Conn. Trash Authority to Recoup Money

Wendy Angel

Hartford, Conn. – Connecticut’s quasi-public trash authority will be recouping a $500,000 donation it made to the National Geographic Society in 1997. Last month, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal declared the donation illegal. The money is expected to be returned this week.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) board authorized the grant, which was to be used to create the Connecticut Geography Education Fund. A matching grant was to be made by the National Geographic Educational Foundation.

Former CRRA Chairman Peter Ellef believed associating with National Geographic would benefit CRRA and its programs and asked that the grant be expedited. The CRRA has been under fire in recent years for a failed $220 million deal with Enron in 2001 that was considered an illegal loan.