Bianca Sanchez, bianca.sanchez@sierraclub.org
HARTFORD, CT. – The Connecticut legislative session ended at midnight on May 8 and for the second consecutive year state leaders failed to pass key legislation to address climate change. By failing to adopt ambitious environmental and energy policy, state legislators have left Connecticut ill-equipped to face the climate crisis and its already devastating health and safety impacts.
In 2023, the planet experienced the hottest year on record. It was also the costliest year in U.S. history for weather and climate disasters. Here in Connecticut, communities have experienced a wide range of dangerous and costly climate impacts including extreme weather, flooding, wildfire smoke, hotter summers, loss of winter, and crop damage.
Still, in the last two years, lawmakers have failed to act on critical pieces of climate legislation. Despite passing in the House last week, the featured climate legislation of 2024, House Bill 5004, was not called in the Senate. HB 5004 included measures to jumpstart climate solutions by updating the Global Warming Solutions Act, aligning gas system planning with the greenhouse gas emission reduction mandates of the Global Warming Solutions Act, decarbonizing buildings by setting heat pump targets, emission reduction from HVAC equipment, and planning for zero-carbon state buildings.
On the transportation front, House Bill 5485 would have guaranteed support for the growing number of electric vehicles in Connecticut by coordinating rebate programs and charging infrastructure. However, that critical bill also failed. In March, state leaders notably withdrew plans to adopt clean car and truck regulations already in place in a growing number of states, including our immediate neighbors in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The abandoned, life-saving rules included measures to ensure state families have access to zero-emission vehicles that are better for Connecticut’s health and safety.
In response, Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter Director Samantha Dynowski released the following statement:
“The Connecticut legislature has once again failed to take action on the most pressing environmental issue facing our state – climate change. We are seriously disheartened that House Bill 5004 was not among the priority bills voted on by both chambers of the legislature. Instead, state leaders have chosen to delay climate action and further deny Connecticut residents, businesses, and communities the progress we need to face the crisis head-on. In the wake of this discouraging setback, we will continue to advocate for all people’s rights to clean air and sustainable, healthy communities.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.