Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public and decision-makers, and help the public make their voices heard in local, state and national debates over the quality of our environment and our lives.

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Plug into clean energy.

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Our Latest Report

Getting Off Oil: A 50 State Roadmap for Curbing our Dependence on Petroleum

America’s dependence on oil inflicts a heavy toll on our environment – polluting our ocean waters, destroying natural landscapes and fouling our air. With oil companies taking greater and greater risks to satisfy the world’s demand for oil, the environmental toll of America’s oil dependence continues to rise.

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Report | Environment America

Courting Disaster: How the Supreme Court Has Broken the Clean Water Act and Why Congress Must Fix It

For decades, the Clean Water Act protected the Nation’s surface water bodies from unregulated pollution and rescued them from the crisis status they were in during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now these vital protections are being lost. This report details the threat to our Nation’s waters by examining dozens of case studies, and highlights the urgent need for Congress to restore full Clean Water Act protections to our waters.

News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

President Obama Ramps up Effort to Upgrade Buildings to Save Energy and Reduce Pollution

President Obama, joined by former President Clinton and business leaders, today announced the next steps in the Better Buildings Initiative to unleash private sector investments in energy efficiency improvements for our nation’s buildings.

News Release | Environment Connecticut

President Obama Announces Landmark Mercury Standard for Power Plants

Today, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants. A record 907,000 Americans submitted comments on the standard, which is expected to cut toxic mercury pollution from power plants by 91 percent.

News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Nuclear Power Plants Threaten Drinking Water for 1.5 Million Connecticut Residents

The drinking water for 1.5 million people in Connecticut could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center and the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

Report | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Too Close To Home: Nuclear Power and the Threat to Drinking Water

According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1.5 million Connecticut residents drink water from sources within 50 miles of nuclear power plants.

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News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

President Obama Ramps up Effort to Upgrade Buildings to Save Energy and Reduce Pollution

President Obama, joined by former President Clinton and business leaders, today announced the next steps in the Better Buildings Initiative to unleash private sector investments in energy efficiency improvements for our nation’s buildings.

News Release | Environment Connecticut

President Obama Announces Landmark Mercury Standard for Power Plants

Today, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants. A record 907,000 Americans submitted comments on the standard, which is expected to cut toxic mercury pollution from power plants by 91 percent.

News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Nuclear Power Plants Threaten Drinking Water for 1.5 Million Connecticut Residents

The drinking water for 1.5 million people in Connecticut could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center and the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Clean Cars Would Cut Oil Use, Save Americans $260 Million on Thanksgiving Travel

As Americans prepare for the busiest travel holiday of the year, and days after the Obama administration proposed new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, a new Environment Connecticut Research and Policy Center report finds that more fuel efficient cars would significantly cut oil use and save Americans nearly $260 million at the pump this Thanksgiving alone. The report was released at an event today following the Obama administration’s announcement last week proposing new fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for cars and light trucks sold from 2017 through 2025.

News Release | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

New Report Ranks States and Power Plants for Mercury Pollution

A new report ranks states and power plants nationwide according to their emissions of mercury, and outlines the public health threats of mercury pollution.

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Report | Environment America

Courting Disaster: How the Supreme Court Has Broken the Clean Water Act and Why Congress Must Fix It

For decades, the Clean Water Act protected the Nation’s surface water bodies from unregulated pollution and rescued them from the crisis status they were in during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now these vital protections are being lost. This report details the threat to our Nation’s waters by examining dozens of case studies, and highlights the urgent need for Congress to restore full Clean Water Act protections to our waters.

Report | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Too Close To Home: Nuclear Power and the Threat to Drinking Water

According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1.5 million Connecticut residents drink water from sources within 50 miles of nuclear power plants.

Report | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011

All Americans should be able to breathe clean air. But pollution from power plants and vehicles puts the health of our nation’s children and families at risk. Ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, is one of the most harmful and one of the most pervasive air pollutants. According to the American Lung Association, nearly half of all Americans – 48 percent – still live in areas with unhealthy levels of smog pollution.

Report | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

Gobbling Less Gas for Thanksgiving: How Clean Cars Will Cut Oil Use and Save Americans Money

America’s dependence on oil threatens our environment, our economy, and our national security. Whether it is the scars left by the oil spills in the Yellowstone and Kalamazoo rivers and the Gulf of Mexico, the $1 billion that American families and businesses send overseas every day for oil, or the nearly 2 billion metric tons of global warming pollution emitted annually which fuels more and more extreme weather, these problems demand that we break our dependence on oil.

Report | Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center

America's Biggest Mercury Polluters: How Cleaning up the Dirtiest Power Plants will Protect Public Health

Power plants continue to release large amounts of toxic pollutants, including mercury, into our air. In 2010, two-thirds of all airborne mercury pollution in the United States came from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants.

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Featured Staff

Christopher Phelps

Program Director

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Research & Policy Results

At 54.5 mpg, a big step forward.

In July 2011, President Obama announced plans for nationwide clean car standards that will require new cars and light trucks to meet an average of 54.5 miles per gallon through 2025. The work of Environment Connecticut’s staff, members and allies to adopt clean car standards here in Connecticut as far back as 2004 helped pave the way for this step — the single biggest step our nation has ever taken to end its addiction to oil.

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Building a greener future

Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center gratefully accepts bequests, beneficiary designations of IRAs and life insurance, and gifts of securities to support our work. Your gift will assure that we can continue to protect Connecticut’s air, water and open spaces for future generations.

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Environment Connecticut Research & Policy Center works closely with Environment Connecticut, a 501 (c)(4) organization. Click here to visit the Environment Connecticut website.