Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Harbor Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norwalk commissioners approve letter seeking clarity on harbor-commission authority with state reviews
Summary
Commissioners voted to sign a joint letter, supported by several Connecticut harbor commissions, asking Mayor Rilling to press the state for clearer procedures after a court ruling limiting harbor-commission review of DEP applications; one commissioner abstained because he had drafted the letter.
The Norwalk Harbor Management Commission approved a letter to Mayor David Rilling asking the city to support a statewide effort to request clearer guidance on harbor-commission authority when state applications are submitted to DEP.
Commissioner John (first-name-only in the record) explained the letter responds to a court decision cited from Greenwich that narrowed harbor-commission authority, which commissioners said would limit local commissions’ ability to comment unless specific actions are listed in local harbor-management plans. "We use the Harbor Management Plan as a guide to make comments about a variety of projects," John said, arguing the court ruling undercuts the commission’s role.
Commissioners moved to approve endorsing and signing the joint letter (which other harbor commissions in Stamford, Fairfield and Greenwich have also signed) and to forward it to Mayor Rilling asking for the city’s support. Commissioner John abstained from the vote because he had helped write the letter; the motion otherwise passed with commissioners voting in favor.
The commission instructed staff to finalize the letters and send them upstate as part of a broader effort among Connecticut harbor commissions to seek a response from DEP when a commission’s comment differs from the agency’s action. The commission noted 23 harbor commissions in the state are affected by the issue and said they hope the city will back the request for clearer agency response procedures.
