Connecticut SB 1010 - An Act Concerning Sea Level Rise and the Funding of Projects by the Clean Water Fund (Public Act No. 13-15)
This Act amends the factors that the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) must consider when establishing the priority list and ranking system for making Clean Water Fund (CWF) grants and loans for eligible water quality projects. Specifically, the law requires the Commissioner to consider sea level rise and the necessity of implementing measures to mitigate its impact when establishing the priority list and ranking system to determine projects that will receive grants and loans from the Clean Water Fund.
The CWF provides financial aid to municipalities through grants and loans for planning, designing, and constructing water pollution control facilities. It is financed through a combination of federal funding, state general obligation bonds for the grant portion, and state revenue bonds for the loan portion.
The CWF includes monies to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities and to expand their infrastructure. Connecticut’s Environmental Policy Act requires evaluation of CWF wastewater treatment facility projects to consider indirect effects in the environmental impact evaluation prepared for each project.
As related to the Commissioner’s responsibilities, the Act states:
The commissioner shall maintain a priority list of eligible water quality projects and shall establish a system setting the priority for making project grants, grant account loans and project loans. In establishing such priority list and ranking system, the commissioner shall consider all factors he deems relevant, including but not limited to the following:
(1) The public health and safety;
(2) protection of environmental resources;
(3) population affected;
(4) attainment of state water quality goals and standards;
(5) consistency with the state plan of conservation and development;
(6) state and federal regulations;
(7) the formation in municipalities of local housing partnerships pursuant to the provisions of section 8-336f; and
(8) the necessity and feasibility of implementing measures designed to mitigate the impact of a rise in sea level over the projected life span of such project.
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Related Organizations:
- Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)
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- Laws
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