Category: Energy

Nuclear Power: Clean Energy or Costly Gamble?

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by Christopher Zurcher, local artist

Nuclear power’s effects on human rights and environmental justice were the focus of author Linda Pentz Gunter’s presentation at a meeting in Hamden on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.
Pentz Gunter, who founded the international advocacy nonprofit Beyond Nuclear in 2007, warned about the construction of massive energy- and water-consuming data centers, particularly as governors consider nuclear reactors to power them.

Gov. Ned Lamont recently said the state would join its neighbors at a one-day regional policy summit that will explore the potential role of advanced nuclear technologies in the region. The 2026 New England Regional Nuclear Policy Summit on Sept. 30, 2026, will bring together “experts” to examine the potential for advanced nuclear technologies in the grid. He said the summit is “an opportunity … to learn more about the potential for new advanced nuclear technologies to contribute to our grid.”

But what about health risks from plants?

Pentz Gunter’s new book, No To Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress And Provokes War (Pluto Press, April 2026), presents 10 reasons to reject nuclear power in favor of solar and wind, challenging claims that nuclear energy is safe, clean or green.

She argues that nuclear reactors take too long to build, cost too much, and leave behind the unresolved problem of radioactive waste, with disproportionate and unjust impacts on Indigenous peoples and communities of color.

“While nuclear power is technically feasible, it is highly complex, involving a long and polluting uranium fuel chain and with an unsolved waste problem,” Pentz Gunter said. She added that nuclear fuel is “more than a million times more radioactive when it comes out” of a reactor, contributing to the industry’s costs and hazards to human health.

Pentz Gunter also cited studies, including a recent one from Harvard, reporting higher incidences of cancers and leukemia among populations living near nuclear power plants.
“There is absolutely no justification for taking such a risk when safer, cheaper alternatives like renewables can rapidly deploy today,” she said.

“Our elected officials need to hear from us,” Pentz Gunter said, arguing that voters should hold officials accountable for supporting data-center and nuclear projects that threaten our health and the environment.

The nuclear debate is hardly new. More than a decade ago, the late Judi Friedman of People’s Action for Clean Energy wrote in these pages that nuclear power survives because of extensive public subsidies, while delays in expanding shared solar and other clean-energy investments leave consumers vulnerable.

For more, visit plutobooks.com/product/no-to-nuclear, beyondnuclear.org, pepeace.org/resources, pacecleanenergy.org.

What’s Wrong with Gov. Lamont’s Energy Policy?

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by Melinda Tuhus, environmental activist and journalist

The first thing to know about Gov. Ned Lamont’s energy policy is that it’s an All of the Above strategy. He loves methane gas; he loves renewables; and especially recently, he loves nuclear. In the past few months, his Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (a contradiction in terms and misleading name) has hosted four two-hour workshops to learn all about “new” nuclear energy – basically, the small modular reactors (SMRs) that don’t exist yet and would have many of the same problems as the existing big stand-alone reactors, and, according to some experts, would be less efficient.

Recently all six New England governors agreed to pursue at least investigating building more nuclear, because energy demand is rising for the first time in at least 20 years, due to data centers, electric cars and other electric infrastructure.

Lamont’s DEEP has also been greenlighting or considering several methane projects across the state, and the fact that they haven’t moved forward faster is thanks to the tenacious opposition from local communities and climate and environmental activists in Connecticut. One example is the proposed expansion of the compressor station in Brookfield, near Danbury, on the so-called Iroquois pipeline. Compressor stations push the gas through the pipeline, so the bigger the compressor station, the more gas it can push through. Methane leaks at all stages, from production to the gas stove in your home, and is toxic, especially to those most at risk, like children and those with respiratory ailments.

Lamont was quoted in a New York Times article in April about the push to increase both methane (“natural”) gas and nuclear power: “I think, generally speaking, if it’s affordable, New England governors are now willing to consider it.”

