News Releases - 2020

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• 9/29/2020 DEEP Responding to Oil Spill in Sympaug Brook in Danbury

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is overseeing the clean-up of an oil spill into the Sympaug Brook in Danbury, which flows into the Still River.

• 9/24/2020 DEEP to Re-Open Lattins Cove Boat Launch at Half Capacity

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that Lattins Cove state boat launch on Candlewood Lake will re-open tomorrow at 50% capacity.

• 4/27/2020 DEEP Reminds Residents to be Bear Aware

  Early spring is the time of year in which bear activity increases, and understanding that the vast majority of state residents are spending considerable amounts of time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reminds residents that DEEP staff continue to be available to respond to situations involving black bears, and to take steps to reduce encounters and potential conflicts with bears.

• 8/5/2020 DEEP Advises Against Contact Recreation in CT River over next 48 hours due to Massachusetts Sewage Release

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been advised that hundreds of thousands of gallons of combined untreated stormwater and sewage has been released into the Chicopee River in Springfield, which feeds into the Connecticut River. As a precaution, DEEP advises against contact recreation in the Connecticut River north of the city of Middletown over the next 48 hours.

• 11/25/2020 Draft 2020 Connecticut Forest Action Plan Released

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)’s Forestry Division has updated the Connecticut Forest Action Plan and released a draft for public review and comment.

• 7/14/2020 State Rejects MIRA Plea for Hundreds of Millions in Subsidies for Hartford Waste Incinerator

  In a letter Tuesday, DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes rejected a plan submitted by the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) for presenting a “false choice, and a bad deal” for taxpayers across the state, Hartford residents, and the environment.

• 8/13/2020 DEEP Divisions Share New Technology to Identify Hotspots in Fire Response

  THOMPSON-The eye in the sky soars overhead as radiant islands reveal themselves in stark contrast to the surrounding dark. Yellows and reds pulsate prominently against the gray of the road and the dense black of the forest.

• 10/2/2020 DEEP Announces Opening Days of Fall Firearms Hunting Seasons

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the Opening Days of turkey and small game hunting seasons.

• 9/17/2020 DEEP Assisting North Windham Fire Department with Wildfire in Natchaug State Forest

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is assisting the North Windham Fire Department and several other local departments with a contained wildfire in the Natchaug State Forest in Windham.

• 4/20/2020 DEEP Urges Safe Boating Social Distancing Practices at State Boat Launches During COVID 19 Pandemic

  With the boating season just around the corner, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announces that the state boat launches are currently open. DEEP wants to share best practices to keep boaters safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 9/11/2020 Kent Falls State Park to Re-Open

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that Kent Falls State Park will re-open to the public on Saturday, September 12, at 8 a.m.

• 9/14/2020 DEEP Encourages Continued Bear Awareness Heading into Fall

  Heading into the fall season, in which black bears increase their food intake to add fat reserves needed to help them survive winter hibernation, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is reminding residents of several best practices they can incorporate to help reduce the likelihood of an encounter with a bear.

• 3/17/2020 DEEP to Temporarily Close Offices to Public

  Following the Executive Orders issued by Governor Lamont and the guidelines set forth by the CDC to establish social distancing and limit non-essential contact, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will temporarily close its office locations, including its headquarters at 79 Elm Street, Hartford, effective March 17, 2020 to public visitors as a precautionary measure to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.

• 3/13/2020 DEEP Announces Precautionary Closures of Some Public Spaces

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that as a precaution to limit the risks presented by the Coronavirus, it is closing to the public certain satellite office locations, branch facilities, and high-traffic visitor centers within State Parks and Forests.

• 3/17/2020 DEEP Requests PURA Issue Emergency Orders to Protect Utility Ratepayers During COVID-19 Pandemic

  HARTFORD, CT – On March 17, 2020, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) petitioned the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to investigate and address several issues to help protect Connecticut residents and businesses during the public health and civil preparedness emergencies related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Connecticut, and for a period of economic recovery afterward.