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Coastal towns push for clearer authority on abandoned boats; Bristol towns propose keeping local waste assessment
Summary
New Haven officials urged stronger authority to force removal of abandoned vessels and recover cleanup costs, while a coalition of Bristol towns requested a five‑year pilot (SB 317) allowing local retention of the $1.50/ton waste assessment at the Bristol resource‑recovery plant to fund capital upgrades.
Lieutenant Ryan Makarzinski and Alder Leland Moore described repeated abandoned‑boat incidents in Morris Cove and the logistical and financial strain on local responders. They told the committee they can cite existing statutory cost‑recovery options but lack straightforward authority to force removal of derelict vessels in some cases and asked that the committee consider clearer enforcement language and stronger cost‑recovery tools.
Separately, municipal officials from the Bristol facility policy board testified in favor of SB 317, a five‑year pilot allowing the Bristol plant to retain the $1.50/ton assessment (about $330,000 per year) for reinvestment in capital upgrades. Town officials said the assessment is a tax passed on in tipping fees and retaining it locally would facilitate needed modernization of the aging plant. DEEP representatives noted the department uses the assessment revenues for grant programs and flagged fiscal impacts to grant funding.
What happens next: Legislators proposed follow‑ups to examine whether statutory authority on removal and recovery is sufficient and to weigh fiscal tradeoffs for the Bristol pilot. Municipal officials offered to negotiate clarifying language and alternatives.