Nuclear boosters say nukes provide the “baseload power” that solar and wind can’t, but with battery storage growing, renewables are faster to build, cleaner, safer and cheaper than nuclear power plants, and combined with energy efficiency (making electricity go further) and conservation (not using the energy in the first place), renewables could be the main energy source in Connecticut.

The big push by Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts for offshore wind stalled because of the pandemic and Trump’s extreme aversion to it. After winning legal challenges, at least some of the projects are now up and running or under construction.

For more info, contact Efficiency for All (www.efficiencyforall.org) or People’s Action for Clean Energy (pacecleanenergy.org).

Fall Conference to Thwart Tech Bros’ Data Centers

by Stanley Heller, Administrator, Promoting Enduring Peace

You know about the huge data centers springing up everywhere to power the AI computers. They’re noisy 24/7, taking up huge amounts of water and often raising electricity rates for surrounding communities. In the short term, they’ll need lots of methane- (natural gas) burning power plants to provide electricity. But the tech bros plan to replace that with nuclear power plants in the mid-term. Right now CT has only one nuclear power plant, Millstone, but the CT legislature has repealed its flat ban on more nuclear power plants and has set aside $5 million to find communities that will house the nuke plants.

Nuclear power has at least one fatal flaw: its radioactive waste. The waste is dangerous for thousands of years and is kept at the plants “temporarily” in steel/concrete casks. The problem is there’s no safe way to dispose of the dangerous waste so “temporary” likely means “forever.” So if a community goes along with the drive for more nuclear power it can expect to keep and guard that waste permanently.

We’re told there’s this great need for more electricity for the AI, but there’s no necessity for more AI. Some of AI holds promise but a lot of it is openly designed to eliminate jobs. What’s really needed is a program to deal with the global warming emergency that’s causing climate collapse. Solar, wind, batteries and mandatory conservation measures can do the job.

The conference will likely take place in November with some high-powered speakers and community activists who have taken on data centers in their areas. Those interested in planning it can contact Promoting Enduring Peace at office@pepeace.org or (203) 444-3578.

[“Tech bro” is a slang term for stereotypically masculine individuals working in the technology industry, particularly programming.]

Join the No Pipeline Expansion Northeast Coalition to Learn About a Proposed Pipeline Under the Connecticut River in Middletown

by Sena Wazer, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, Sierra Club CT

Eversource, the electric and gas utility for much of Connecticut, has proposed to build a new interconnection pipeline under the Connecticut River. This expansion would impact Middletown, East Hampton, and Higganum, in particular the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail, Hurd State Park, and Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area.

Eversource wants to complete this expansion using a practice called horizontal directional drilling. When this practice was used in 2024 for a pipeline in Rhode Island, the company spilled 50 gallons of drilling fluid into the Sakonnet River. Connecticut doesn’t need more methane gas, we don’t need more pipelines, and we certainly don’t need them drilled under the Connecticut River.

In addition to the potential harm that projects like this do to our ecosystems, they are also bad for our climate, health, and costs. Two recent publications have shown that methane gas reliance and pipeline expansions raise our bills.

A study in Maine, which is on the same regional electricity grid as Connecticut, found that methane gas is the primary driver of rising electricity prices in Maine, while clean energy would lower bills. A recently published primer from The Future of Heat Initiative found that Connecticut customers are paying more for gas pipes and their expansion, than for the actual gas we use.

Are you interested in learning more and taking action? Join Sierra Club Connecticut, the No Pipeline Expansion Northeast Coalition, and Sunrise Movement Wesleyan for an educational forum in Middletown titled “Pipelines Under Our River: Safety, Costs, and What Residents Should Know.” The forum will be hosted on Wednesday, March 25, at 6 p.m. at the Russell Library. Find more information and RSVP here: tinyurl.com/middletownforum. Email sena.wazer@sierraclub.org with questions.

