Press Releases

“American Woolen is true success story for eastern Connecticut,” said Courtney. “Just three years ago, the Warren Mill was sitting empty and unused after the former owner was forced to shutter the company. Now, we have a thriving company once again occupying the space just as the market for made-in-America garments is growing in popularity. With the restoration of the legacy machines to spin wool fiber, the company will be now be able to add the U.S. Navy to its growing list of clients which includes several high-profile national brands."

In their letters, the members state that: “The urgency of this problem is clear. Failure to enact a workable plan to provide relief will have a lasting impact not just on homeowners and communities, but on all those connected to the housing market, including insurers. We hope that your company will be a constructive and collaborative part of making this plan work in order to provide needed relief to your customers, their neighbors, and our communities."

“It was an honor to join the Norwich Police Department for a ride-along so I could experience firsthand the work our local police officers are carrying out on our behalf each day,” said Courtney. “It was especially gratifying to see the efforts of the Department to combat opioid abuse in our region. The drop box they offer for citizens to safely dispose of their unneeded prescription drug products has been particularly successful. I want to thank Sgt. McKinney and his law enforcement colleagues for their commitment to community engagement and daily work on behalf of Norwich and the region. ”

“While the national margin between milk prices and feed costs continues to shrink, dairy farmers in Connecticut—where energy and feed costs are typically greater—have been struggling with tight margins for the past year,” Courtney said. “The latest announcement on MPP payouts will certainly aid a number of struggling farms in Connecticut, but I am hopeful that this is only the first of several steps the USDA will take to turn the dairy industry around in the U.S.”

“I was elected to Congress in 2006 and have served as a member of the Education and Workforce Committee for eight years,” wrote Courtney. “One of the primary reasons I asked for that assignment was to address the widespread frustration across Connecticut’s Second District with over-prescriptive, unworkable rules generated by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)."

“I have witnessed firsthand the struggle that dairy farmers around the country face with decreasing milk prices,” said Representative Courtney. “As milk prices have steadily declined over the last half century, Connecticut has seen its dairy industry shrink from over 800 farms to about 150 today. Reopening or starting a new dairy farm is a herculean task, which is why when one closes, more often than not, no farm will replace it. The American dairy industry is an integral part of our agriculture economy and as we face yet another milk crisis, it is more important than ever for the Department of Agriculture to lend a hand to our dairy farmers before it’s too late.”

“This development will resolve once and for all the home port for the U.S. Coast Guard Band while allowing it to move forward with its goal of increasing the band’s national visibility to better promote the Coast Guard’s service to our country,” said Courtney. “This announcement is also good news for band members and their families who are longtime residents of southeastern Connecticut and would have been faced with the difficult choice of uprooting or retiring from the Coast Guard altogether. I want to thank Admiral Zukunft and his staff for their thoughtful deliberations, and for regularly making themselves available throughout this process. I was able to meet personally with the Admiral on several occasions to discuss why I believe it is so important for the band to remain here in eastern Connecticut near the Coast Guard Academy. I am very pleased that the band will continue to call our region home for generations to come.”

“As representatives from the region, we understand firsthand the importance of preserving and protecting the environment in and around the Sound for future generations to enjoy,” wrote the members. “The environmental soundness of Long Island Sound dredging is a clear focus of the ELDS. The proposed rule is consistent with the federally-approved Coastal Zone Management Plans for New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Furthermore, it should be noted that without access to the ELDS, it is expected that transporting dredged materials to other sites, like the Rhode Island Disposal Site, will increase carbon emissions from ships and risk of dredged material spills as transport distance is extended. Our states have been responsibly dredging using open-water placement for 35 years and we believe that swift adoption of the ELDS, along with an increased effort to find sustainable on-land solutions for suitable dredged materials, will provide the Long Island Sound region with a balanced approach for future waterway maintenance projects."