Candidates running for office to represent the Town of Westport in the upcoming election shared their perspectives on important state environmental issues via a questionnaire from Sustainable Westport. Responses below were provided by candidates running for Connecticut House of Representatives; District 143 (Western part of town). The candidates from District 136 did not respond.

Before voting this Tuesday, November 8, be sure to review the responses from the candidates below. A greener, healthier future starts with leaders who understand environmental issues and champion policies that will create positive change.

Nicole T. Hampton

Republican
Connecticut House of Representatives; District 143

The Energy System for CT: During periods of peak energy use, natural gas sources for electricity production shrink forcing end-of-the-pipe CT to rely on dirtier coal and fossil fuel or pay peak LNG prices – with air-quality and cost downsides.  The obvious long-term, environmentally and economically sustainable solution is to increase renewable sources of energy like procuring offshore wind, building solar infrastructure, or participating in a Hydro-Quebec New England transmission line. Which of these projects would you support and why? Are there any that you do not support and why?

In 2020, 55% of electricity in the state came from natural gas, and nearly 40% from nuclear power. Very little of the state’s energy needs are derived from fossil fuels—less than 1%. Wind and solar power are unreliable and have high startup costs. Those costs would be passed on to consumers, and affordable energy is already a top concern for voters living in the 143rd legislative district. Solar panels rely on chemicals to manufacture, and those chemicals must be

disposed of when the lifespan of the panels expires, trading one set of environmental hazards for another. With respect to wind, it’s not only unreliable like solar but also harmful to birds. Germany has more wind capacity than any other EU country, and they’re now having to buy coal from Africa to get through the winter. The Hydro-Quebec New England transmission line was blocked by Maine voters last year, so it is unclear how power from Canada would get to Connecticut without going through Maine or New Hampshire. And New Hampshire voters also blocked a similar effort in their state. Since our electrical grid in Connecticut only minimally relies on fossil fuels already, the cost-effective and readily available alternative is nuclear power, which is seeing renewed support among environmentalists, and has been embraced as an essential part of the energy mix in neighboring New Jersey.

Heating Homes: In the last legislative session, an initiative failed that would have prohibited using fossil fuel combustion systems or electrical resistance as the “primary” heating source in any new residential construction or major alteration. This legislation, addressing the demand side of the energy problem, was aggressively opposed by the fossil fuel industry. Would you support a new bill or are there other ways you would encourage and/or mandate the construction of high performance buildings across all sectors? 

Did the sponsors of this bill know we’re in the middle of a housing shortage? Imposing these kinds of regulations on the home construction sector would only make housing less affordable, potentially tripling the costs to build new or renovate existing homes. Housing prices and rents are sky high in my district. No wonder this bill failed. The 143rd legislative district includes a range of housing options from apartment buildings to multi-family homes to mansions. Environmentalists know that multi-family housing is more environmentally friendly and sustainable than single family, but we haven’t seen a push in the CGA to eliminate single family zoning. For these reasons I would not support a new bill. I am a strong fiscal conservative. I’m also a single mom sharing an apartment with my teenage daughter. My carbon footprint is small already, but someday I might want to own my own home, like this bill’s sponsor, who owns his own home on ¾ of an acre of land. This kind of legislation is more of the same old “do as I say not as I do” hypocrisy that has turned off voters. In California environmental regulations have been exploited to keep housing prices high and keep out unwanted people. I oppose any new regulations that would make it harder for those who are struggling to live here to afford to buy homes.

Electric Vehicles: Wide-scale EV deployment is among the primary solutions for achieving the state’s statutorily required economy-wide GHG reduction targets. If a new bill supporting the Sale of Electric Vehicles in CT comes to the floor that would provide customers with the freedom to purchase electric vehicles directly from manufacturers to help transition away from fossil fuels, would you support it, and, if not, how would you suggest the state meet its Zero Emission Vehicle targets?

The automobile dealers have been working overtime to mandate that you can’t sell a car in this state without a showroom and a lot filled with inventory. It’s not a very sustainable business model, and it’s bad for the environment. Car dealers have long opposed the EV sales model, allowing consumers to buy directly from the manufacturer. Preventing makers of electric vehicles from selling directly to consumers is not only bad for the environment, it’s bad business. I would support legislation to allow EV makers to sell directly to consumers in Connecticut.

Waste: One of the state’s 5 waste-to-energy facilities closed this year, leaving CT with even fewer options for disposing of municipal solid waste. As a result, we are shipping more and more MSW to out-of-state landfills, leading to increased tipping fees for municipalities. What is your solution to this waste crisis?

