​CTLCV's national affiliate, the League of Conservation Voters, has released their latest annual Clean Energy For All: Clean Energy Success in the States report. 

The report shows how state-level progress, like here in Connecticut, is helping move the country forward toward clean, affordable, and reliable energy. This year, states advanced major clean energy measures, expanded low-cost technologies, and strengthened protections for consumers. These efforts are paying off: states with higher levels of wind and solar are seeing lower-than-average electric bills.

Below is the excerpt highlighting Connecticut's achievements over the past year. To explore the full CEFA report, click here.

Connecticut
​NET ZERO BY 2050
An omnibus climate law strengthened Connecticut’s emissions reductions goals and set a net-zero by 2050 target economy-wide. It also created a Clean Economy Council to develop strategies that will help the state meet emissions reduction goals, and the law offers a variety of incentives and programs promoting solar, energy-efficiency, heat pumps, and green jobs.

ELECTRICITY GRID MODERNIZATION
Connecticut enacted comprehensive energy affordability legislation that will cut energy costs for ratepayers, improve the electrical grid, and continue clean energy investments.

CLIMATE RESILIENCY 
Connecticut passed a law that will proactively address climate change impacts and promote nature-based solutions, including helping municipalities prepare for sea level rise and natural disasters.

CLIMATE-RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT 
Lawmakers approved a new State Plan of Conservation and Development that prioritizes climate change in development decisions over the next five years. In addition, the Connecticut Legislature made updates to the State Water Plan to account for climate change impacts in long-term planning. 

After two legislative sessions with little climate progress, Connecticut’s net-zero by 2050 goal was years in the making. Connecticut LCV (CTLCV) was at the forefront of crafting the omnibus legislation in 2023 and 2024, and they coordinated multi-year advocacy efforts with partners across the state as a member of the steering committee of the Connecticut Coalition For Climate Action. CTLCV helped organize multiple lobby days with hundreds of attendees and a climate march with over 200 participants, hosted a series of Action Hour events to engage and mobilize supporters, and drove over 2,300 constituent messages to decision makers in support of the legislation. 

CTLCV worked especially closely with freshmen legislators to educate them on environmental issues and help them feel empowered to champion environmental policy at the State House. At their annual Environmental Summit, CTLCV brought together state decision makers and hundreds of supporters to help set the environmental priorities for the legislative session, including the net-zero by 2050 goal.

In addition, CTLCV consistently elevated the net-zero goal to lawmakers and the public, and maintained visibility through hosting press conferences with partners, placing op-eds, running extensive digital ad campaigns, and taking out print ads in prominent newspapers.

“As Co-Chair of the joint Energy & Technology Committee, I depend on Connecticut LCV as a partner to help me frame the environmental imperatives for my colleagues and the public. They are instrumental in informing our legislative priorities every session.”
Representative Jonathan Steinberg, Co-Chair, Energy & Technology Committee, Connecticut General Assembly ​

​CTLCV applauds Attorney General Tong and his office in their efforts that led to today’s preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which blocks the stop work order on the Revolution Wind project. 

CTLCV Deputy Director, Connor Yakaitis, said in a statement: “This is a win for Connecticut, for the future of renewable energy in New England and, most importantly, for the hardworking individuals and their families who have spent the past few weeks uncertain about the future of their livelihood. Revolution Wind has already delivered over a thousand union jobs and, thanks to their hard work, is 80% complete. It is past time we finish the job so we can deliver clean, renewable and reliable power to 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.”

CTLCV continues to be concerned about the future of clean energy investments in the region.

 “We hope this news encourages Governor Lamont to rethink Connecticut’s energy portfolio, especially when it comes to natural gas.” said Yakaitis.  “Our state must keep on the path of clean, reliable, efficient energy that is available at scale from wind and solar power, not backslide into dirty gas and oil.”

The resignation of Marissa Gillett is a shock to Connecticut, New England and the country as we all face rising energy costs. Her departure leaves the state with less expert knowledge and protections against needless rate increases. The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters calls upon Governor Lamont and legislative leadership to take this opportunity to fill PURA’s vacant roles with energy policy experts who will ensure affordability and who will help achieve our state’s climate goals through investing in clean energy, grid reliability, and putting ratepayers before shareholders. ​

​Hartford, CT- The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, the state's leading environmental convener, released its annual Scorecard today. The Scorecard, which grades state senators and representatives on a 0% to 100% scale based on how they vote on important environmental legislation, has been an important tool for voters during the past 25 years. Holding legislators accountable on a variety of environmental issues, this year’s edition features a high level of engagement among freshmen legislators and illustrates the growing partisan divide over the funding and oversight related to environmental issues.

This year’s Scorecard graded votes on 23 environmental bills during this year's four-month legislative session. Two major bills scored that earned a high degree of public interest and engagement include HB 5004, which targets energy and emissions, and SB 9, which addresses municipal and state planning for climate resiliency. Lobby efforts and advocacy by CTLCV and its partners played a key role in helping to pass these and eight other pro-environment bills. The group was also able to help stop or amend all but one of the seven hostile bills. 50% of legislators received a rating of 90% or higher. In the previous scorecard, 54% of legislators achieved such a score indicating a sustained effort to advance environmental initiatives.  

Based on this year’s Scorecard, the League identified nine freshmen lawmakers who represent Connecticut’s newest upcoming champions and named 21 lawmakers as environmental champions this year. Representative John Michael Parker, the Democratic lawmaker from Connecticut’s 101st House District has received the group’s highest honor as the 2025 Key Environmental Champion.

CTLCV’s Executive Director, Lori Brown, says “Rep. John-Michael Parker has emerged as a true climate leader at the Capitol. As House Chair of the Environment Committee, he played a key role in passing HB 5004 and has been instrumental in advancing legislation that puts Connecticut on track to meet its climate goals. His collaborative approach and commitment to success make him our Key Environmental Champion this year.” 

While CTLCV is a nonpartisan organization, just one of the 21 champions is a member of the Republican Party. Senator Tony Hwang, the Republican Senator from Connecticut’s 28th District, has been a longtime ally on environmental issues and is the sole Republican to receive the group’s endorsement. 

In celebration of CTLCV’s 25th anniversary, the organization is on a mission to build bridges to conservative audiences. While concerns about regulations and spending remain, there are also opportunities for common ground. Environmentally responsible policies can lead to long-term savings in areas like waste management, healthcare, and energy—benefits that serve all communities across Connecticut. Board Chairman Joe McGee of Fairfield, on the board with the release of the first Scorecard 25 years ago says, “The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters was founded on a commitment to protect and conserve our natural resources and to fight for a healthy environment and healthy communities. Our founding Board Chairs, Julie Belaga, a Republican, and Russ Brenneman, a Democrat, knew how important it was to find common ground across the partisan divide. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, the urgency to address the challenges of climate change and a warming planet has become critical. It is our fervent hope and guiding principle that environmental solutions will be science-based and advanced after open, vigorous debate that respects different points of view. We invite Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, to advance Connecticut as a global leader in the fight to save our planet. Economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive. In fact, economic innovation that enhances our environment will be the foundation of the 21st-century economy. We believe common ground exists—and that people of goodwill can find it”. 

The public can read and download the 2025 Scorecard at www.ctlcv.org/scorecard. In addition to providing legislators’ scores, the Scorecard provides additional information about CTLCV’s priorities and the bills the group supported and opposed this year. Constituents can use the Scorecard to see where their state lawmakers stand on the issues they care about—and to follow up, whether to ask questions or say thank you. That’s what makes the Scorecard such a powerful accountability tool: it reminds legislators that their constituents are paying attention.