By Luther Turmelle, North Bureau Chief

A group of 11 leading environmental organizations in Connecticut released a 16-page report Tuesday that makes recommendations for investing in seven key areas that they say would create sustainable, high-paying jobs while protecting the environment.

The report, “Green Infrastructure Engine: Sustainable Development for Connecticut” contends that protecting the environment and improving the state’s economic fortunes are ideas that shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. The groups participating in creating the report include Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Environment Connecticut, Environment Northeast and The Nature Conservancy.

“We wanted to provide a blueprint for green economic recovery, to show how we can be smart about policies as they are being developed,” said Chris Phelps, program director for Environment Connecticut, a West Hartford advocacy group. “We’re saying, ‘Let’s look at what we’re doing now and figure out how we can do it better.’”

Among the recommendations contained in the report are:

ÇSpend $86 million in capital investments and $25 million in operating funds from the state to increase the number of commuter buses, particularly those types that reduce emissions.

ÇInvest $2 million in the state’s Community Farms Preservation Program, which works to acquire development rights from willing farmers who might otherwise have to sell their land to developers.

ÇUse $260 million in state general obligation bonds to make improvements to wastewater treatment plants, which would improve water quality in Long Island Sound.

ÇRamp up expenditures on energy-efficiency projects by slightly increasing charges on utility ratepayers so that within a few years, the state is spending $250 million a year on such programs.

ÇCreate a comprehensive program for the state over 10 years that would eliminate the need for public funding to provide incentives for installation of solar energy panels and create 370 megawatts of power coming from sun statewide.

The benefits the state would reap from following the plans put forth by the report include the creation of at least 11,500 new jobs and $257 million in direct savings to energy consumers. Continued...

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“Connecticut is home to thousands of green energy sector jobs, so with the right investment and federal dollars, we can substantially grow those jobs and ensure the state maintains its leadership position in the new economy,” said Curt Johnson, senior staff attorney and program director for Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

To see the full report, visit www.ctenvironment.org and click on the link “The Green Infrastructure Engine.”

Luther Turmelle can be reached at lturmelle@nhregister.com or 789-5706.

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