Sierra Club Endorses Lavielle for Re-election

Press release:

October 2, 2014 - WILTON, CT – State Representative Gail Lavielle (R-143) today announced that the Sierra Club, the largest and oldest environmental grassroots group in the country, has endorsed her candidacy for reelection to the General Assembly.

This announcement follows Lavielle’s recent endorsement by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, which also named her an Environmental Champion this year for the third time.

In the Sierra Club’s endorsement letter addressed to Lavielle on September 28, Martin Mador, Political and Legislative Chair of the Sierra Club’s Connecticut Chapter, wrote, “The Sierra Club is confident that you will be a strong advocate for protecting the environmental health and thus the quality of life in Connecticut, and that you will prove a valued and reliable friend of the environment. We are pleased to recognize your commitment to this most important of legislative priorities, and look forward to your leadership efforts during the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions.”

During the 2013 and 2014 sessions, Lavielle sponsored or supported numerous pieces of environmental legislation. These included bills that protected state-owned open space in perpetuity; encouraged clean marina practices; required the development of a state water plan; increased protections for pedestrians and bicyclists; placed a moratorium on the disposal of fracking waste in Connecticut; required the labeling of foods produced with genetic engineering (GMO); banned pesticide-resistant GMO grass seed; restricted the use of pesticides on school grounds; improved coastal management practices; provided incentives to water companies to invest in conservation and infrastructure improvements to ensure water quality; facilitated brownfield remediation; and clarified the rights and roles of utilities and property owners in tree trimming decisions. She also worked to prioritize and increase

funding for transportation and fought successfully to protect funding for mass transit and other transportation needs.

“Good stewardship of our natural resources is essential to preserving Connecticut’s unique character,” said Lavielle. “I will continue to advocate for initiatives that protect our open space, conserve precious natural resources, and keep our environment clean and safe. I thank the Sierra Club for its many years of service to the environment, and I am honored to have received its endorsement.”

State Rep. Gail Lavielle represents Wilton, Norwalk, and Westport. She is Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee and the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation. She is also a member of the Appropriations, Education, and Higher Education Committees, as well as the bipartisan Long Island Sound caucus.

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