Voting Green at DCA

Darien League of Women Voters Press Release September 2007 By Joan V. Davis

LWV-Darien Voting Green Program at DCA

The Darien League of Women Voters launched its new season on Thursday, September 27 with an Educational Forum on “Voting Green.” The lead speaker was Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal followed by Lori Brown, Executive Director, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and Cheryl Dunson, Vice-president for Public Issues of the Connecticut League of Women Voters.

Attorney General Blumenthal spoke to the audience assembled at the DCA about his feeling that we have an obligation to be good stewards of the environment or risk leaving the world worse for our children than we presently find it. As examples of actions taken in partnership with other states he reported that Connecticut had sued to force power plants in the mid-west to install antipollution equipment. Suit was also brought against the Environmental Protection Agency for lowering clean air standards. Indeed, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA was violating the law by stating that CO2 is not a pollutant.

Also discussed were local CT issues. These included threats to the ecology of Long Island Sound and Fairfield County such as the Broadwater Project to construct a huge and unsightly liquefied gas facility in the middle of the sound and the new FAA regulations which would dramatically increase air traffic over Fairfield county creating noise and air pollution.

In summing up Blumenthal pointed out that the laws regarding the environment, especially at the state level, have been improved but need better enforcement at the Federal level.

As Lori Brown explained, the League of Conservation Voters is an environmental watch dog group working to promote pro-environmental laws. The League sets priorities for environmental legislation and publishes a scorecard on which members of the legislature are rated on their voting record on these issues. Since this rating system has been in place, Ms. Brown noted, there has been an increase in the number environmental issues passed. She pointed out that, as a voter, one can find and install legislators with pro-environmental positions. Citizen pressure is bound to influence their representatives to vote for environmentally sound policies.

Cheryl Dunson heads up the Connecticut LWV Public Issues team. Her group advocates before the legislature for certain issues that they feel important. She pointed out that grass root action resulted in the repeal of a gravel law in New Britain that would have harmed the ecology there.

She and Registrar of Voters Don Smith then turned to the practical side of voting with a discussion of the new electronic voting machines that would be introduced in Darien in the November election. A machine was available following the program for the audience to practice on. Most who tried found them easy to use.

The full “Voting Green” forum was videotaped by Ch.79 and it will be replayed on the government access channel next week.

The Darien LWV will present two more programs on the environment during its 2007-2008 season – “Live Green” (how our homes can be made more environmentally friendly) and “Drive Green” ( what can we do to support more environmentally friendly transportation?) Join us for these discussions that affect us all.