Senator Anwar Joins Senate Passage of Legislation Ensuring Prison Inmates Receive Proper Health Care
Legislation addresses physical and mental health of incarcerated people
Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Vice Chair of the Public Health Committee, joined the Senate in its passage of legislation ensuring incarcerated people receive full medical care. Connecticut, currently the only state where the Department of Corrections oversees and operates its inmate health care system, has seen that system lead to significant gaps in care that harm individuals’ long-term health. These have cost the state millions of dollars in lawsuits.
“No matter the history that causes someone to serve a prison sentence, they still have basic rights, including the right to receive health care,” said Sen. Anwar. “In our state, many have suffered and some have died without receiving that basic aid. This bill serves our state in ensuring incarcerated people receive health care services that will aid them both acutely and preventatively. It further will seek to reduce, and hopefully end, incidents where incarcerated people who suffer without care sue the state – which has cost Connecticut millions of dollars in the past.”
Senate Bill 448, “An Act Concerning The Delivery of Health Care and Mental Health Care Services To Inmates of Correctional Institutions,” seeks to address the issue of inmate care. The legislation would require the Department of Correction to develop a plan for the provision of health care services, including mental health care, substance use disorder and dental care services to inmates. The plan would include the following requirements:
- Additional mental health therapists placed at each correctional institution in the state
- Those care providers would provide mental health services for inmates requesting or referring such services, once it’s determined an inmate needs such services
- Mental health care providers can only administer or prescribe psychotropic medications to inmates upon full review of mental health and medical history
- Inmates will receive annual physical exams by physicians, physician assistants or nurses, as well as within two weeks of entering a correctional institution
- Inmates needing medical or mental health housing will receive necessary accommodations
- Inmates will receive exit interviews within two weeks of discharge, including discussion of medical discharge plans for continued care or treatment needed
- A physician will be on-call 24/7 on site to aid inmates
- Within ten weeks of entry of correctional institution and at least once annually, inmates will receive access to necessary and approved vaccinations and dental examinations with dental care recommendations made
- Inmates can receive HIV tests upon request at time of entry to correctional institutions or during annual physical assessments
- Inmates will be interviewed regarding drug and alcohol use history and care will be taken to monitor them in case of withdrawal syndromes
The legislation further establishes an advisory committee for the advisory of the Commissioner of Correction regarding health care services, monitoring whether a state agency like the Department of Public Health should have oversight over such services, and reviewing all reports involving death or health of inmates.
In 2016, the Department of Corrections reported 25 prisoner medical cases that went wrong, including eight inmate deaths; several of those cases led to lawsuits, costing the state millions. In March 2019, the Office of Fiscal Analysis reported the Department of Corrections had just one nurse on staff for every 43 inmates and one doctor or physician assistant on staff for every 579 prisoners, indicating inadequate health care.
The bill now moves to the House; it previously passed the Public Health Committee by a 26-3 vote in March.
Senator Slap Releases Statement After House Gives Final Approval to Legislation Empowering Student-Athletes
Senator Slap Releases Statement After House Gives Final Approval to Legislation Empowering Student-Athletes
Senator Slap: “Allowing student-athletes at Connecticut schools to use their school’s logo will generate more endorsement deals and help schools compete for athletes.”
Today, State Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) released the following statement after the House gave final approval to Senate Bill 20, which allows student athletes to gain permission to use their school’s name, logo and mascot in endorsement deals:
“The bill allows students to benefit more fairly and fully from the use of their name, image, and likeness – which until recently has been denied to them. By updating our law and permitting students from using their school’s logo and name in endorsements – as long as it’s negotiated with the school – we are also enabling Connecticut to remain competitive with schools in other states. When this bill is signed into law, Connecticut will no longer be an outlier – that’s good for recruiting and good for our student-athletes.”
Sen. Hartley Joins Senate in Passing the Connecticut Clean Air Act
Sen. Hartley Joins Senate in Passing the Connecticut Clean Air Act
The state Senate passed Senate Bill 4, also known as the Connecticut Clean Air Act, in an overarching and detailed effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and push Connecticut toward a greener and healthier future. As the transportation sector and industry represent Connecticut’s single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, this legislation will support cleaner air, reduced pollution and bolster the state’s response to climate change. State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Middlebury) joined the Senate in voting to advance the bill.
