Economy & Jobs

“It seems unreasonable to us that a decision of this magnitude, which will have a significant impact on Connecticut fishermen would be made without any input from stakeholders in our state,” said the delegation members. “This change would prevent Connecticut fishermen and lobstermen from harvesting in waters around Block Island Sound as they have done for decades, unless first obtaining costly permits from New York or Rhode Island. We believe that this misguided legislation was crafted strategically to benefit certain states while disproportionately harming the Connecticut fishing industry. At the very least, any consideration of this bill going forward should include voices from all areas that would be impacted by this change – including from our state.”

“The strong hiring outlook for Electric Boat this year will provide a profound boost to the economy of our region and the state,” said Courtney. “As this morning’s presentation clearly shows, the growth in investment in submarine programs over the last several years - and more ahead- is driving growth not just at Electric Boat and the southeastern Connecticut region, but across the state-wide network of suppliers and manufacturers that support this critical work."

“I was very pleased that we were able to get this important change for our dairy farmers included in the federal transportation bill last month,” said Courtney. “In my role as the as a co-chair of the Congressional Dairy Caucus, I have advocated on the behalf of small and medium sized dairy farmers who expressed a need to change the law which prevented them from fully utilizing the container space in their milk trucks. Simply allowing our dairy farmers to fill their current milk hauling trucks to full capacity will save them both time and money, and prevent the need for additional trucks on our roadways. The new weight exemption will allow haulers to transport the same volume of fluid milk in four full milk trucks compared to the five partially filled milk trucks used to meet existing weight restrictions on Connecticut roads. I want to thank Congresswoman Esty for all of her work on the issue, and for offering the amendment in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where it was included in the larger transportation bill.”

“I am pleased that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers was able to build on cost-effective and environmentally sound options for disposing of dredged material from our waterways in the final DMMP,” said Courtney. “Economic activities that utilize Long Island Sound waterways contribute more than $9 billion annually in economic output and maintaining navigable shipping channels is critical to the long-term health of our regional economy. From family-owned marinas to the SUBASE New London, the livelihoods of thousands of my constituents directly depend on this comprehensive dredging plan. I am particularly happy that the DMMP underscores the need for a strong partnership among the Regional Dredging Team members and recommends new involvement by the U.S. Navy and newly-formed Connecticut Port Authority.”