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CT Environmental Advocates Praise 2022 Legislative Action


The CT League of Conservation Voters maintains its 2022 Watchlist of environmental bills online, showing which bills passed, which failed, and whether they were good or bad for the environment. More to come in CTLCV's Environmental Scorecard. If CTLCV makes its May 6 Zoom webinar on 2022 legislation available online, we'll share it here.

In addition, Sierra Club Connecticut reports in its May newsletter:

Good Bills that passed:

  • Senate Bill 4 tackles pollution from Connecticut’s transportation sector, which is responsible for 37.4% of greenhouse gas emissions. The bill gives Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) the authority to move forward with medium- and heavy-duty vehicle regulations adopted by a growing number of states from coast to coast, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. This will allow the state to proceed with adoption of various life-saving regulations that address nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution and would put more zero-emission trucks on the road, including the Advanced Clean Trucks rule and the Heavy Duty Omnibus rule. The bill also invests in and transitions the state fleet, transit buses, and school buses to electric, introduces consumer e-bike rebates, and expands access to electric vehicle charging. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House
  • Senate Bill 10 sets a goal that Connecticut will have 100% zero-carbon electricity supply by 2040. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House
  • Senate Bill 176 increases the annual amount of shared and commercial solar allowed in Connecticut by doubling the current caps on these types of solar and by allowing commercial roofs to be fully covered by solar panels (instead of only enough solar to meet the needs of the building). Here’s how they voted: Senate and House
  • House Bill 5295 requires every school district in the state to teach Climate Change Education in line with the Next Generation Science Standards. This bill was inserted into the budget implementer (House Bill 5506, section 266) and passed both chambers.
  • Senate Bill 243 will provide reimbursement or payment of agricultural restoration to include climate smart practices. This bill was inserted into the budget implementer (House Bill 5506, sections 145 and 146) which passed both chambers.
  • Senate Bill 120 bans the harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos from golf courses. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House.
  • House Bill 5142 creates an extended producer responsibility program for certain gas cylinders in the state. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House.
  • House Bill 5143 establishes an office of aquatic invasive species to coordinate and address problems caused by such species in the waters of the state. This bill was inserted into the budget implementer (House Bill 5506 section 68) which passed both chambers.
  • Senate Bill 117 will increase transparency and establish standards for the removal of trees and shrubs that constitute an immediate public hazard at state parks and campgrounds. This bill was added as an amendment to Senate Bill 238. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House

Bad Bills that Passed:

  • HB 5118 would have changed the Renewable Portfolio Standards in favor of dirty waste incinerators, inject biogas into the existing pipelines, and divert RPS funds to waste management instead of reducing ratepayer costs as intended. This bill was inserted into the budget implementer (House Bill 5506 sections 164- 168) without the biogas section.
  • HB 5202 would exempt existing nuclear power generating facilities in the state from the nuclear power facility construction moratorium. This bill was passed in both the House and the Senate in the last two days of the session. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House.
  • HB 5200 as written would launch a task force to develop plans to launch the production of hydrogen from any source, opening the door to more dirty polluting energy production in the state. The bill passed both chambers. Here’s how they voted: Senate and House.

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