“Moving toward greater use of electric vehicles is a matter of protecting both the environment and community health. We know how harmful inhaling diesel emissions are to a person’s health, whether it be children riding a school bus or their parents taking the bus to work. By shifting to greater daily use of electric vehicles and cleaner technologies in both school and public transit, Connecticut is driving itself to a more healthier, modern transportation system,” said Sen. Hartley.
Senate Bill 4 updates Connecticut’s efforts to go green in ways including:
- Emphasizing the state’s efforts to shift to electric vehicles by regulating that by 2026, at least 50% of cars and light trucks purchased by the state will be alternative-fueled, hybrid electric or plug-in electric vehicles, with that rate rising to 100% by 2030.
- Ending the purchase or lease of any diesel-fueled transit bus, shifting to electric buses for public transportation, in the state beginning in 2024.
- Installing electric vehicle charging stations across the state, with existing standards for installation being simplified, installation emphasizing access and use across the state and future state facilities including schools being constructed with electric charging stations in mind.
- Overhauling the CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate systems, with changes made including increases to available rebate amounts, increases to the cap on vehicle prices eligible for rebates, increases to low-income electric vehicle rebates and expansion of rebate eligibility to include business fleets and electric bicycles. Rebates and vouchers will be prioritized to residents of environmental justice communities, residents with household incomes at or below 300% of federal poverty levels and residents participating in state and federal assistance programs.
- Municipalities, businesses, nonprofit organizations or tribal entities can receive electric vehicle rebates through CHEAPR to purchase electric vehicles or replace current fleets with electric-powered ones.
- CHEAPR will provide rebates for purchases of electric bicycles valued at up to $3,000 not less than $500.
- The state will invest in a matching grant program supporting municipalities modernizing traffic signal equipment and operations to ensure that equipment matches modern traffic flow and demand, seeking to significantly reduce emissions caused by traffic and idling.
- The state will create regulations and methodologies to ensure transportation projects increasing greenhouse gases offset such emissions by undertaking greenhouse gas mitigation transportation projects including, but not limited to, improving public transit, constructing bikeways, pedestrian walkways and more.
- The legislation recognizes the historic federal infrastructure legislation and includes state bond funds to leverage these federal dollars for our local communities to transition hundreds of diesel school buses to electric buses.
- The state will adopt medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards adopted by California, seeking to heavily reduce emissions from vehicles responsible for some of the state’s highest rates of greenhouse gases. In doing so it will create a voucher program to transition to cleaner electric vehicles and plan transportation projects to offset emissions.
While Connecticut has a marked goal to reduce greenhouse emissions by 45% in 2030 compared to similar rates in 2001, the state has seen its emissions rise in relation to that goal, as Connecticut drivers travel more miles per day now than increased vehicle efficiency can reduce emissions. Further, the state has a goal of 137,500 electric vehicles on the road by 2025, a pace it is running significantly behind.
These efforts to reduce emissions and emphasize greener modes of transportation will play a significant role in aiding Connecticut’s efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From 2017 to 2018, vehicle emissions in Connecticut grew by 2.7%, with the state’s results about 3% higher than its 2020 emissions goal. Transportation emissions are valued at more than double the combined emissions of the electricity and residential sectors and have risen since 1990 despite a 16% improvement in per-mile emission in that period. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said meeting emission goals will require strategies to improve fuel economy and reduce vehicle miles traveled, strongly supporting the efforts of the Clean Air Act.
The rising frequency and intensity of severe weather in Connecticut may be early indicators of serious effects in the state without adjustments – rising seas on the coasts, higher temperatures especially inland, heavier rainfall, more frequent droughts and more destructive hurricanes all have the potential to harm the state without significant action like that taken in Senate Bill 4.
