Hartford's Asthma Ranking Puts Connecticut's Fossil Power Under the Microscope

Connecticut’s capital city has landed in an uncomfortable spot on a national health list, and the finger is being pointed squarely at fossil fuel infrastructure. Hartford placed eighth among the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s “Asthma Capitals” — a ranking driven by elevated asthma rates and asthma-related deaths.

At a press conference inside the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Sierra Club Connecticut joined environmental justice organizers, public health physicians and state lawmakers to argue that the state’s own energy assets are part of the problem.

The Capitol Area System at the Center

The focus of much of the criticism is the Capitol Area System, a former co-generation plant that Connecticut bought in 2022. It still runs on methane gas to heat and cool more than a dozen state and private buildings along a two-mile loop — a list that includes the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Appellate Court.

The system needs extensive repairs to keep operating. Sierra Club Connecticut wants the state to use that moment to pivot away from gas entirely and commit to a fossil-free, fully renewable replacement.

“It is beyond upsetting to see Hartford once again reach the near top of the Asthma Capitals list.” — Alycia Jenkins, Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer

Jenkins argued that the health effects are not abstract for residents. Generations of Hartford families, she said, have watched poor air quality sicken children, elders and neighbors, and she called on the state to tackle pollution from both power plants and vehicles.

Lawmakers Frame It as a Health Issue

Sen. Saud Anwar, who practices as a pulmonary physician, put the case in clinical terms: clean air is not a luxury but a baseline requirement for health, and the burden falls hardest on children, seniors and people already living with asthma. He added that the tools to improve the situation already exist.

Dr. Mark Mitchell, an environmental and public health physician, described the ranking as a wakeup call for policymakers and advocates alike, with a particular emphasis on urban communities that absorb the worst of the exposure.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s New England chapter, represented by Executive Director Silva Sedrakian, stressed that policy decisions translate directly into lives saved and costs avoided.

• Ranking: Hartford at No. 8 on the AAFA’s Asthma Capitals list
• Named source of pollution: methane-fired heating and cooling at the Capitol Area System
• Buildings affected: over a dozen state and private properties across a two-mile loop
• Ask from advocates: a 100 percent renewable replacement for the gas system

The event stopped short of announcing any new state policy or funding commitment. Still, it placed an unusual spotlight on a piece of public energy infrastructure that rarely gets attention outside budget hearings — and framed its repair bill as a chance to choose a different fuel altogether.