Connecticut Isn’t Making Right Choices. We’re Being Gaslit by the Methane Industry

by Susan Moynihan, Feb. 15, 2026, Hartford Courant

The fossil fuel company, TC Energy, is proposing to double the size of a compressor station in Brookfield, Connecticut. The compressor station is located only 1,900 feet from Brookfield’s only middle school. Compressor stations release methane and other toxic air pollutants into the community, and pose a risk of explosion. In the environmental assessment submitted by TC Energy, the company stated that the added gas capacity is designed for ConEdison and National Grid in New York. That means that while the project would pollute Connecticut’s air, the added energy capacity is for New York, despite the state’s greenhouse gas reduction and building electrification laws…I call on Connecticut to put our safety and climate first, and stand up against fossil fuel expansion. We are being gaslit by the methane industry.

[Reprinted from CT Green Energy News, Feb. 20, 2026. To get a free subscription to this weekly online newsletter, visit www.pacecleanenergy.org.]

Broad Public Opposition to Fossil Fuel Expansion!

by Sena Wazer, Sierra Club CT

After clear community opposition, DEEP must deny the Brookfield Compressor Station Expansion

On Jan 8, 2026, over 100 people gathered at a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) public hearing about a methane gas compressor station expansion in Brookfield, Connecticut. This expansion would double the size of the existing compressor station, which emits dangerous air pollutants into the community.

Over 50 people gave public testimony and every single one of those people was opposed to the expansion.

Local residents and advocates expressed concern over the impact of this expansion on air quality and health, particularly for the middle school students located just 1900 feet away from the compressor station. They shared their worry for the impact that this would have on Connecticut’s contribution to climate change and progress towards the state’s greenhouse gas mitigation goals.

Testifiers raised questions about why DEEP is allowing this expansion to move forward when it has zero benefit to Connecticut; the added gas is for New York City, which multiple people also pointed out is unnecessary. They also called attention to the multiple ways in which DEEP has biased this process towards the methane gas company, including through denying the public a more meaningful adjudicatory hearing, which would have allowed for the community to directly ask the company questions and weigh in more significantly on the decision.

This hearing was the latest in a long stream of clear public opposition to this fossil fuel expansion. Yet DEEP and Governor Lamont have continued to allow this unnecessary and polluting expansion to move forward.

This moment is a litmus test for our state: will we allow harmful infrastructure to move forward at the behest of a methane gas company despite clear opposition from state residents, the people DEEP and Governor Lamont are purported to serve, or will they stand up for our communities, climate, and future?

We will be watching this decision closely and will continue to fight for our communities. Learn more about Sierra Club Connecticut’s work to oppose new and expanded fossil fuel projects and join us. Please visit https://bit.ly/4sSqgy5.

Community Solar Projects Continue to Grow in CT. The Aim Is to Bring Down Rising Energy Costs

Stephen Underwood, Dec. 22, Hartford Courant

As energy bills continue to provide sticker shock for many Connecticut residents, some are seeing solar credits being applied to their billing statements without even having any solar panels attached to their homes.

Connecticut’s Shared Clean Energy Facilities Program allows residents to reap the benefits of solar who are not eligible to install solar panels themselves, according to the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The idea is to add 260 megawatts of locally generated, renewable and low carbon energy to the electric grid over the next eight years through large scale solar projects. Both of the state’s largest energy suppliers, Eversource and United Illuminating, participate in the program.

The SCEF program, which was created in 2018, is now starting to expand across the state. The program is administered by DEEP and overseen by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. The program utilizes a community solar model with subscribers receiving monthly bill credits for up to 20 years, reducing energy costs at no expense to participants. The program was started to help low-to-moderate income residents and businesses receive solar who may not be able to install panels for various reasons.

“Most eligible customers will automatically qualify for a subscription without needing to apply. We’ll let you know if you’re one of these customers and are selected to receive a SCEF subscription. A small number of subscriptions will be available for voluntary enrollment. Only customers that meet income requirements or who otherwise may not be able to install a clean energy generation at their home or business are eligible to apply,” an Eversource spokesperson said in a statement.