Just as important: the state saw 21 days with unhealthy levels of ozone in 2021, the highest in New England, with five of its eight counties receiving “F” grades on ozone levels from the American Lung Association. These conditions can cause or aggravate serious lung conditions including asthma and emphysema, with long-term exposure possibly causing long-term health problems and reproductive and developmental harm. With these conditions worse in cities, residents in those cities – who in many cases do not contribute vehicle emissions in their communities – suffer disproportionately compared to the rest of the state.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Administration, in public testimony, gave support to a number of measures of the legislation, including the ease of installing charging stations due to reduced financial burden for small businesses; expansion of CHEAPR to benefit vehicle adoption, especially for business fleets; the Clean Air Act fee’s use to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions; and emphasis on rural business entities allowing installation statewide.
Senator Needleman Leads Senate in Creating Studies of Power Grid Resilience, Waste Management
Senator Needleman Leads Senate in Creating Studies of Power Grid Resilience, Waste Management
Today, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, led the Senate in approving bills that will spur studies of the resilience of Connecticut’s power grid and of solutions to aid the state’s disposal of trash and waste. These two studies are aimed to meet important needs in Connecticut in coming years regarding potential emergencies impacting the distribution of electricity and other fuels and how the state can dispose of garbage upon the closing of a major trash-to-energy conversion plant.
“These studies will play key roles in better informing us regarding important issues that could cause frustration in coming years,” said Sen. Needleman. “By studying the power grid now, determining potential vulnerabilities that could arise and learning what we will need to prepare for in future years, we can better prepare our state for the future and ensure that we avoid future outages. And by studying solutions to meet the state’s short- and long-term trash disposal needs, we can work ahead of growing needs in our state for waste management.”
Senate Bill 177, “An Act Concerning Grid Resilience,” would require PURA chair Melissa Gillette to conduct a study of grid resilience in Connecticut, specifically regarding resilience to emergencies of distribution-level substations and infrastructure owned or operated by any electric distribution company, with a report due by September 2024.
Groups including the Conservation Law Foundation said this bill represents a step forward for Connecticut to understand current and future risks facing state infrastructure and what steps may be needed to ensure future grid reliability.
Senate Bill 277, “An Act Establishing A Trash-To-Energy Working Group,” would create a group to make recommendations for short-term and long-term disposal and management of trash and garbage in Connecticut, with members including General Assembly leaders, municipal leaders and farming, waste, and energy industry members. They will be tasked with making recommendations which will be submitted to the General Assembly no later than the beginning of 2023.
Sen. Flexer Leads Senate Passage of Bill Allowing Continuation of Remote Public Meetings
Sen. Flexer Leads Senate Passage of Bill Allowing Continuation of Remote Public Meetings
HARTFORD – State Senator Mae Flexer today led Senate passage of a bill that will allow town and state agencies and committees to continue to hold remote public meetings if they wish, as they have been doing for the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without today’s action, city and town and state agencies would have been forced to revert to in-person only meetings beginning this Sunday, May 1.
“What we’ve seen over the past two years during the pandemic – despite some early concerns about how remote, online public meetings would work – is that they have been embraced by the public and that they actually allow more of the public to participate than if we held in-person meetings only,” said Sen. Flexer, who as Senate Chair of the Government Administrations and Elections Committee is well-versed in issues affecting our democracy and public participation. “This bill opens our government up to more people and allows more people to participate in it. And the decision of whether to hold in-person or online meetings, or some combination of both, is left entirely up to a local agency.”
The bill, House Bill 5269, “An Act Concerning Remote Meetings Under The Freedom of Information Act,” received widespread support at its public hearing from groups such as the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, the Council on Freedom of Information and the ACLU of Connecticut.
In a survey conducted by the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 90% of more than 230 municipal stakeholders surveyed said they preferred retaining the option of these remote and hybrid meetings.
With today’s Senate vote, the bill now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature into law.
Sen. Maroney Joins Senate Democrats in Passing Connecticut Clean Air Act
Sen. Maroney Joins Senate Democrats in Passing Connecticut Clean Air Act
Today, State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in passing Senate Bill 4, the “Connecticut Clean Air Act,” an overarching public policy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and push Connecticut toward a greener and healthier future.
The transportation sector represents Connecticut’s single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and Senate Bill 4 will support cleaner air, reduced pollution and bolster the state’s response to climate change. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further debate.
“Since we have so much shoreline in our community, climate change is one of the largest threats to our district,” said Sen. Maroney. “This bill will help to protect the future of our state. While we can always do more, this bill is a first step in reducing air pollution, adopting new methods of technology, and encouraging our residents to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle.”
