General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 6123
January Session, 2017 LCO No. 301
*00301*
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
REP. D'AGOSTINO, 91st Dist. SEN. MINER, 30th Dist.
General Assembly
Proposed Bill No. 6123
January Session, 2017
LCO No. 301
*00301*
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
REP. D'AGOSTINO, 91st Dist.
SEN. MINER, 30th Dist.
AN ACT CONCERNING TREE REMOVAL ALONG LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAYS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That the general statutes be amended to provide that notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, one hundred twenty days prior to undertaking any tree removal along any limited access highway in the state, the Department of Transportation shall be required to submit a plan for such removal to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment and to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Furthermore, such plan shall be required to detail the proposed areas scheduled for tree removal, state the time frame for such work, include the amount of funds allocated by the Department of Transportation for such work, provide for consultation with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to determine and detail the environmental impact of the proposed tree removal, including, but not limited to, consideration of erosion and the growth of invasive species, state the distance such department intends to clear in such proposed areas and provide for the removal of debris created by the proposed tree removal, and require planting of noninvasive species to replace the removed trees, as recommended by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Additionally, any such plan shall be required to be reviewed and approved by a licensed arborist if such a licensed arborist is on staff at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Department of Transportation. Finally, such a plan would not be required for the removal of any damaged or dead tree or group of trees when such damaged or dead tree or group of trees constitutes an immediate public hazard in the judgment of the Commissioner of Transportation or said commissioner's designee.
Statement of Purpose:
To require the disclosure of certain information prior to the removal of trees along limited access highways.