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.