Among other things, Senate Bill 4:
- Emphasizes Connecticut’s desire to shift to electric vehicles by requiring that by 2026, at least 50% of cars and light trucks purchased by the state will be alternative-fueled, hybrid electric, or plug-in electric vehicles, with that rate rising to 100% by 2030.
- Ends the purchase or lease of any diesel-fueled transit bus, shifting to electric buses for public transportation in Connecticut beginning in 2024.
Installs electric vehicle charging stations across the state, with existing standards for installation being simplified. - Overhauls the CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate system, including increases to available rebate amounts, increases to the cap on vehicle prices eligible for rebates, increases to low-income electric vehicle rebates, and expansion of rebate eligibility to include business fleets and electric bicycles. Rebates and vouchers will be prioritized to residents in environmental justice communities, residents with household incomes at or below 300% of federal poverty levels, and residents participating in state and federal assistance programs.
- Invests in a matching grant program to modernize municipal traffic signals to ensure it matches traffic flow, which can significantly reduce automobile emissions caused by stalled traffic and idling.
- Adopts the medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards already adopted by California, seeking to significantly reduce the emissions from vehicles responsible for some of the Connecticut’s highest rates of greenhouse gases.
Sen. Cabrera Votes for the Passage of the Connecticut Clean Air Act
Sen. Cabrera Votes for the Passage of the Connecticut Clean Air Act
Today, the state Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) voted for the passage of Senate Bill 4, also known as the Connecticut Clean Air Act, in an overarching and detailed effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and push Connecticut toward a greener and healthier future. As the transportation sector and industry represent Connecticut’s single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, this legislation will support cleaner air, reduced pollution and bolster the state’s response to climate change.
“We know the facts, climate change and its effects, such as more and more people suffering from various respiratory ailments, need to be addressed aggressively and now. This is why I am proud to vote in favor of the Connecticut Clean Air Act,” said Sen. Cabrera. “Senate Bill 4 continues the momentum we’ve built up in recent years to ensure we’re doing all we can to tackle climate change head on by looking at how transportation can be made more environment-friendly. I look forward to seeing this bill pass the House and receive the governor’s signature.”
Senate Bill 4 updates Connecticut’s efforts to go green in ways including:
- Emphasizing the state’s efforts to shift to electric vehicles by regulating that by 2026, at least 50% of cars and light trucks purchased by the state will be alternative-fueled, hybrid electric or plug-in electric vehicles, with that rate rising to 100% by 2030.
- Ending the purchase or lease of any diesel-fueled transit bus, shifting to electric buses for public transportation, in the state beginning in 2024.
Installing electric vehicle charging stations across the state, with existing standards for installation being simplified, installation emphasizing access and use across the state and future state facilities including schools being constructed with electric charging stations in mind. - Overhauling the CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate systems, with changes made including increases to available rebate amounts, increases to the cap on vehicle prices eligible for rebates, increases to low-income electric vehicle rebates and expansion of rebate eligibility to include business fleets and electric bicycles. Rebates and vouchers will be prioritized to residents of environmental justice communities, residents with household incomes at or below 300% of federal poverty levels and residents participating in state and federal assistance programs.
- Municipalities, businesses, nonprofit organizations or tribal entities can receive electric vehicle rebates through CHEAPR to purchase electric vehicles or replace current fleets with electric-powered ones.
- CHEAPR will provide rebates for purchases of electric bicycles valued at up to $3,000 not less than $500.
- The state will invest in a matching grant program supporting municipalities modernizing traffic signal equipment and operations to ensure that equipment matches modern traffic flow and demand, seeking to significantly reduce emissions caused by traffic and idling.
- The state will create regulations and methodologies to ensure transportation projects increasing greenhouse gases offset such emissions by undertaking greenhouse gas mitigation transportation projects including, but not limited to, improving public transit, constructing bikeways, pedestrian walkways and more.
- The legislation recognizes the historic federal infrastructure legislation and includes state bond funds to leverage these federal dollars for our local communities to transition hundreds of diesel school buses to electric buses.
