Connecticut to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% by 2050

June 11, 2008

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed a bill on June 2 that requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. House Bill 5600, "An Act Concerning Global Warming Solutions," requires the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to determine the best strategies to meet the GHG limits. It also authorizes the DEP to work with other states and Canadian provinces to develop a cap-and-trade program to achieve the GHG limits. Connecticut is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is establishing a cap-and-trade program for GHG emissions for much of the Northeast.

The bill requires the DEP to evaluate the potential of low-carbon fuel standards for motor vehicles and home heating fuels to help achieve the GHG reductions. It also establishes a subcommittee to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the state and to recommend to the governor and the state legislature any needed changes to state and municipal programs, laws, or regulations to mitigate such impacts. See the governor's press release and the full text of the bill, HB 5600.