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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6397
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 3748
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING -ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The state of Connecticut 1
hereby declares a climate emergency to increase access to federal funds 2
and demonstrate the urgency for enacting meaningful climate 3
legislation. Such emergency threatens the resilience and, in some cases, 4
the existence of communities in this state, including multiple aspects of 5
the state's environment, economy and the quality of life for younger 6
generations of state residents. Accordingly, the state declares climate 7
change as a public health and environmental justice emergency and 8
recognizes the urgency to significantly and rapidly increase community 9
coping capacities to handle the impacts of climate extremes and climate 10
refugees. The state recognizes the need and urgency to mitigate climate 11
impacts and prepare for and manage disaster risk from climate 12
extremes. 13
(b) The state, acting through the Governor and other state-wide 14
elected officials, shall increase federal funding requests for climate-15
related actions related to such climate emergency. The state shall seek 16
federal funds to achieve state-wide affordable zero-carbon electricity 17
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generation, including solar, wind, geothermal and battery storage 18
installation, community climate resilience and environmental justice 19
opportunities and training for clean energy sector jobs and fossil fuel-20
to-clean-energy business transitions. 21
(c) The declaration of a climate emergency by the state pursuant to 22
subsection (a) of this section shall serve to invoke the National 23
Emergencies Act for the declaration of a national climate emergency by 24
the President of the United States. 25
(d) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall 26
dedicate funds in each state budget adopted on or after the effective date 27
of this section to match federal funding received by the state for the 28
purpose of achieving a zero-carbon future and to facilitate the state's 29
transition to clean energy and achieve the state's greenhouse gas 30
emissions goals established in section 22a-220a of the general statutes. 31
(e) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall 32
collaborate with economic development agencies in municipalities in 33
the state to secure funding for local businesses to access renewable 34
energy supplies and consume decreased levels of fossil fuels. 35
(f) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 36
engage in efforts to gain federal funds to develop programs for local 37
communities throughout the state, including, but not limited to, 38
underserved communities, that mitigate the impacts from climate 39
change, fossil fuel use, waste disposal incineration, landfills and other 40
municipal functions that historically impact underserved communities 41
in a disproportionate manner. 42
(g) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the 43
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall develop strategies for energy 44
infrastructure development that are focused on renewable energy 45
systems, including, but not limited to, battery storage and working with 46
northeastern states and regional independent system operators to 47
implement such strategies. 48
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(h) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 49
establish the Citizens Oversight Working Group to: (1) Provide the 50
public with oversight of the state's adherence to the Global Warming 51
Solutions Act, (2) ensure relevant timelines and deadlines of such act are 52
met by the state and assist in developing tangible actions to meet the 53
requirement of a forty-five per cent reduction in greenhouse gas 54
emissions below 2001 levels by 2030, and eighty per cent below 2001 55
levels by 2050, (3) meet the goals of the Connecticut Integrated 56
Resources Plan of 2021 to commit to a fully zero-carbon electric sector 57
by 2040, and (4) ensure the state complies with all executive orders 58
concerning climate change. 59
(i) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall ensure 60
that climate impacts are integrated into all components of decision-61
making in state priorities, legislation, policies, plans and budgets. The 62
secretary shall pursue state and federal grants and funding, consistent 63
with all executive orders concerning climate change. 64
(j) The Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection and 65
Administrative Services shall assist residents of the state and 66
municipalities to obtain federal funding to install renewable energy, 67
zero-carbon emissions clean all-electric energy systems in all newly 68
constructed commercial and residential buildings. Such efforts shall 69
include, but not be limited to, behind-the-meter grid-adapted solar and 70
wind systems and battery storage systems. Such departments shall 71
work with energy supply companies to develop equitable cost-favorable 72
clean energy solutions for retail end users. 73
(k) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 74
adopt policies that recognize that environmental injustice is a racial 75
justice issue and that an equitable transition to a fossil-fuel-free 76
economy requires full participation of the state's communities. The 77
department shall commit to keeping the concerns of vulnerable 78
communities central to a just transition to zero-carbon emissions in all 79
policy matters and shall affirm racial equity in the department's climate 80
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change mitigation efforts by working with racial equity organizations 81
across the state. 82
(l) The Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection and 83
Economic and Community Development shall work with high schools, 84
colleges, universities and trade schools throughout the state to provide 85
job-ready training in the renewable energy industry. 86
(m) The State Treasurer shall assist, in an advisory capacity and 87
through appropriate state and local agencies, to enable communities 88
and institutions to divest employee pension funds and other 89
investments from fossil fuels. Not later than October 1, 2023, the State 90
Treasurer shall divest all public funds from the stocks and securities of 91
any company that derives more than ten per cent of such company's 92
revenues from the sale of fossil fuels. 93
(n) The Department of Economic and Community Development and 94
the Office of Workforce Strategy shall work with all industries in the 95
state impacted by the transition away from the use of fossil fuels and 96
develop job retraining plans for such industries not later than October 97
1, 2023. 98
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Purpose:
To create policies and accountability for reaching the state's carbon-
reduction goals.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. PALM, 36th Dist.; REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist.
H.B. 6397