- The state will adopt medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards adopted by California, seeking to heavily reduce emissions from vehicles responsible for some of the state’s highest rates of greenhouse gases. In doing so it will create a voucher program to transition to cleaner electric vehicles and plan transportation projects to offset emissions.
While Connecticut has a marked goal to reduce greenhouse emissions by 45% in 2030 compared to similar rates in 2001, the state has seen its emissions rise in relation to that goal, as Connecticut drivers travel more miles per day now than increased vehicle efficiency can reduce emissions. Further, the state has a goal of 137,500 electric vehicles on the road by 2025, a pace it is running significantly behind.
These efforts to reduce emissions and emphasize greener modes of transportation will play a significant role in aiding Connecticut’s efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From 2017 to 2018, vehicle emissions in Connecticut grew by 2.7%, with the state’s results about 3% higher than its 2020 emissions goal. Transportation emissions are valued at more than double the combined emissions of the electricity and residential sectors and have risen since 1990 despite a 16% improvement in per-mile emission in that period. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said meeting emission goals will require strategies to improve fuel economy and reduce vehicle miles traveled, strongly supporting the efforts of the Clean Air Act.
The rising frequency and intensity of severe weather in Connecticut may be early indicators of serious effects in the state without adjustments – rising seas on the coasts, higher temperatures especially inland, heavier rainfall, more frequent droughts and more destructive hurricanes all have the potential to harm the state without significant action like that taken in Senate Bill 4.
Just as important: the state saw 21 days with unhealthy levels of ozone in 2021, the highest in New England, with five of its eight counties receiving “F” grades on ozone levels from the American Lung Association. These conditions can cause or aggravate serious lung conditions including asthma and emphysema, with long-term exposure possibly causing long-term health problems and reproductive and developmental harm. With these conditions worse in cities, residents in those cities – who in many cases do not contribute vehicle emissions in their communities – suffer disproportionately compared to the rest of the state. Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford all ranked among the worst urban areas in the United States through racial disparities in exposure to pollutants.
Chadwick Schroeder, sustainability manager for the City of Bridgeport, testified that Bridgeport, one of the state’s most diverse cities, sees significant inequality with even the town’s census tracks based on income correlating to higher rates of asthma and heart disease. “Residents in the City of Bridgeport do not only bear a significant environmental burden compared to neighboring municipalities, but also have significantly lower levels of wealth, educational attainment and higher levels of disease,” Schroeder said – and stronger action needs to be taken to ensure residents bearing the largest burden can access and use resources dedicated toward them, he continued, such as actions taken in SB4.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Administration, in public testimony, gave support to a number of measures of the legislation, including the ease of installing charging stations due to reduced financial burden for small businesses; expansion of CHEAPR to benefit vehicle adoption, especially for business fleets; the Clean Air Act fee’s use to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions; and emphasis on rural business entities allowing installation statewide.
Senator Needleman Leads Approval of Connecticut Pact to Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity by 2040
Senator Needleman Leads Approval of Connecticut Pact to Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity by 2040
Today, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, led the Senate in approval of a major bill that will require the state to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supplied in the state by January 1, 2040. The bill establishes this as a goal under the Global Warming Solutions Act, and in fact quickens and strengthens greenhouse gas emission reduction goals previously put in place.
“Our state has a standing goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supplied in the state by 80% by January 2050. Under this bill, we move that deadline to 2040, and expand our efforts to a full 100% reduction of emissions. Our state needs to respond to local, national and worldwide pollution and do our part to protect our environment, our air and our world,” said Sen. Needleman. “We need to act now to prepare for what the future will hold.”
Senate Bill 10, “An Act Concerning Climate Change Mitigation,” advances the state’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from current standards of 80% reduction by 2050 to 100% reduction by 2040, an aggressive step to reduce the release of chemical or physical substances into the air such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflurorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride.
Achieving this goal would require a shift in Connecticut’s energy sourcing, with shifts from fossil fuels to renewable and green energies ranging from solar and wind power to battery storage to nuclear power. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said in testimony that the state has already adopted significant zero-emission renewables and nuclear power, with that percentage slated to continue to grow with further offshore wind and grid-scale solar projects. Commercially available technologies mean this goal is achievable, Dykes said.
