To the Editor:

Why on our still-green Earth is the Legislative Council repealing our local environmental protection laws? Recently, they repealed our forestry ordinance and on January 18, they will hear public comment on proposals to repeal our local plastic bag ban and fracking ordinances.

If you think the extreme storms we’ve experienced lately are bad now, just wait. If you are tired of all the power outages now, just wait. If you think Eversource’s delivery prices are out of control now, just wait. As the owner of a local maple syrup company, my livelihood depends on the existence of healthy trees and predictable, less extreme weather patterns. As human beings, all of our lives, and the lives of those who come after us depend on those things as well.

The Legislative Council should be working to make our local environmental protections stronger, not weaker. Existing State laws regulating our local forests, the local use of single-use bags, and the local impacts from fracking are all weaker than our local ordinances.

Environmental responsibility starts at home in our own community. Defaulting to the State is lazy and irresponsible, unnecessary and totally avoidable. It was misguided in 2018-19 when they said our plastic bag ban would hurt local businesses … it didn’t. These proposals are misguided too.

Do you want to live in a town that dismantles local environmental protection laws or one that makes environmental protection a priority?

Those leading the Legislative Council hope you will remain silent so they can dismantle our protections quietly. Please be heard. Please write to them now at newtown-ct.gov/legislative-council. Please show up on January 18 to support our local environmental protections.

Dave Ackert

Sandy Hook