In exchange for keeping multi-billion dollar federal oil subsidies, companies like Exxon and BP have given $25 million in campaign contributions in last year’s 111th congress alone. Since 1999, over $137 million has been given to re-elect legislators who protect these oil companies. Though the contributions are more heavily concentrated among Republicans, Democrats are not immune to Big Oil’s dirty money.
Campaign finance reform must be a priority on Capitol Hill. Taking away Big Oil’s ability to contribute to a legislator’s campaign will halt Big Oil’s ability to buy off our legislators votes.
CONSUMER PAIN AT THE PUMP
The prospective markets of oil have consistently driven up the price of oil. The law of supply and demand wouldn’t explain the large jumps in oil prices in 2008 and those expected for this summer.
Why?
Wall Street speculators will often trade a barrel of oil 20 times before it finally gets used. The price increases each time with the final markup being passed on to the consumer.
SustiNet is a Connecticut specific, phased-in approach to health reform that positions our state to take advantage of federal resources.
SustiNet will create a more efficient health insurance model that will provide affordable access and quality health care for Connecticut residents and businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions about SustiNet and Health Care Reform in Connecticut
Q:What is SustiNet? A: SustiNet is a unique state strategy to expand access to quality healthcare coverage for Connecticut residents.
Q:Who will it benefit? A: SustiNet will benefit many Connecticut residents by expanding access to those who have otherwise been unable to secure affordable, high-quality care.
Q:How does it work? A: By opening up the current model that serves Connecticut public employees and retirees, as well as low-income children and families, SustiNet will expand to provide access to other adults who need affordable, quality health care.
CCAG supported energy legislation in 2010 that would have reorganized the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to include a procurement manger, responsible for purchasing electricity at the lowest cost and least risk to consumers and small businesses. The bill also set statutory goals to:
Reduce electric rates by 15% for every residential consumer.
Create a discount electric and gas rate for low-income families and seniors.
Provide low-interest financing for energy efficient furnaces and boilers.
Establish strong consumer protections for residents who choose to buy electricity from a competitive, retail supplier.
Increase investment in renewable, especially solar technologies and installations.
The current DPUC commissioners and Governor Rell worked hard to defeat the bill, and Rell ultimately vetoed the energy legislation. It’s time to clean house and raise the bar for energy policy.
Promising to help Connecticut move beyond the one-chemical-at-a-time approach to toxic chemical regulation, House Bill 5126 establishes the mission and the Board of Directors of a Chemical Innovations Institute (CII) for research and education in green technologies. The program will be housed at UConn Health Center but will operate largely on outside funding. It will protect the environment and the citizens of CT while also constituting an economic development opportunity for the state.
SustiNet, Connecticut’s 2009 law and the new federal health care reform add up to peace of mind for families and businesses by providing health care that:
Offers quality health care choices for us all
Gives us more for our money
Keeps us healthy and takes care of us when we’re sick
SustiNet (CT Public Act 09-148) positions our state to be a national leader in health care reform by taking a bold, comprehensive approach to controlling health care costs, improving quality and increasing access.
Combined with the new federal health care reform laws, Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872), SustiNet puts Connecticut in the front of the line to leverage more federal resources to boost the state’s economy and help us achieve quality, affordable health care we can count on.
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BPA is now present in 95% of Americans.1 During the last few decades, the substance has become a key ingredient in plastics and resins used in food and beverage containers, and now more than 180 studies link low-dose exposure to many diseases of modern life.2
Most of the clear, shatterproof plastics used to make baby bottles, food storage containers, small kitchen appliances, and rigid water bottles include this material. It is also used in the linings of food, infant formula, beer, and soft drink cans.
BPA has been known as an endocrine disruptor since the 1930s,3 and in the past 10 years, BPA exposure has been linked to a long list of diseases and disorders ranging from infertility, obesity, early puberty, breast and prostate cancer, to diabetes, thyroid malfunction and even attention deficit disorders. These linkages have been observed at extremely low doses, to which most Americans are exposed.4
HealthyToys.org has updated its website for this holiday season with a searchable database of the chemical test results on over 1,500 children's toys. As reported in the Hartford Courant, Connecticut was one of the first states to ban lead and asbestos in children's products, but more stringent national restrictions have yet to take effect.
Because toys do not come with a list of chemical ingredients, the HealthyToys.org website is a critically important resource for anybody shopping for a little one. Fortunately, there are three easy ways to access the information in the HealthyToys.org database:
The have also compiled two lists. Their list of the best toys includes 268 products with no detectable traces of Lead, Cadmium, Chlorine, Arsenic, Mercury, Antimony, Tin, Bromine, or Chromium in any components tested. Their list of the worst toys includes those containing Lead, Bromine, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury.
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Most of the clear, shatterproof plastics used to make baby bottles, food storage containers, small kitchen appliances, and rigid water bottles include this material. It is also used in the linings of food, infant formula, beer, and soft drink cans.
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