The bill previously passed the Energy and Technology Committee by a 21-5 tally in March. It now heads to the House for further debate.
Senate Passes the Connecticut Clean Air Act
Senate Passes the Connecticut Clean Air Act
Senator Needleman joins vote to reduce emissions, expand use of, access to electric vehicles
Today, the State Senate passed Senate Bill 4, also known as the Connecticut Clean Air Act, in an overarching and detailed effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and push Connecticut toward a greener and healthier future. As the transportation sector and industry represent Connecticut’s single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, this legislation will support cleaner air, reduced pollution and bolster the state’s response to climate change. State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) joined the Senate in voting to advance the bill.
“By shifting away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner technologies, we can rectify Connecticut’s high rates of transportation emissions and clean up our state,” said Sen. Needleman. “By shifting to electric school buses, children are no longer inhaling diesel emissions every morning on the way to school; it’s the same for public transportation. By emphasizing and expanding availability of electric vehicles, this renewable and low-emission technology can be adopted by more drivers than ever. We need to rise to meet our current moment; cutting down on emissions will do just that.”
Senate Bill 4 updates Connecticut’s efforts to go green in ways including:
- Emphasizing the state’s efforts to shift to electric vehicles by regulating that by 2026, at least 50% of cars and light trucks purchased by the state will be alternative-fueled, hybrid electric or plug-in electric vehicles, with that rate rising to 100% by 2030.
- Ending the purchase or lease of any diesel-fueled transit bus, shifting to electric buses for public transportation, in the state beginning in 2024.
- Installing electric vehicle charging stations across the state, with existing standards for installation being simplified, installation emphasizing access and use across the state and future state facilities including schools being constructed with electric charging stations in mind.
- Overhauling the CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate systems, with changes made including increases to available rebate amounts, increases to the cap on vehicle prices eligible for rebates, increases to low-income electric vehicle rebates and expansion of rebate eligibility to include business fleets and electric bicycles. Rebates and vouchers will be prioritized to residents of environmental justice communities, residents with household incomes at or below 300% of federal poverty levels and residents participating in state and federal assistance programs.
- Municipalities, businesses, nonprofit organizations or tribal entities can receive electric vehicle rebates through CHEAPR to purchase electric vehicles or replace current fleets with electric-powered ones.
- CHEAPR will provide rebates for purchases of electric bicycles valued at up to $3,000 not less than $500.
- The state will invest in a matching grant program supporting municipalities modernizing traffic signal equipment and operations to ensure that equipment matches modern traffic flow and demand, seeking to significantly reduce emissions caused by traffic and idling.
- The state will create regulations and methodologies to ensure transportation projects increasing greenhouse gases offset such emissions by undertaking greenhouse gas mitigation transportation projects including, but not limited to, improving public transit, constructing bikeways, pedestrian walkways and more.
- The legislation recognizes the historic federal infrastructure legislation and includes state bond funds to leverage these federal dollars for our local communities to transition hundreds of diesel school buses to electric buses.
- The state will adopt medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards adopted by California, seeking to heavily reduce emissions from vehicles responsible for some of the state’s highest rates of greenhouse gases. In doing so it will create a voucher program to transition to cleaner electric vehicles and plan transportation projects to offset emissions.
While Connecticut has a marked goal to reduce greenhouse emissions by 45% in 2030 compared to similar rates in 2001, the state has seen its emissions rise in relation to that goal, as Connecticut drivers travel more miles per day now than increased vehicle efficiency can reduce emissions. Further, the state has a goal of 137,500 electric vehicles on the road by 2025, a pace it is running significantly behind.
These efforts to reduce emissions and emphasize greener modes of transportation will play a significant role in aiding Connecticut’s efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From 2017 to 2018, vehicle emissions in Connecticut grew by 2.7%, with the state’s results about 3% higher than its 2020 emissions goal. Transportation emissions are valued at more than double the combined emissions of the electricity and residential sectors and have risen since 1990 despite a 16% improvement in per-mile emission in that period. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said meeting emission goals will require strategies to improve fuel economy and reduce vehicle miles traveled, strongly supporting the efforts of the Clean Air Act.
