Good morning. Connecticut water companies could lose millions of dollars amid new EPA limits on PFAS, or forever chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing a regulation requiring utilities to limit PFAS in drinking water to four parts per trillion.
The change is expected to cost Bridgeport-based utility Aquarion up to $300 million. Aquarion plans to raise customer water rates to finance this limit. The utility serves 750,000 Connecticut residents. PFAS chemicals are linked to hormonal and reproductive health problems, weakened immune systems and various cancers.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Mayor Joe Ganim supports a plan to close six Bridgeport schools. Ganim met with Bridgeport Public Schools Superintendent Carmela Levy-David on Tuesday. Before closing any schools, a study will evaluate each building for reconstruction or closure. It will consider input from parents, teachers and community members. Thebuildings considered are Bridgeport Learning Center, Bryant School, Edison School, Hall School, Paul Laurence Dunbar School and Wilbur Cross School.
New York residents sue after homes were unjustly foreclosed. Several New Yorkers have sued municipalities for foreclosing on their properties and profiting from the later sales. The lawsuits are in response to a 2023 Supreme Court decision that found property tax seizures and subsequent sales violated citizens' Fifth Amendment rights. Governor Kathy Hochul said this has exacerbated the state’s housing crisis. State legislators plan to tackle the issue later this year.
LIPA president steps down. Tom Falcone resigned on Monday after more than a decade in the role with the Long Island Power Authority. This comes as state lawmakers debate the future of the utility’s public-private partnership with PSEG. As chief executive, Falcone brought attention to PSEG Long Island’s failures following Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020. Over 650,000 customers went without power for as long as one week.
$41 million available to Connecticut towns for internet connectivity. This is a part of Governor Ned Lamont’s goal to provide statewide access to high-speed internet. Grants will primarily be awarded to historically underserved areas. Funding comes from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act Capital Project.
Nassau County nursing home to pay $2 million in restitution. The owners of Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation were sued by state Attorney General Letitia James in 2022. Her office found that $22 million in government funds were diverted to their personal accounts. The nursing home must also install an independent health care monitor to oversee patient care.
Connecticut workplace deaths are on the rise. Twenty-three workers died while on the job in 2021. Thirty-four died in 2022. The majority of fatalities were white men in their fifties or sixties. Despite this increase, Connecticut had the second lowest workplace death rate in the country, just behind Rhode Island.
Brookhaven National Lab secures $100 million in federal funds. Most of the money will go towards constructing an Electron-Ion Collider. It will smash electrons into protons and atomic nuclei, allowing researchers to study the internal structure of an atomic nucleus. The collider is expected to keep the U.S. as a leader in nuclear physics.
A Connecticut bill would protect workers at hospitals with religious affiliations. The bill is being considered by the state’s Public Health Committee. It would allow employees to discuss all reproductive health care options and offer referrals to patients, without fear of suspension or termination. Supporters say the goal is to accelerate patients' access to health care.
