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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5484
February Session, 2024
LCO No. 2490
Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION
Introduced by:
(TRA)
AN ACT CONCERNING TREE AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 13b-31h of the 2024 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective from passage): 3
(a) The Department of Transportation shall develop, and thereafter 4
revise as necessary, guidelines governing tree and vegetation 5
management, removal and replacement along state highways for use by 6
its employees and contractors when undertaking maintenance and 7
construction projects. The goal of the guidelines shall be to ensure the 8
impacts of maintenance and construction projects on the environment, 9
landscape and noise pollution are balanced or outweighed by measures 10
taken to avoid and minimize the impacts. 11
(b) Such guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to, 12
provisions addressing (1) the safety of the traveling public; (2) general 13
roadside vegetation management activities performed by the 14
department, including, but not limited to, mowing, herbicide 15 Raised Bill No. 5484
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application, grassing, replanting with native species whenever 16
practicable, limb management, tree removal and debris removal; (3) 17
beautification, enhancements and the effect on scenic roads designated 18
pursuant to section 13b-31c; (4) visibility enhancement; and (5) the 19
environmental impact of such work, including (A) preventing invasive 20
tree, brush or plant species' growth and impact, (B) storm water run-off, 21
(C) erosion, (D) replanting of vegetation species to expand and improve 22
pollinator habitats, as described in section 22-90b, and (E) reduced 23
mowing. Such guidelines shall apply to construction projects financed, 24
in whole or in part, with federal funds to the extent such guidelines do 25
not conflict with federal laws and regulations. 26
(c) Such guidelines shall not apply to the removal of any trees or 27
vegetation necessary to maintain public safety or that is performed 28
because of a weather-related civil preparedness emergency declared 29
pursuant to section 28-9. 30
(d) [On or before January 1, 2024] Not later than thirty days after the 31
effective date of this section, the Commissioner of Transportation shall 32
submit such guidelines to the joint standing committees of the General 33
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation and 34
the environment, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. 35
[The] Not later than thirty days after the receipt of such guidelines, the 36
committees shall hold a joint public hearing on such guidelines and the 37
commissioner shall present such guidelines at the public hearing. The 38
committees shall meet to approve or reject such guidelines and advise 39
the commissioner of their approval or rejection of such guidelines. If the 40
committees fail to approve or reject such guidelines within thirty days 41
of such receipt, such guidelines shall be deemed approved. Such 42
guidelines shall become effective when approved by an affirmative vote 43
of the committees or deemed approved. If such guidelines are rejected, 44
such guidelines shall be returned to the commissioner for revisions and 45
resubmitted to the committees not later than thirty days after such 46
rejection. Any such resubmitted guidelines shall be acted upon in the 47
same manner as provided in this subsection for the initial submission of 48
guidelines. 49 Raised Bill No. 5484
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(e) The Department of Transportation shall not remove any trees or 50
vegetation when undertaking maintenance and construction projects 51
until such guidelines are approved or deemed approved in accordance 52
with the provisions of this section, except the department may remove 53
trees or vegetation necessary to maintain public safety or because of a 54
weather-related civil preparedness emergency declared pursuant to 55
section 28-9. 56
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 13b-31h
Statement of Purpose:
To require the Department of Transportation to submit guidelines
governing tree and vegetation management to the joint standing
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to transportation and the environment for approval.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]