News Releases - 2025

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• 7/24/2025 DEEP Announces New Incentive Levels For CHEAPR Program Effective August 1st

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that the standard incentive level for the popular Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Vehicle Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program will be changing effective August 1, 2025. The CHEAPR program offers incentives to Connecticut residents who purchase or lease an eligible new or used battery electric (BEV) or, plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicle from a licensed Connecticut automobile dealership or original equipment manufacturer.

• 2/13/2025 DEEP Announces Recipients of 2025 Grants for Aquatic Invasive Species Control on Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers

  (HARTFORD)-The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced the recipients of the fifth annual round of funding through the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grant Program, with a total of $400,000 going to 12 projects that will reduce the impacts of aquatic invasive species on inland waters in Connecticut.

• 6/22/2025 Connecticut Facing First Summer Heat Wave DEEP Forecasts Elevated Levels of Ozone for June 22 and 23, 2025

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting temperatures to reach the mid to upper 90’s beginning Sunday, June 22 and last through Wednesday June 25, 2025. At points during this heat wave heat indices are expected to exceed 100oF. These very hot temperatures will contribute to elevated ozone levels for the southern portion of Connecticut on Sunday and Monday. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for these parts of Connecticut.

• 5/1/2025 DEEP Environmental Conservation Police Celebrate Graduation of the 2025 Ranger Academy

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) celebrated the graduation ceremony for the 2025 Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon) Ranger graduating class on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirty-three recruits successfully completed a 120-hour training academy to become EnCon Rangers. An additional 10 Rangers will return to the field from previous years.

• 2/26/2025 DEEP Launches Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) to Identify Strategies to Affordably and Reliably Meet Connecticut’s Growing Electricity Needs

  (HARTFORD) - The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that it is launching the state’s next Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) to assess Connecticut’s growing electricity needs and identify pathways to meet these needs affordably and reliably for the state’s residents and businesses.

• 4/24/2025 DEEP To Celebrate Arbor Day in Communities Across Connecticut

  (HARTFORD) — The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is celebrating Arbor Day April 25th with communities across Connecticut and invites you to join us at any one of the many events planned around the state. Many municipalities celebrate Arbor Day as part of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City Program. This national program recognizes cities across the United States for their dedication to growing, protecting, and maintaining urban and community forests. Connecticut boasts 24 Tree Cities, 4 Tree Campuses, and 4 Tree City Growth Awards this year. This list includes the Town of Fairfield and City of Stamford, which are tied for first place as the longest-standing Tree Cities in the state at 37 years.

• 2/11/2025 DEEP Expands Scope of Energy Efficiency Procurement to Enable Businesses as Well as Residents to Benefit from Innovative Approaches to Lowering Energy Bills

  (HARTFORD)- As noted in Governor Lamont’s State of the State address in January, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is conducting a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) to invite bids from efficiency suppliers to expand access to electric efficiency for United Illuminating (UI) and Eversource customers. This week, as part of the RFP process, DEEP released an updated schedule and expanded scope for its electric efficiency and affordability procurement. The initial draft request for proposals (RFP) was focused on energy efficiency measures delivered to residential customers. In response to bidder requests, DEEP is now expanding the RFP scope by clarifying that interested bidders could include energy efficiency measures for commercial and industrial customers, as well as residential customers. In addition, interested bidders would be permitted to use the customer’s electric bill to collect payments from the participating customers to pay for the installed measures over a period of time if those payments are less than the expected savings from the efficiency measures.

• 5/7/2025 DEEP Celebrates National Air Quality Awareness Week May 5-9

  (HARTFORD)—To mark National Air Quality Awareness week, which runs May 5-9, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) encourages the public to stay aware of the air quality around you, learn how to protect yourself on poor air quality days, and consider actions you can take to improve your local air quality.

• 6/13/2025 DEEP Announces Grant Recipients and New Funding Opportunity for Urban and Community Forestry

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today recipients of 2025 Urban and Community Forestry Planning and Urban Forested Natural Areas and Riparian Corridor Restoration grants. Over $184,000 will be granted to support 11 urban and community forestry projects in Bloomfield, Ellington, Mansfield, New London, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Ridgefield, Stamford, and Stratford.

• 6/4/2025 DEEP Forecasts Elevated Levels of Ozone for June 4–5 2025

  (HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting temperatures to reach the mid-to-upper 80s (˚F) beginning June 4th, with high temperatures persisting and reaching near 90 on June 5th. These warm temperatures will contribute to elevated ozone levels for western Connecticut and inland areas on Wednesday and continuing from southwest Connecticut to northeast Connecticut on Thursday. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for these parts of Connecticut.

• 3/18/2025 DEEP Announces More Than $1 Million in Clean Vessel Act Funding to 39 Marine Sewage Disposal Facilities to Help Keep Connecticut’s Waterways Clean in 2025

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that 39 marine sewage disposal facilities, more commonly known as pumpouts, will receive $1,034,987 in funding under DEEP’s annual Federal Clean Vessel Act (CVA) program for the upcoming 2025 boating season. The funding is used to improve water quality in Connecticut’s navigable waterways by providing federally-funded matching grants for qualifying projects that provide pumpouts.

• 6/23/2025 Connecticut and Northeast States Issue   Request for Information to Explore Cost-Saving Transmission Projects

  (HARTFORD) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today joined eight other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states in issuing a Request for Information (RFI) seeking interregional transmission project concepts that would improve grid reliability, support economic growth, and reduce costs for consumers. The RFI was issued by the bipartisan Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission, a group formed in 2023 to fill a gap in today’s interregional transmission planning processes. Through this collaboration, DEEP is working to unlock reliability benefits and cost savings for the state’s ratepayers.

• 5/8/2025 ADVISORY: DEEP Kicks-Off the 20th Anniversary of the No Child Left Inside® Families in the Parks Program With Free Family Fishing Day May 10th

  (HARTFORD) –The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that the 20th Anniversary of the No Child Left Inside® (NCLI) Families in the Parks Program will begin on Saturday, May 10, 2025, with Free Family Fishing Day!

• 4/11/2025 DEEP Invites You to Celebrate Spring Fishing Day on Saturday April 12

  (HARTFORD) — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) invites all residents and their families to celebrate Spring Fishing Day this Saturday, April 12. Every spring, the second Saturday in April is the start of the “catch and keep” season for trout. Starting at 6:00 a.m. on April 12, anglers are allowed to keep the trout they catch, though the permissible numbers and size of fish that can be kept varies by waterbody. While trout fishing is open year-round, it is “catch and release” fishing only from March 1 until 6:00 a.m. on April 12 on most waterways in the state (the exceptions are Trout Management Lakes, Sea-Run Trout Streams, and waters designated as “Tidal Waters and Tributaries”).

• 6/18/2025 MEDIA ADVISORY: DEEP Boating Division and No Child Left Inside® Offer Family Boating Day on Saturday, June 21

  (HARTFORD) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) No Child Left Inside® (NCLI) Families in the Parks Program and Boating Division will host a free “Family Boating Day” at Indian Well State Park in Shelton from 12:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, June 21, 2025.