Hawleyville, CT Group Passes a New Environmental Law: Bill Will Protect Town's Water From a Hazardous Waste Station

In June, the Connecticut General Assembly voted unanimously to override a veto of legislation that will make it more difficult for the Housatonic Railroad Company to build a hazardous waste and trash transfer station in Hawleyville, Conn..  A big victory for residents in Hawleyville and across the state, the law will prevent trash facilities from being sited less than 1,000 feet from drinking water aquifers and also provide a significant barrier for the Housatonic Railroad’s plan in Hawleyville.

 

Toxics Action Center has been working for almost a year with the Hawleyville Environmental Advocacy Team (HEAT), a grassroots group of citizens concerned about keeping Hawleyville clean, green and safe. Annemarie Mitchell, a leader of the group, had originally taken action in Hawleyville to save her neighborhood’s local post office and formed HEAT when she realized that the proposed trash facility threatened her drinking water. Her group was instrumental in the passage of the bill.