For years we thought we could recycle and compost our way out of the mounting trash problem. Just a few days ago, Greenpeace USA released a report on recycled plastics. We may be putting our plastic bottles out in the blue recycle bins. But only 5% are actually recycled. That’s an epic environmental failure. And while the long-term solution may lie in the field of robotics, we’re just not there yet. In Connecticut—especially in this district—the nuances of MSW management and tipping fees can’t be untangled from each town or city’s arrangement with a private waste disposal company. The bigger the company, the greater the economy of scale, the lower the tipping fees. My solution to the MSW crisis is to continue to work with our private partners to find the least expensive option for removal of MSW.

Party position: Do you agree with your party’s position on climate change and environment? What are the areas of overlap and where do you have a different view versus the national platform?

Climate change is real, and we should take steps to mitigate the impact. Having said that, there is still considerable debate about the extent to which humans have escalated the rate of change, and more important, the extent to which embracing the most draconian climate initiatives would result in measurable differences without catastrophic impacts to food supplies worldwide. As a fiscal conservative, I also want to make sure the money taxpayers spend on green initiatives isn’t just going to support the interests of political cronies.

Dominique Johnson

Democrat
Connecticut House of Representatives; District 143

The Energy System for CT: During periods of peak energy use, natural gas sources for electricity production shrink forcing end-of-the-pipe CT to rely on dirtier coal and fossil fuel or pay peak LNG prices – with air-quality and cost downsides.  The obvious long-term, environmentally and economically sustainable solution is to increase renewable sources of energy like procuring offshore wind, building solar infrastructure, or participating in a Hydro-Quebec New England transmission line. Which of these projects would you support and why? Are there any that you do not support and why?

I support prioritizing renewables in our state’s energy system, especially solar and wind infrastructure. I am very open to learning more about the Hydro-Quebec New England transmission line given the potential in hydroelectric power to be utilized effectively in our state the way it has been in other states and regions. I support improving and expanding our solar infrastructure to include rooftop solar, community solar, and battery storage initiatives. I also support training and workforce development that ensures our workforce is properly trained to construct and deliver our state’s energy needs.

Heating Homes: In the last legislative session, an initiative failed that would have prohibited using fossil fuel combustion systems or electrical resistance as the “primary” heating source in any new residential construction or major alteration. This legislation, addressing the demand side of the energy problem, was aggressively opposed by the fossil fuel industry. Would you support a new bill or are there other ways you would encourage and/or mandate the construction of high performance buildings across all sectors? 

I would be interested in exploring this as a solution to the demand side of our energy crisis in heating our homes. Setting ambitious yet attainable goals to ensure all municipal and government buildings are net zero should be a priority. I believe that new construction should be green and would advocate for finding innovative approaches to incentivize renewables in new residential construction.

Electric Vehicles: Wide-scale EV deployment is among the primary solutions for achieving the state’s statutorily required economy-wide GHG reduction targets. If a new bill supporting the Sale of Electric Vehicles in CT comes to the floor that would provide customers with the freedom to purchase electric vehicles directly from manufacturers to help transition away from fossil fuels, would you support it, and, if not, how would you suggest the state meet its Zero Emission Vehicle targets?

I have heard from many Westport residents at their doorsteps over the last several months, many of whom own EVs, who specifically asked for their state representative to support a bill for the  Sale of Electric Vehicles in CT. If consumers overwhelmingly want this opportunity to buy EVs directly from the manufacturers and not have to go out of state to purchase their vehicles I would strongly consider supporting it. Our transition away from fossil fuels needs to be multi-pronged and agile so we should explore ways to collaborate with stakeholders to reach our goals. We will need to ensure the charging infrastructure grows along with adoption of EVs, and should incentivize the transition to electric vehicles including and especially for our public transit systems and school buses.

Waste: One of the state’s 5 waste-to-energy facilities closed this year, leaving CT with even fewer options for disposing of municipal solid waste. As a result, we are shipping more and more MSW to out-of-state landfills, leading to increased tipping fees for municipalities. What is your solution to this waste crisis?

In Norwalk (and as a member of our Council’s Public Works Committee) we have instituted curbside composting and just expanded it to an additional site. The new site is in fact in the 143rd District in Cranbury Park. This program has diverted solid waste out of our MSW tonnage and it holds promise to be a sustainable solution for the waste crisis locally so we can further minimize shipping more MSW out-of-state. We also need to further develop our education and awareness campaigns about single stream recycling to encourage even greater adoption of recycling and collaborate further with zero waste advocates to amplify their important work.

Party position: Do you agree with your party’s position on climate change and environment? What are the areas of overlap and where do you have a different view versus the national platform?

I absolutely agree with my party’s position on climate. I am incredibly aligned with the climate goals in the Democratic Party Platform. I especially overlap with my party on the goal of mobilizing “…a diverse new generation of young workers through a corps and cohort challenged to conserve our public lands; deliver new clean energy, including to low-income communities and communities of color; and address the changing climate, including through pre-apprenticeship opportunities, joint labor-management registered apprenticeships for training, and direct-hire programs that put good-paying and union jobs within reach for more Americans.”