Connecticut Coalition for
Environmental Justice

Sooty Six

New Haven has the largest polluting power plant in the State of Connecticut. It is also one of the six largest plants that are exempt from the current pollution standards (i.e. Sooty Six) because it was grandfathered when the standards were enacted in 1977. Oftentimes when power plants are required to reduce emissions, rather than actually reducing emissions on-site, the state allows them the option of purchasing pollution credits from a different facility that has reduced its emissions more than the law requires. This is known as pollution credit trading. NHEJN worked working with the Connecticut Coalition for Clean Air to get New Haven's Sooty Six power plant to reduce sulfur oxides to current standards on site without using pollution credit trading. After five years of effort, Connecticut changed its law to require the Sooty Six plants to reduce these harmful air emissions.