Connecticut Warbler by Ryan Sanderson/Macaulay Library
Connecticut “Lights Out” Law to Protect Birds and Night Sky
We are awaiting Governor Ned Lamont signature on a new bill aimed at protecting birds and the night sky from the harmful effects of light pollution. It will require all state-owned buildings in Connecticut to dim nonessential outdoor lights after 11pm year round for birds. It will also direct the CT Code and Standards Committee to consider a change to the lighting requirements in the State Building Code.
Act 23-143 was unanimously passed by the CT House and Senate, thanks to grassroots organizing and advocacy. This bill is a MAJOR step forward in protecting birds ~ and all of us ~ against light pollution. It will require all state-owned buildings in Connecticut to dim their nonessential outdoor lights after 11pm year-round, to protect birds and their habitats. It also directs the Code and Standards Committee to consider a change to the lighting requirements in the State Building Code.
It’s estimated, this bill will save the state more than $1.5 million per year! AND potentially save thousands of migratory birds killed every year after window collisions at overly lit buildings of Connecticut.
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Bird populations in North America are in steep decline. We have lost one in four birds since the 1970s, with some beloved species, like the Louisiana Waterthrush and Seaside Sparrow, facing extinction in Connecticut in the next 50 years.
These birds mostly migrate at night. During migration season, skyglow and light pollution over brightly lit cities and towns can attract migratory birds and lead them off course into dangerous places, where they are at higher risk of succumbing to physical exhaustion and collisions with glassy buildings.
The deadly results are predictable: Nearly 1 billion birds are killed in window collisions every year in the United States — more than the entire U.S. human population!
The State of Connecticut has an important role to play in preserving bird populations, because of our location along the Atlantic Flyway, on the Long Island Sound. We have at least four “globally important bird areas” in our state, including the Connecticut River.
This bill, introduced this legislative session, will help save countless birds’ lives by requiring state-owned buildings to turn off non-essential outdoor lighting between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. year round.
The campaign to pass H.B. 6607 — which was backed by all of the major bird organizations in Connecticut — notes that, in addition to saving innocent lives, the legislation also would save energy, reduce electric bills, and reduce negative human health effects.
Importantly, we are relieved that for the sake of safety, the “Lights Out CT” bill will allow for security lighting and lighting after 11pm in buildings where people work at night.