Governor Dannel P. Malloy is applauding the announcement made this morning by Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) that the company will be converting its coal-burning power plant at Bridgeport’s Harbor Station to natural gas. With the planned conversion, Connecticut will no longer have any coal burning plants in the state.
“Today’s announcement to convert the PSEG plant to natural gas is incredibly positive news. Our state continues to show that we can meet our energy needs while decreasing our carbon footprint — we are leaders in combating global warming.
“I applaud the residents of Bridgeport, city officials, and proponents whose advocacy over the last several years helped bring about the change that we’re seeing today. And I thank PSEG for making this decision. This is an important step forward. Local residents will no doubt benefit, as will the entire state. This will mark a new milestone.
“This is another step into the future. Every day we continue to work towards bold action on this issue at home and across the nation. The pollution that coal creates is damaging to the environment, damaging to our health, and damaging to the state. That’s why Connecticut recently joined with a group of seven of our neighboring states on the east coast to sign a petition urging the federal government to take action against nine western upwind states — coal power plants that dump dirty, polluted air into the jet stream from these states gets carried across the borders and into our states. We all need to take action — together.
“Over the last several decades, Connecticut has done an extraordinary amount to combat climate change. With today’s announcement, we have taken another step forward.”