State Reps. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), James Albis (D-East Haven) and Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport) applauded House passage of S.B. 237, bipartisan legislation designed to protect Connecticut from out-of-state fracking waste. The bill passed the House 128 – 19.

 Rep. Albis, the Vice Chair of the Environment Committee, led the debate.

“One of our primary duties as state legislators is to protect the public health of our citizens,” said Rep. Albis. “This legislation will do just that by imposing a three year ban on the handling of waste from hydraulic fracturing in our state. More importantly, it requires that the contents of this waste be known, so we are able to determine how harmful it can be and ensure that it be handled appropriately. In this way Connecticut will be leading the nation in protecting its citizens from toxic fracking waste.”

Rep. Lesser has championed the legislation for two years.

“This is the strongest statement yet from any state in the country,” Rep. Lesser said. “Connecticut is out in front taking bold action to apply the strictest possible scrutiny to toxic fracking waste and products made from it. States that choose to frack shouldn’t be able to enjoy economic benefits while exporting fracking’s environmental consequences.”

“We heard loud and clear from thousands and thousands of constituents that this is a priority concern,” Lesser remarked, recalling the lengthy debate in both the House and Senate. “Some said we shouldn’t focus on this because waste isn’t yet coming to Connecticut in large quantities. But neighboring New York is considering lifting their drilling moratorium - and I don’t think it’s an accident that Connecticut’s toxic waste industry lobbied, along with gas producers, so heavily against this bill.”

“We have taken a momentous step in protecting the health and safety of the people of Connecticut.  Our state might soon have faced the real prospect of fracking waste, riddled with high levels of radioactivity, if New York State changes its policy on fracking,” said Rep. Steinberg, Vice Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee.   “Thanks to this legislation, we will have at least three years to promulgate what will likely be the most stringent regulations in the country, including removing existing federal loopholes.  I think we will then be truly confident that fracking waste will never come to Connecticut.”

The legislation imposes a minimum three year moratorium on importation of fracking waste and requires the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to adopt regulations declaring fracking waste and byproducts to be treated as hazardous waste, requires industry disclosure ingredients and specifically protect the environment from radioactive ingredients.

“It is terribly important that the State of Connecticut have a moratorium for a period of time on fracking waste as it is both toxic and radioactive from which human health and the environment need to be protected,” said Nancy Alderman, President of New Haven-based Environmental and Human Health, Inc. in a statement lauding the legislation. EHHI is a scientific base organization of doctors and healthcare professionals.