Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Hartford residents press state for 100% renewable retrofit of Capital Area System, ask council to seek answers
Summary
Residents, Sierra Club and Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice urged the Hartford City Council on July 14 to press the state Department of Administrative Services for transparency and to pursue a 100% renewable overhaul of the Capital Area System rather than rebuilding it with natural gas.
Hartford residents and environmental advocates told the Hartford City Council on July 14, 2025, that the state-owned Capital Area System should be rebuilt using 100% renewable heating and cooling technologies and not converted back to natural gas.
The comments, delivered during the council's virtual public comment session, asked the council to press the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and the governor's office for a public explanation of the DAS March 2024 study on the Capital Area System and to consider a formal statement urging alternatives such as heat pumps, solar, or network geothermal. Speakers said the system heats and cools up to about 15 state-owned buildings in downtown Hartford, that the state purchased the system in 2022, and that rebuilding it with gas would perpetuate local pollution.
Alicia Jenkins, campaign organizer for Sierra Club Connecticut, said, "I'm here to advocate again for the Capital Area…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
