03/02/2026
🚨 ACTION ALERT
CT Approved Expanded Medical Waste Burning — And Now the Legislature Wants to Give the Incinerator a Tax Break?
Public Hearing – Wednesday, March 4 at 11:00 AM (meeting agenda), Legislative Office Building (Room 2B), Hartford CT
Send in written testimony: https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/CGATestimonySub/CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?comm_code=ENV (choose 3/4/2026 hearing date, bill SB00317, click oppose, upload your testimony, and submit)
Register to speak here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o8AeBR6pSa-6BXetnT9w9w #/registration (signup by 3 PM Tuesday)
The Environment Committee will hear S.B. 317 – An Act Concerning the Bristol Resource Recovery Facility. This bill would suspend the Bristol incinerator’s $1.50-per-ton state solid waste assessment for FIVE YEARS.
Let’s be clear about the timing:
What Just Happened
âś” Connecticut DEEP approved permits allowing the facility to burn large quantities of biomedical waste
âś” Burning medical waste is significantly more lucrative than ordinary municipal trash
âś” This expansion will increase revenue to Reworld (formerly Covanta)
❌ The facility has not fixed its outstanding noise violations — violations of its existing permit conditions
And now, immediately after approving a revenue-boosting medical waste expansion, the Legislature is considering giving this same facility a special tax break.
Give us a break.
The Basic Question
If a facility:
- Is expanding into higher-profit medical waste operations
- Has documented permit violations
- Has unresolved community impacts
- Has not demonstrated full compliance with existing conditions
Why should it receive a five-year exemption from state fees?
This Is About Accountability
This is not abstract policy. It is simple accountability.
- Medical waste approval = more revenue
- Outstanding noise violations = unresolved noncompliance
- Tax break = reward
- Residents = ignored
That is backwards. The health and safety of our families – not special treatment for big corporations – MUST come first.
đź“Ł TAKE ACTION
Submit Written Testimony
Even a short statement makes an impact. Upload your testimony on SB 317 here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/CGATestimonySub/CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?comm_code=ENV
Sign Up to Speak
Residents may speak in person or virtually. Sign up here by Tuesday (tomorrow) at 3 PM here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o8AeBR6pSa-6BXetnT9w9w #/registration
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