·         Connecticut burns more of its trash than any other state and the CRRA trash incinerator in Hartford burns more trash than any of the other five incinerators in Connecticut.

• The CRRA trash incinerator is the largest single source of pollution in Hartford

·         The trash incinerator releases mercury, dioxin, nickel and many other toxins known to cause cancer, asthma, diabetes, neurological problems and even early death.

·         Thousands of other chemicals burned in the trash incinerator have never been tested to see how they affect the health of humans or animals.

·         A recent study shows that people living near the trash incinerator have higher rates of asthma, respiratory illness and the five other symptoms studied when compared to less polluted areas of Hartford.

·         Hartford is home to eight regional waste facilities and brings trash from 70 towns to be burned here.  Currently, there is nothing to prohibit all polluting facilities in Connecticut from being located in any one town.  There is nothing in place to monitor the cumulative or synergistic effects of multiple sources of pollution on the health of Hartford residents or the environment where Hartford residents live, work, and play.

Hartford serves as a dumping ground for trash and sewage from more than 70 towns in three states.  Hartford  has…

·        A very large trash-to-energy incinerator

·        Two recycling facilities

·        A sewage treatment facility

·        A sewage sludge incinerator

·        Two landfills:  1 Bulky waste and 1 ash

·        A demolition and construction waste transfer station

Hartford is already overburdened with waste facilities and there continue to be proposals for more.  This proposed legislation will allow state agencies to consider the cumulative and synergistic effects of multiple sources of pollution and allow them to protect people from the cumulative environmental exposure.

There have also been proposals for more power plants, used diesel truck dealership, truck stops, and other sources of pollution in Hartford to serve regional needs.  Right now Capitol Transload is proposing to build a second demolition waste transfer station in Hartford even though the current transfer station has excess capacity.  Where is the waste going to come from?

            Air pollution sources in Connecticut are concentrated disproportionalty in low-income communities and communities of color (See map).