News Releases - 2020

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• 5/13/2020 DEEP Offering Online Training for Municipal Inland Wetlands Agencies

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently launched a new, free, online training program for municipal inland wetlands agencies. The program, “The Municipal Inland Wetlands Agency Comprehensive Training Program,” was custom built to allow agencies and their staff to carry out the regulatory and training requirements of the Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act (IWWA).

• 6/2/2020 DEEP Analysis of Air Quality During First Month of Pandemic Shows Significant Drop

  A preliminary analysis of air quality data gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)’s Bureau of Air Management has found that monitored levels for many air pollutants dropped significantly from mid-March to mid-April 2020.

• 12/31/2020 Connecticut Celebrates the New Year with First Day Hikes on January 1 - Virtual and Self-Guided Hikes at 10 Parks and Forests Across the State

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and its partners at the various State Parks and Forests Friends Groups are encouraging residents to get the New Year started off right by getting outside and safely partaking in a “First Day Hike,” at a state park or forest close to home.

• 5/8/2020 DEEP Announces Availability of Safe Boating Online Learning

  In order to continue to provide safe boating courses to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is now providing safe boating courses online.

• 8/14/2020 Media Availability: 10-person Group of Firefighters Returns Home Today from Fighting California Wildfire

  A 10-person group of trained wildland firefighters will return to Connecticut today after spending the last few weeks in the Modoc National Forest area in northeastern California.

• 11/17/2020 DEEP Announces Start of Firearms Deer Hunting Season

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that the 2020 Firearms Deer Hunting Season opens Wednesday, November 18.

• 11/23/2020 Statement from DEEP on CT's First Clean Energy Industry Report

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Vicki Hackett, Deputy Commissioner for Energy at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), today released the following statement regarding the findings of Connecticut’s first clean energy industry report released November 10 and presented during a public webinar on Wednesday, November 18.

• 7/17/2020 TODAY AT 1 PM - DEEP ANNOUNCES OPENING OF SOME INLAND SWIM AREAS AND OTHER RECREATIONAL AREAS

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Today at 1:00 p.m., Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes will hold a news briefing at Stratton Brook State Park in Simsbury to announce the opening of some inland swim areas and other state recreational areas previously closed in response to COVID-19 heath concerns.

• 9/9/2020 DEEP to Continue Outreach and Monitoring on Candlewood Lake and at State Boat Launches

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that Lattins Cove state boat launch on Candlewood Lake remains temporarily closed, while Squantz Cove state boat launch, also on Candlewood Lake, is back to full parking capacity.

• 12/11/2020 Menhaden Fish Kills Reported Along Connecticut Shoreline, DEEP Believes Due to Naturally Occurring Factors

  In the past month, DEEP Fisheries Division staff have received and investigated numerous calls of reported sightings of dead fish along the Connecticut shoreline, from Darien to New London, and numerous points in between. These incidents, known as fish kills, involve a species of fish called Atlantic Menhaden, also known as “bunker.”

• 2/18/2020 DEEP Announces the Winner of the 7th Annual Fishing Guide Cover Photo Contest

  The winning photo, captured by Jim Curcuruto of Middlebury, shows himself and his son Cooper Curcuruto with a pair of Largemouth Bass caught at the same time while fishing at Taunton Lake in Newtown.

• 6/30/2020 DEEP Announces Operation Dry Water 2020

  As boaters begin to prepare for the July 4th holiday weekend, law enforcement officers across Connecticut will be on heightened alert looking for those violating boating under the influence laws.

• 3/13/2020 DEEP Announces COVID-19 Operational Adjustments

• 7/18/2020 Elevated Levels of Ozone for Western and Coastal Connecticut Over the July 18th Weekend

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting several days of very warm weather, which will contribute to elevated ozone levels across parts of Connecticut. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for western Connecticut, on Sunday, July 19, 2020. The impacted area includes western Connecticut as far inland as Cornwall and along the coast from Greenwich to Madison.

• 7/14/2020 Connecticut Joins Bi-Partisan Multi-State Effort to Green Truck Fleets

  Connecticut took another significant step forward in its effort to address the climate crisis and the health impacts of air pollution today as it joined 14 other states and the District of Columbia in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work collaboratively to advance and accelerate the market for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.