After several years of virtually no progress on climate-related legislation in the Connecticut General Assembly, we finally have some good news. As of May 2, five bills have passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives and have been signed into law by Governor Lamont.

• SB 176 doubles the caps on commercial and industrial solar, allowing more rapid deployment of renewable energy. Of all the bills under consideration, SB 176 was the primary focus of the Jonah Center and Ecoin’s Citizen Advocacy program. It supports the goal of decarbonized electricity sector by 2040, a goal included in the state’s Comprehensive Energy Plan and the Integrated Resource Plan. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who sent emails to your legislators. It clearly made a positive difference. SB 176 passed with broad bipartisan support.
• SB 10 establishes in state law the commitment to achieve a fully decarbonized electrical grid by 2040. This  bill also passed with broad bipartisan support.
• SB 4 strengthens the Clear Air Act to add incentives and deploy electric vehicles such as school buses and other government vehicles; tightens emission standards for medium and heavy duty trucks that are a major source of air pollution; and adds charging stations to encourage EV deployment. SB 4 was passed by Democrats, along a strict party line vote.
• HB 5327 authorizes measures for electric distribution companies to deploy electricity storage to support more use of renewables and to increase resiliency of the electrical grid.
• SB 5200 authorizes a study and pilot project on the generation and use of hydrogen in the state’s energy system.

Here’s how our local State Senators and Representatives voted on these bills.

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