The rising frequency and intensity of severe weather in Connecticut may be early indicators of serious effects in the state without adjustments – rising seas on the coasts, higher temperatures especially inland, heavier rainfall, more frequent droughts and more destructive hurricanes all have the potential to harm the state without significant action like that taken in Senate Bill 4.
Just as important: the state saw 21 days with unhealthy levels of ozone in 2021, the highest in New England, with five of its eight counties receiving “F” grades on ozone levels from the American Lung Association. These conditions can cause or aggravate serious lung conditions including asthma and emphysema, with long-term exposure possibly causing long-term health problems and reproductive and developmental harm. With these conditions worse in cities, residents in those cities – who in many cases do not contribute vehicle emissions in their communities – suffer disproportionately compared to the rest of the state. Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford all ranked among the worst urban areas in the United States through racial disparities in exposure to pollutants.
Chadwick Schroeder, sustainability manager for the City of Bridgeport, testified that Bridgeport, one of the state’s most diverse cities, sees significant inequality with even the town’s census tracks based on income correlating to higher rates of asthma and heart disease. “Residents in the City of Bridgeport do not only bear a significant environmental burden compared to neighboring municipalities, but also have significantly lower levels of wealth, educational attainment and higher levels of disease,” Schroeder said – and stronger action needs to be taken to ensure residents bearing the largest burden can access and use resources dedicated toward them, he continued, such as actions taken in SB4.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Administration, in public testimony, gave support to a number of measures of the legislation, including the ease of installing charging stations due to reduced financial burden for small businesses; expansion of CHEAPR to benefit vehicle adoption, especially for business fleets; the Clean Air Act fee’s use to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions; and emphasis on rural business entities allowing installation statewide.
Sen. Cohen Helps Lead Passage of Connecticut Clean Air Act in Senate
Sen. Cohen Helps Lead Passage of Connecticut Clean Air Act in Senate
HARTFORD – State Senator Cristine Cohen (D-Guilford), who is Senate Chair of the legislature’s Environment Committee, this evening helped lead Senate passage of Senate Bill 4, the “Connecticut Clean Air Act,” an overarching public policy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and push Connecticut toward a greener and healthier future.
The transportation sector represents Connecticut’s single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and Senate Bill 4 will support cleaner air, reduced pollution and bolster the state’s response to climate change. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further debate.
“I’m incredibly proud of this bill,” Sen. Cohen said. “I’m also grateful for the hard work and collaboration with the Transportation Committee and my friend and colleague, Senator Will Haskell. Together we have worked diligently with other committees, agencies, advocates and even adversaries to land on a thoughtful and crucial piece of legislation that will move Connecticut forward to a place of better health, more sustainable transportation options and cleaner air.”
“Recent studies have shown that Connecticut is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to our air quality,” Sen. Cohen continued. “We have not been meeting our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, and we have failed to comply with national standards for ozone. Now, with this bill we have the opportunity to leverage federal funds, to mitigate climate change, to help our businesses electrify their truck fleets, and to improve the air quality and health outcomes for all Connecticut residents.”
Among other things, Senate Bill 4:
- Emphasizes Connecticut’s desire to shift to electric vehicles by requiring that by 2026, at least 50% of cars and light trucks purchased by the state will be alternative-fueled, hybrid electric, or plug-in electric vehicles, with that rate rising to 100% by 2030.
- Ends the purchase or lease of any diesel-fueled transit bus, shifting to electric buses for public transportation in Connecticut beginning in 2024.
- Installs electric vehicle charging stations across the state, with existing standards for installation being simplified.
- Overhauls the CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate system, including increases to available rebate amounts, increases to the cap on vehicle prices eligible for rebates, increases to low-income electric vehicle rebates, and expansion of rebate eligibility to include business fleets and electric bicycles. Rebates and vouchers will be prioritized to residents in environmental justice communities, residents with household incomes at or below 300% of federal poverty levels, and residents participating in state and federal assistance programs.
- Invests in a matching grant program to modernize municipal traffic signals to ensure it matches traffic flow, which can significantly reduce automobile emissions caused by stalled traffic and idling.
- Adopts the medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicle standards already adopted by California, seeking to significantly reduce the emissions from vehicles responsible for some of the Connecticut’s highest rates of greenhouse gases.