new Development Zones
• Investments in roads and bridges
• Replenishing the Manufacturing Assistance Act (MAA)
• Main Street commercial centers improvement initiative

In addition, the legislature signed off on Jackson Laboratory’s plan to build a $1.1 billion research facility at the UConn Health Center campus in Farmington. The State of Connecticut will invest $291 million and Jackson Laboratory will raise the balance of $860 million for the project.

According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the project is expected to create over 660 positions at Jackson Laboratory in Farmington within 20 years. DECD estimates more than 4,600 bioscience jobs would be generated through spin-off companies, and another 2,000 would be added to local service and area retail stores. The project would yield more than 840 construction jobs as well.

The NCSL Agriculture and Energy Committee is one of 12 standing committees of the National Conference of State Legislatures that examines strategies, practices and procedures for making legislators, staff and legislatures more effective.

This committee has jurisdiction over state and federal agriculture and rural development legislation, regulations and policies; natural resources legislation, regulations and policies; and energy and electric utilities legislation, regulation and policies.

“The nation has serious energy issues beyond what we hear in the news and it will take new sources of renewable energy and other traditional sources of energy to meet increasing demand and dwindling resources,” Rep. Backer said. “We need more energy efficiency and changing the way we plan for the future. In the same way that wasteful use of energy has a negative impact on the environment, we all have to realize that eating is an agricultural act with its own consequences. I will work to promote local and regional increases in food production.”

“Rep. Backer has done extensive work on the energy and technology front as well as environmental issues through his many years as Long Island Soundkeeper in Stratford,” Speaker Chris Donovan said. “I am sure that experience and commitment will be an asset to this committee.”

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and to advocate for the interests of states in the American federal system.