Sen. Somers Leads Bipartisan Amendment To Turn Griswold Land Slated for State Firing Range Into State Park

HARTFORD, Conn. – Today State Senator and Vice-Chair of the Environment Committee, Heather Somers (R-Groton), lead an amendment to protect forested land in Griswold, slated to be developed into the State Police Firing Range, by incorporating the parcel of land into the Pachuag State Forest.

In a bipartisan, 29-0 vote within the Environment Committee Sen. Somers pushed for an amendment onto Senate Bill 424. The amendment would require that the state immediately convey the heavily forested parcel of land in Griswold, slated to be purchased for the creation of a State Police Firing Range, to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for the sole purpose of incorporating the land into the Pachaug State Forest.

“This amendment not only protects forested land and wildlife in Griswold but it also protects the residents of this quaint town from having a massive firearms facility being forced on them without an open process,” said Sen. Somers. “There must be more research conducted and an open and transparent process must be followed to properly determine the best location for this new facility. Additionally, the residents of the town where this massive facility is to be placed must also have an opportunity to make their voices heard. This is a piece of land that DEEP has wanted to incorporate into the Pachaug State Forest for quite some time in order to help enhance a natural Connecticut resource. I will continue to push for this bill to pass through the legislative process and will continue to do what is best for my constituents and the rest of the state.”

Senate Bill 424 now makes its way to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.