Dubbed “The Green Monster” by opponents, the Environment Committee began collecting public input Friday on an omnibus bill that includes 22 multi-faceted initiatives aimed at tackling the root causes and ramifications of climate change across various sectors.
The brainchild behind this bill is Rep. Christine Palm, D-Chester, and vice-chair of the Environment Committee, who initiated its development following the previous session’s failure to enact significant climate change legislation.
According to Palm, the bill broadly focuses on updating the state’s goals and how to enforce and move toward them in a meaningful way.
Palm described the bill as almost “all carrot and no stick,” as it focuses on incentivization rather than punitive measures to encourage environmentally responsible behavior.
The bill encompasses several components tailored towards businesses, including incentives for sustainable practices and workforce training.
One incentive for sustainable practices is possible fee waivers for certified B corporations and farms that are environmentally sustainable. Another is the establishment of a pilot program to serve as a new ‘business incubator’ for zero-carbon startup companies, with the priority being given to startup companies that help reduce plastic waste.
While some view the bill as a modest proposal primarily centered on planning and incentives, concerns have been raised regarding specific components, particularly those related to solar energy. Discussions surrounding solar measures have highlighted potential challenges, such as the removal of caps on solar programs, which could impact competition and ultimately raise costs for ratepayers.
Debates persist regarding the feasibility and consequences of certain provisions, such as the phase-out of natural gas, which has sparked controversy and divergent opinions among legislators since most of the state’s electricity is derived from natural gas.
The bill set a goal to deploy 310,000 heat pumps in residential circumstances across the state. Rep. Brandon Chafee stated heat pumps counter the myth that global warming action inevitably leads to increased costs to consumers by “offering large savings on heating and cooling costs and also using less energy than other heat sources.”
“This bill has the potential to deliver sizable savings on heating and cooling costs throughout the state, while also decreasing the demand on the electric grid and reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution,” Chafee said.
The Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, which opposed the bill, said installing that many heat pumps would put the electrical grid at risk of brown outs and black outs.
“There are other ways to reach net-zero goals set by Governor Ned Lamont and to do that, all sustainable and renewable fuels, like biodiesel, need to be included in this bill. A one-size-fits-all electric plan does not fit, nor does it work. Fuel diversity is key into lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy and Marketers Association said.
As discussions unfold and public hearings commence, stakeholders will grapple with balancing environmental objectives with practical considerations and economic impacts.
A controversial provision that would have given Gov. Ned Lamont the ability to control the state through executive order until the “climate change emergency” is over has been removed from the bill.
“The state recognizes the need and urgency to mitigate climate impacts and prepare for and manage disaster risk from climate change. Such declaration shall not authorize the Governor to utilize the provisions of this section to operate the government of the state through executive order,” the bill states.
However, it does seek to make sure the state meets its climate goals for reducing emissions.
“Each state agency shall have the following greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals: (1) A forty-five percent reduction from 2001 levels by 2030; (2) a seventy percent reduction from 2016 levels by 2040; and (3) achieving a level determined to be net-zero by 2050,” the bill states.
The bill also establishes the Connecticut Clean Economy Council (CCEC) to advise on “strategies and policies to strengthen the state’s climate mitigation, clean energy, resilience and sustainability programs for the purpose of lowering emissions and advancing the state of economic and environmental justice for residents of the state,” the bill states.
The most recent data issued by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in 2021 showed that the state is falling short of its environmental benchmarks with the transportation sector accounting for 40% of the total emissions.
According to Palm, the one time the state met its carbon goals was in 2022, where people were not driving because of the pandemic: “If nothing else, that terrible year is a reminder that carbon is in fact caused by human activity.”
“When you take all the cars off the road and the particulate matter count goes down precipitously, the only conclusion you can come to is that its people driving cars that put it there,” Palm said.
