Statement by Lori Brown, Executive Director of the CT League of Conservation Voters, in Response to Special Session Agenda

​We are taken aback by the total failure of our state’s top elected leaders to take
action on climate. During the regular session, the Republicans were openly
hostile to climate legislation, and the Democrats said they supported climate
action, but could not get anything accomplished. And now they have failed again
at the chance to pass legislation in the June Special Session.

Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change rage on.

The first section of the climate legislation that passed the House, but not the
Senate, declared a climate crisis in our state. Anyone who disagrees with that
should just look at their thermometer as we experience the hottest days on
record. This time last year, our skies were orange from out-of-control wildfires in
Canada, and the flooding disaster of last summer destroyed Connecticut farms,
crops, and livelihoods.

Refusing to act on climate while calling a special session for multiple items
that are clearly not emergencies is to ignore the damage being done to our
economy, our health, and our environment. 

Our state legislators must make progress every year to keep up with escalating
impacts of climate change. It is embarrassing that we are falling so far behind
our own goals to reduce our Greenhouse Gas emissions that are causing this
mess. Refusing to address climate in the special session is a huge missed
opportunity. We are deeply disappointed in the Governor and the legislative
leaders for their casual dismissal of climate as somehow less important
than all other items they packed into their agreed upon agenda.

Our top elected officials say they want to pass climate legislation but have kicked
the can down the road for the second year in a row. What will they tell voters?
Youth in particular are already discouraged by the lack of action on climate, a top
issue they care about, and they may simply not vote.

Recent polling by Yale shows that a large majority of citizens want our state
leaders to stand up and take steps to address climate change. The sooner we
start acting on climate, the sooner we can make a difference for ourselves and
future generations.

​For more information: 860-214-0345, [email protected], www.ctlcv.org