Connecticut Audubon Urges Passage of Pesticide Transparency Bill and Climate Change Superfund Bill

February 23, 2026—Connecticut Audubon is supporting two bills in Hartford that would bring much-needed transparency to pesticide use in the state and establish so-called nature-based solutions as a strategy for protecting birds and mitigating climate change.

Connecticut Audubon provided strong arguments and recommendations for both in recent Connecticut State of the Birds reports.

One bill, an Act Concerning Pesticide Reporting Modernization (HB 5155), is the next step in a strategy developed by the Connecticut Pesticide Reform partnership, which includes Connecticut Audubon, to significantly reduce the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the state.

In 2025, Connecticut Pesticide Reform was instrumental in getting a law enacted to ban the use of so-called neonics on about 300,000 acres of lawns and golf courses in the state, starting in 2017.

The Pesticide Reporting Modernization bill will require the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to create a searchable online database to track the types, quantities, and locations of pesticides sold or used within the state. Pesticide users submit that information now, but it’s not easy to find or to search for.

The new database will provide transparent access to pesticide data for the general public and other governmental agencies.

The database will also collect and share information regarding the sale of pesticide-treated seeds.

An Act Concerning a Climate Change Superfund (HB 5156) is a broad-ranging bill with many worthwhile provisions. Connecticut Audubon is focusing on nature-based solutions.

The bill would make it a priority for the state to acquire land in areas that are both significant habitat for birds and also important for carbon storage, including coastal wetlands and large tracts of forest.

The bill would also fund urban forestry and green spaces in cities. This would help create migratory stopover sites and suburban greenways that link protected spaces—critical needs identified in the Connecticut State of the Birds.

In her testimony to the General Assembly’s Environment Committee on February 20, Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Joyce Leiz said, “The bill recognizes that what is good for birds is good for people. By investing in bird habitats, the Climate Change Superfund Bill also helps protect Connecticut’s residents.

“Restoring coastal wetlands serves as a buffer for shoreline communities against flooding and storm surges. Creating and improving urban forestry and green spaces reduces urban heat island effects …. Protecting forests and farms safeguards ecological services such as clean water, oxygen production, and food security.”

Here is her full testimony:

February 19, 2026 To the Environment Committee Testimony from Joyce Leiz, Executive Director of The Connecticut Audubon Society.

The Connecticut Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect Connecticut’s birds, other wildlife, and their habitats through conservation, education, and advocacy. We represent more than 5,700 member households concerned about Connecticut’s environment.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in SUPPORT of HB 5155 and HB 5156.

The urgency is clear. Since 1970, North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds – a 30 percent decline. In Connecticut, over 80 species are vulnerable to climate change: Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Piping Plover, Roseate Terns, and more. The Connecticut Audubon Society has been raising its concerns regarding habitat loss and insect declines for two decades in its annual State of the Birds report. Both of these bills provide thoughtful and sensible solutions to addressing the concerns raised.

HB 5155, An Act Concerning Pesticide Reporting Modernization, supports the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s 20by26 Initiative’s Goals #9 and #10, of providing enhanced public records transparency and expanded tools for online services. This Act also addresses the 2025 CEQ Pesticides in Connecticut report which identified major gaps related to the way pesticide use data is currently collected and reported in Connecticut.

HB 5155 addresses some of these gaps and would not increase the reporting burden of small farmers. We are not seeking to add burden to Connecticut’s farmers. We are asking Connecticut to join California, New York, and Vermont in establishing searchable database systems that would enable reviewing the pesticide application data in aggregate by location, such as census block. …

Enhanced knowledge of the pesticides applied in Connecticut, in conjunction with bird breeding data, will provide a better understanding of what is happening in our environment. Therefore we also encourage the legislature to strengthen HB 5155 by adding a requirement that commercial pesticide applicators submit all the records they are currently required to keep, for both restricted and general use.

We recommend storing that information in a system that protects the data, but still collects information that researchers and policy makers can use, as is done in California and New York. Please support passage of HB 5155 with additional requirements for reporting location of use by commercial applicators.

The Connecticut Audubon Society also appreciates the opportunity to offer testimony in support of Raised Bill No. 5156, An Act Concerning a Climate Change Superfund. This legislation establishes the financial framework and policy tools to address the biodiversity and climate crises threatening Connecticut’s natural heritage. The bill provides a “climate change toolkit” that is similar to natural climate solutions highlighted in our recent reports:

• Protecting “Climate Strongholds”: Recent recommendations call for making a priority of acquiring land in areas that store significant carbon and support bird populations under climate change. Bill 5156 provides the resources to accelerate the pace of land protection.
• Restoring Coastal Ecosystems: The bill prioritizes the restoration of coastal wetlands. These ecosystems store more carbon per acre than any other in the state while protecting human communities from storm surges.
• Natural Forest Management: The bill provides resources to maintain large carbon-storing forest blocks. This supports recommendations for designating “wildlands” to allow forests to restore themselves naturally and managing woodlands sustainably for habitat preservation.
• Creating Urban Oases: By funding urban forestry and green spaces, the bill addresses the urban heat island effect. This helps create migratory stopover sites and suburban greenways that link protected spaces—critical needs identified in the State of the Birds.

This is about birds, but it’s not exclusively about birds. The bill recognizes that what is good for birds is good for people. By investing in bird habitats, the Climate Change Superfund Bill also helps protect Connecticut’s residents. Restoring coastal wetlands serves as a buffer for shoreline communities against flooding and storm surges. Creating and improving urban forestry and green spaces reduces urban heat island effects (a key consideration is that environmental justice communities stand to receive at least 40 percent of the program’s benefits). Protecting forests and farms safeguards ecological services such as clean water, oxygen production, and food security.

As climate scientist Dr. Brooke Bateman [of the National Audubon Society] wrote in the 2021 Connecticut State of the Birds report: Birds are telling us that the time to act is now. Protecting and restoring natural habitats is essential because what is good for birds is also good for stabilizing the climate. We urge the Committee to jointly and favorably report Raised Bill No. 5156.

Thank you.

Joyce Leiz
Executive Director