[See article in its entirety at bit.ly/4jesiEe]

CT Green Energy News, Dec. 19, 2025

by People’s Action for Clean Energy

Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump Administration Funds Geothermal Network Expansion

Inside Climate News: The U.S. Department of Energy has approved an $8.6 million grant that will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network to double in size. Gas and electric utility Eversource Energy completed the first phase of its geothermal network in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 2024. Eversource is a co-recipient of the award along with the city of Framingham and HEET, a Boston-based nonprofit that focuses on geothermal energy and is the lead recipient of the funding. Geothermal networks are widely considered among the most energy-efficient ways to heat and cool buildings.

[This is only one of many articles from the Dec. 19 issue of CT Green Energy News. To get a free subscription of this weekly newsletter, please visit www.pacecleanenergy.org.]

Sierra Club Demands No Pipeline Expansion!

by Sena Wazer, Sierra Club CT

The Trump Administration has stated their intention to drive methane gas pipeline expansion in the Northeast. These expansions harm our communities, drive climate change, and raise our electricity prices.

Yet instead of standing up, governors across the Northeast—including in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts—are allowing for these expansions to move forward.

So we’re fighting back. But to be effective, we need to build people power across our states, and to do that, we need your help!

The No Pipeline Expansion (NOPE) Northeast Coalition is hosting an in-person and interactive workshop on Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Middletown. The workshop will include an opportunity to learn about gas pipeline expansions in Connecticut and the Northeast, build power, strategize next steps, and take action.

Whether you are a new or experienced activist, have engaged with the NOPE Northeast Coalition before or are brand new, we want you to join us. To find more information about the workshop and RSVP, please go to bit.ly/nopepipelineworkshop.

Please email sena.wazer@sierraclub.org with any questions and check out the coalition’s past work at nopenortheast.org.

CT Green Energy News, Sept. 19, 2025

by People’s Action for Clean Energy

CT battling Trump EPA proposal to end greenhouse gas regulation

CT Mirror. “The ‘endangerment finding’ is a seemingly nondescript term for what is arguably the most critical regulation in the US’s climate change-fighting arsenal. It allows the federal government, under the authority of the Clean Air Act, to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet and in turn causing climate change… President Donald Trump wants to get rid of it… ‘We will not let Trump and Zeldin [head of EPA] do this without a fight,’ said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong…”

Claire Coleman: What end of Revolution Wind project means to New England electricity consumers

New Haven Register, opinion piece. “As Connecticut’s consumer counsel, charged with representing the interests of all Connecticut electric utility consumers before regulators and our regional grid operator, I am deeply concerned by the federal government’s recent stop work order on the Revolution Wind offshore wind project…New England’s independent regional grid operator, ISO New England, has been banking on Revolution Wind to help ensure our state and region have enough electricity to meet demand, particularly during winter cold spells and high heat days when our grid is most challenged…There is no doubt that canceling the power from this wind farm – enough to power 350,000 homes in the region — will compromise our winter reliability and elevate the risk of future blackouts. Electricity consumers will also suffer because the price of the wind energy under the Revolution Wind contract is highly competitive at a 20-year fixed price of under 10 cents per kilowatt hour.”

Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree: Third Act CT to Stephen Miller: We’re not ‘going home’

CT Mirror, opinion piece. “Presidential advisor Stephen Miller thinks all the ‘elderly hippies’ out protesting should go home and take a nap. We have news for him…We in Third Act CT are a movement of Connecticut elders standing up for democracy and for effective and strategic engagement with climate issues…The sun, after all, shines on all of us. It offers its energy, its light and its power to everyone regardless of status. From its power comes wind and other thermal gradient sources – and we are already harnessing it without depleting it! Over 102,000 solar installations grace Connecticut now. Imagine a future in which giant utilities don’t control your access to electricity and heat! If there were ever a non-oligarchic source of energy, it’s the sun.”

[The above excerpts are from the current CT Green Energy News. To subscribe to this free online newsletter, please go to pacecleanenergy.org.]

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