The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities is fighting a proposal from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection that would require towns and cities to make changes to some of their methods of cleaning streets and clearing storm drains.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a Republican, called DEEP a "runaway state agency" and complained that the proposal would put an unfunded burden on towns.
Officials at DEEP said it's premature to draw any conclusions since the regulations have yet to be approved.
“This is draft language that we’ve put out there for discussion and debate," said DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain.
The proposal will be addressed during a public hearing tomorrow morning.
Boughton said it's bold of the agency to force new regulations on cities and towns when he can cite numerous examples of state misconduct when it comes to cleaning up roads.
“In fact, they use a median in the center of I-84 to dump the roadkills that they collect all year long and they’re telling us to worry about run off on our local streets," he said.
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Schain said the department wants to collaborate before any decisions are made, adding that everyone has common goals.
"We want to work with them and find some agreement on some projects that would be acceptable to them and meet our environmental concerns,” he said.
