Green Economy Bill Fails to Deliver Real Climate Action

Details of the long-awaited Green Economy Act (HB 5002) underwhelm environmentalists 

Hartford, CT – Despite the promise of a bold plan to create a Green Economy for Connecticut, the unveiled HB 5002 failed to deliver real solutions for our climate crisis. While the bill includes important provisions to fix solar net-metering, it falls short of expectations on transitioning to 100% renewable energy, expanding access to energy efficiency funds, stopping upcoming diversions, combating methane leaks, ending our reliance on fracked gas, or providing more accountability and oversight.
 
“For months CTLCV and a coalition of environmental advocates have worked with lawmakers, officials at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and members of the Lamont administration on proposals that would fight our climate crisis while spurring economic development,” said Lori Brown, Executive Director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV). “The bill unveiled today fails to deliver on any of the proposals we discussed. While it includes an important fix for residential solar customers, it falls far short of expectations on every other front. Though hundreds of thousands of Connecticut ratepayers struggle to pay their energy bills, the Green Economy Act leaves them behind. Though dozens of other states have set goals to move to 100% clean energy, Connecticut remains uncommitted. Though lawmakers promised bold action on our climate crisis, those promises remain unfulfilled.”
 
CTLCV and other climate advocates have met regularly with lawmakers on a Green Economy Act that would:

• Set a 100% Clean Energy Goal;
• Stop the June diversion of $54 million from the Energy Efficiency Fund;
• Expand access to efficiency programs;
• Repeal the Pipeline Tax to prevent Eversource from charging ratepayers for the construction of a new, needless fracked gas pipeline;
• Impose stronger detection, reporting, and transparency requirements for methane leaks;
• Establish a Green Economy Committee to oversee the effectiveness of these programs and make recommendations on additional climate and energy policies.

 
“Now is the time for our climate champions to step up and submit amendments that would deliver real solutions,” said Amanda Schoen, Deputy Director of CTLCV. “Hundreds of lawmakers took our survey during the 2018 election and committed to clear climate policies. The Green Economy Act was the perfect opportunity to follow through on those promises. Lawmakers heard not just from advocates, but from the thousands of Connecticut residents who marched, rallied, wrote letters, flooded their offices with calls, and sent emails asking for real climate action. There is no excuse for ignoring the most pressing crisis facing our generation. Real climate champions can still act, but the clock is ticking.”

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