Tag: Brookfield

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.

Gov. Lamont: No More Methane Gas! Rally 3/31

by Sena Wazer, Sierra Club, CT Chapter

In January, Gov. Ned Lamont stated his support for “natural” methane gas during his State of the State address. Then, last month, he signed off on allowing the Capitol Area System heating and cooling system to be updated with fossil fuels — continuing to make Hartford a sacrifice zone and fueling the climate crisis.

We’re standing up and saying enough: enough with polluted air, continued asthma, and dirty energy. Connecticut deserves better. Instead, we must pursue clean energy that helps our communities to thrive.

We’re calling on Governor Lamont to:

Reverse his decision on the Capitol Area System and move forward with network geothermal.

Deny the permits for the Brookfield Compressor Stations. Now is not the time for fossil fuels. Now is the time to invest in clean and renewable energy. Join us in Hartford on Monday, March 31 at 1 p.m. as we hold a press conference at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Ave., before marching to the Capitol Area System at 490 Capitol Ave., where we will do a die-in to represent the harm that this fossil fuel infrastructure inflicts on the community.

For more information, please email sena.wazer@sierraclub.org.

Keep the Pressure Up to Stop Fracked Gas Expansion in Connecticut

by Samantha Dynowski, Director of Sierra Club CT

During the last week of September Sierra Club of Connecticut organized two powerful events in opposition to the proposed expansion of fracked gas pipelines in the state. On Sept. 23, the researchers who completed a study on the health impacts of the fracked gas compressor station in Brookfield, CT, presented their findings at an event at the Brookfield Library. The corporations that own the compressor station want to double the size of the facility. One of the biggest concerns is that the town’s middle school is just 1900 feet away from the compressor station.

About 30 people attended the event including Marty Foncello, the State Representative for Brookfield, two of the town’s Selectmen, and the principal of the middle school. The researchers broke down the different emissions that come from the compressor station and how they impact people’s health. The event wrapped up with a discussion about how the community can fight the proposed expansion.

Then on Sept. 24, Sierra Club Connecticut organized a rally at the State House in Hartford calling on Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to reject all permits for the Enbridge company’s Project Maple pipeline expansion, and for the proposed compressor station expansion in Brookfield.

Over 50 people attended the midday rally. After hearing from some speakers, we marched to the Governor’s office and then to DEEP’s office and delivered a letter signed by over 30 elected and appointed officials in Connecticut calling on the Governor and DEEP to publicly oppose Project Maple and the Brookfield compressor station expansion.

TAKE ACTION! It’s urgent that we build on this momentum and keep the pressure up on Governor Lamont and DEEP. This is especially important for Brookfield – as DEEP is reviewing the final permit for the proposed compressor station expansion right now. Please take a few minutes to send a message to Governor Lamont and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes using this action page: https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0469700&id=701Po00000LgR69IAF.

You can also go a step further and call Lamont’s office (860-566-4840) and Katie Dykes’ office (860-424-3001) and urge them to oppose Project Maple and the Brookfield compressor station expansion. Every phone call and email matters!