Environment Bill is an Attack on Property Owner’s Rights

Sen. Fasano: This is an assault on our coastline.

Hartford, CT – Senator Len Fasano (R-East Haven) testified before the Environment Committee on Wednesday against HB 5128, An Act Concerning Certain Revisions to the Coastal Zone Management Statutes.

“This is an attack on East Haven and the Connecticut Shoreline as a whole,” said Sen. Fasano. “The state has no right to make you retreat from your property. This is the most dangerous legislative language I have seen in years.”

The bill being considered before the Environment Committee, could dictate who gets to live on the shoreline.

The HB 5128 aims to create a new policy that would include:

“This bill will do more damage to our shoreline coastal communities than Tropical Storm Irene did,” said Sen. Fasano.

According to the language in the bill the state would have a goal of strategic retreat of property ownership, for coastal lands that have a likelihood of being lost due to erosion and coastal lands that contain structures that are subject to repetitive damage.

Sen. Fasano says this is legal jargon for – we the state, are taking your property by eminent domain because no one should live or do business with in the still yet to be determined new high tide line.

“It is not up to the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to dictate which families and businesses stay and which go because they are in a potentially affected area. It’s wrong,” said Sen. Fasano. “The only erosion we should be worried about is that of the public trust in this body.”

Fasano is calling on the Environment Co-Chairs to withdraw the bill.