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FOUR FROM CONNECTICUT RECEIVE EPA AWARD

Release Date: 04/25/1997
Contact Information: Kathleen Bogie, (617)918-1976

BOSTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized 38 New England environmental champions, including four from Connecticut, with Environmental Merit Awards during an Earth Day celebration today at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

"New Englanders have a long tradition of being acutely aware of their environment and taking action to protect it. We are pleased to honor just a few of those that truly deserve recognition for their actions," said EPA Regional Administrator John DeVillars. "The winners, in fact all of the nominees, set an example for all of us to follow."

The Merit Awards, presented annually since 1970, recognize demonstrated commitment and significant contributions to the environment. The winners were selected from more than 100 nominations received this year from businesses, media, local and state government officials, environmental organizations, and citizen activists.

The Connecticut winners and basis for recognition are:

Dr. John Clausen, associate professor at the University of Connecticut, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is an expert in nonpoint source monitoring. Dr. Clausen teaches, writes, and speaks about the impacts of polluted runoff from urban and agricultural areas on water quality. The EPAs New England Office and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection have begun to depend on him for advice and assistance on almost every nonpoint source project in the state that involves water quality monitoring. His recent work includes monitoring the effectiveness of riparian buffer strips in protecting stream water quality, artificial wetlands in treating milkhouse wastewater, several different storm water treatment systems, and several structural and non-structural best-management practices associated with residential development. Dr. Clausen has published numerous articles and spoken at conferences about his research, which has been an enormous benefit to everyone involved in water resources management.

Joseph Hutchison, from the Connecticuts US Attorneys Office, has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the protection of public health and the environment. He has been described as a "model environmental prosecutor" who cares deeply about environmental protection. Mr. Hutchisons legal skills are superb both inside and outside the courtroom. He has been pro-active in his oversight and management of criminal investigations in Connecticut, and his advocacy for criminal enforcement in forums other than the courtroom. He has developed written standards by which to measure environmental cases in the state and works closely with the EPAs Criminal Investigation Division and its agents to prioritize investigation and make efficient use of the EPAs resources. Additionally, Mr. Hutchison has been an effective advocate within his own office for the prosecution of environmental criminals. He was instrumental in creating a resident office for the EPAs criminal agents in New Haven, and his ability to manage cases has been one of the primary reasons for the surge of environmental criminal investigations and prosecution in the state during the last two years.

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) has made great strides in the protection of the cultural and natural Housatonic riverfront resources--from the rivers source in Massachusetts to its discharge into Long Island Sound--and to create a greenway of linked parks, open spaces, trails, wildlife corridors, and river access points. The HVA works closely with community agencies, business interests, and citizen groups to incorporate and meld local planning goals around the river greenway vision, provide communities with technical assistance, mapping services, funding source identification, grant writing assistance, and consensus-building skills. During 1996, HVA was instrumental in a downtown redevelopment plan for Shelton, Conn., that will include a pedestrian riverwalk on the Housatonic River, a five-mile dedicated riverwalk train along the River in New Milford, Conn., and have designed an 8 mile bike path to follow the river in Stratford, Conn.

As Co-Directors of the Yale University Next Generation Project, Marian Chertow and Dan Esty have plotted a course for identifying new foundations, linkages, tools, and strategies for environmental policy in America. Much of our view on environmental protection is based on the premise that the environmental legislation and policy enacted over the past 25 years has produced significant progress toward reducing threats to human health and the environment. Ms. Chertow and Mr. Esty have taken this premise and asked over 250 local, state, federal, and international entities, as well as industry, non-governmental organizations, and community groups if this should be the end of our environmental protection debate. They also have been successful in inspiring the production of a provocative 14-chapter book that seeks to describe what the next generation of environmental protection will look like.