The General Assembly’s Environment Committee will consider new targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions this year in an effort to reach climate change goals that are unlikely to be met under the current guidelines.
Following a short committee meeting to raise legislative concepts, the committee’s co-chairs – Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, and Sen. Rick Lopes, D-New Britain – said the state has fallen behind on the goals it set in 2022 for greenhouse gas emission reductions. They said they hope the state can reach a new set of targets with the help of omnibus legislation that will include multiple bills that have failed to pass previously.
Lopes said that there is a serious concern that Connecticut is not meeting emission reduction goals and that the state needs to act now.
The proposed goals on greenhouse gas emissions are:
- 45% reduction from 2001 levels by 2030;
- 70% reduction from 2016 levels by 2040;
- Net zero by 2050;
- 100% net zero carbon on electricity generation by 2030, 10 years ahead of the current goal, and;
- Transition state government over to zero emissions on all new light-duty vehicles by 2030.
Gresko said the proposed bill is “encouraging more investment in technology that will free us from greenhouse gas emissions, adjusting our goals as well as years, and how we’re going to obtain it, and it will be a combination of energy and transportation.”
Both Gresko and Lopes said the proposal follows similar goals set by surrounding states, including New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
The commonwealth has set the same goal of reaching net zero of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website, they are hoping to reduce 80% of their 2006 greenhouse emissions levels by 2050.
Lopes stated that by not hitting its emission goals, the state is setting itself up for higher costs for the next 30 to 40 years.
Gresko said the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is the transportation sector, and according to his staff emissions generated by electricity production have gone down while emissions from the transportation sector have gone up.
According to a 2019 report produced by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, transportation made up 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, and residential thermal sectors was the next highest contributor at 19%.
Gresko said the proposal to convert parts of the state’s fleet of vehicles to zero emissions by 2030 is leading by example and should spur investment in the private sector.
Sen. Stephen Harding, a Brookfield Republican and newly elected Senate Republican Leader who also serves as a ranking member on the Environment Committee, said in a statement that Senate Republicans are committed to finding innovative solutions to achieve a cleaner, greener Connecticut.
“However, we must be cognizant of the potential consequences this type of legislation can have on our residents’ bottom lines if it is not thoughtfully crafted,” Harding said. “Previous attempts by the majority in Hartford to phase out the sale of carbon emission vehicles, for example, were poorly drafted and infeasible to implement.”
Harding was referring to Democrats’ efforts to phase out the sale of new internal combustion engines by 2035. The Lamont administration opted in November to withdraw a plan to vote on that concept. Lopes and Gresko said there was never a plan to take away anyone’s older internal combustion engine vehicles, and they pointed out that the auto industry is already moving toward producing nothing but hybrids and EVs. But polling data suggested that the public was opposed to the phase-out.
Harding continued: “Residents are paying high prices at the pump, as well as to heat their homes. Rising energy prices also impact the cost of delivering the goods we consume, adding another inflationary tax on residents. Any proposal to reduce carbon emissions in this state must also recognize the economic burden that may be imposed on our most vulnerable residents, already struggling beneath the weight of inflation and high taxation rates.”
