Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Murphy has led the fight in Congress to preserve and protect open space in Connecticut. As the Chairman of the bipartisan Land Conservation Caucus, Murphy worked to secure the renewal of the vital land conservation easement tax deduction, which provides an incentive for open space protection while preserving private property rights. In Connecticut, where we have the highest proportional rate of farmland development in the country, this vital tax incentive provides a meaningful alternative for landowners to the rampant development of our remaining open spaces (HR 2419, Roll Call 346).

* Murphy has passed important conservation measures for Connecticut in Congress. Murphy has reached out to and worked with Connecticut's conservation leaders to pass additional funding for the Highlands Conservation Act, a federal-state-local partnership that protects threatened natural landscapes in northwest Connecticut. Murphy has also secured funding to preserve treasured open spaces like Skiff Mountain in Kent and Sharon and ensure that initiatives like the Long Island Sound Restoration Program get the support they need. He has led numerous town halls and hikes to hear from constituents on environmental issues (HR 2764, Roll Call 1186).

* Murphy has passed measures to protect and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation in Connecticut. Murphy was instrumental in passing legislation to designate the Metacomet Monadnock Mattabesett (MMM) Trail as the ninth National Scenic Trail in the program's 40-year history. More than two million people live within ten miles of the Triple M Trail, making it a uniquely accessible recreational opportunity for hikers, joggers, picnickers and countless other visitors from across Connecticut and New England more broadly. Murphy also helped pass legislation to designate the Washington-Rochambeau Trail as a National Historic Trail. The bill would designate a corridor of approximately 600 miles following the route taken by the armies of General George Washington and Count Rochambeau between Newport, Rhode Island, and Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 and 1782 -- including much of Connecticut (H.R. 1528, Roll Call 28. H.R. 1286, Roll Call 484).

* Murphy has pushed for strong solutions to the global warming crisis. Murphy supports legislation that would implement strong federal standards to promote the reduction of greenhouse gases, as well as establish a "Climate Reinvestment Fund" to promote economic growth through research and development, consumer relief for rising energy prices, and transition assistance. Murphy also helped pass a law increasing the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to thirty-five miles per gallon by 2020 in order to cut down on vehicle emissions, representing the first such increase since 1975 (HR 6, Roll Call 1177).

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