Northeast

Connecticut

Connecticut established the nation’s first green bank in 2011 and has since leveraged more than $2.43 billion of clean energy investments into the state’s economy. From 2001-2021, the state reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 17%. Connecticut has no fossil fuel reserves but more than half of the state’s generated electricity is sourced from natural gas. Connecticut uses less energy per-capita than 46 other states.
GHG Reduction Targets
All targets relative to 2001 levels
2030
45%
2050
80%
Governor
Ned Lamont (Democrat)
House Party
Democratic Majority
Senate Party
Democratic Majority
Legislative session
2/7/24 - 5/8/24
US Climate Alliance Status
Member

31

Policies Enacted or In Progress
across 6 policy areas

31

Policy Opportunities
across 7 policy areas

Northeast

9 states
This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Progress by Policy Area

  • Enacted
  • In-progress
  • Partially Enacted
  • Not Enacted
Glossary of Terms
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Connecticut

Created in partnership with
Filters
Status Policy Policy Area Policy Category YR Enacted
Enacted
Empty column

Building a Low Carbon Future for Connecticut

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2018
Enacted
Empty column

Governor's Council on Climate Change

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2019
Not Enacted
Empty column

Climate bureaucracy consists of dedicated climate offices and staff, interagency working groups, task forces, and other bodies made up of government staff. These bodies are often responsible for writing a state's climate plan and implementing the policies and strategies identified to meet its climate targets.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Enacted
Empty column

45% by 2030 | 80% by 2050

Relative to 2001 levels

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2018
Enacted
Empty column

The 1990-2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory was published in April 2024.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2024
Enacted
Empty column

Allows the state to deny or impose specific conditions on permits for new construction and operation of proposed industrial facilities based on a determination that cumulative environmental or public health stressors on EJ communities near the proposed facility are higher than other communities in the state.

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2023
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Equity and Environmental Justice Working Group

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

DEEP – Environmental Justice Program Staff

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

"Environmental justice communities" are census block groups where at least 30% of the population is living below 200% of the federal poverty level, or municipalities that are the most fiscally and economically distressed, based on tax base, personal income, and residents' need for public services.

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2012
Not Enacted
Empty column

Environmental justice (EJ) community investment requirements help ensure communities most impacted by environmental burdens are benefitting equitably from public programs by requiring a certain percentage of funds and/or benefits from other policies are allocated to EJ communities.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut EJ Screening Tool

Connecticut EJ Communities

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition advisory bodies write or advise on a state's just transition plan or report, and make recommendations on ways to support affected workers, communities, and industries. The bodies can consist of all non-government members, or be a mix of government and non-government members.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition funds support initiatives and investments aimed at facilitating the equitable transition of workers and communities affected by shifts in industries or policies that transition from fossil fuels.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition offices and staff assist workers and communities transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction and use, typically through retraining programs and support with relocation and economic diversification. Offices and staff also coordinate with other state agencies to effectively design policy to achieve a just transition.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition plans are documents that outline policies and recommendations aimed at supporting communities, workers, and industries affected by the transition away from fossil fuels. The plans often focus on workforce development and retraining, job creation, and economic diversification.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut Green Bank

Cross-Sector
Climate Finance 2011
Enacted
Empty column

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) covers the electricity sector.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation 2005
Not Enacted
Empty column

The social cost of carbon is a monetary estimate of the damage of each ton of greenhouse gases emitted. The social cost of carbon is used to quantify and monetize climate damages, representing the net economic cost of climate pollution to society.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Enacted
Empty column

48% renewable energy by 2030

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2018
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean energy plans are documents that outline the policies and strategies states can implement to meet clean energy targets. Draft plans are often published first, and after a period of public comments and revisions, a final plan is released.

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets
Enacted
Empty column

100% reduction by 2040

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Community choice aggregation allows local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents, businesses, and municipal accounts from an alternative supplier while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility provider.

Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
5/5
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
enacted
7/11
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
enacted
4/6
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Enacted
Empty column

300 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2024, 650 MW by 2027, and 1,000 MW by December 31, 2030

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut received a C grade from Freeing the Grid.

Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal securitization is a financing tool that allows utility companies to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without taking a financial hit or passing costs on to ratepayers.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2021 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2019.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2022
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2021 IECC with amendments.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Stretch building energy codes are an optional, more stringent building code established by the state that local jurisdictions can adopt to require that newly constructed buildings are more efficient than the baseline state codes.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes
Enacted
Empty column

The Small Product and Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards apply to 21 products.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards 2011
Not Enacted
Empty column

Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Enacted
Empty column

Electric utilities are required to achieve energy savings of 524 gigawatt hours (GWh) for 2022-2024.

Gas utilities are required to achieve energy savings of 1,424 million cubic feet (MMcf) for 2022-2024.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2022
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs.

Establishing Policies
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2012
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
not-enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
3/4
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency
Not Enacted
Empty column

All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Electrification
Enacted
Empty column

The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) Program offers rebates for new and used electric vehicles (EVs): up to $4,250 for new battery EVs, $2,250 for plug-in hybrid EVs, and $9,500 for fuel cell EVs.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2020
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut LEV Program

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2018
Enacted
Empty column

Model Year (MY) 2025: 22% of new passenger vehicle sales are ZEVs.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2018
Not Enacted
Empty column

Low NOx Omnibus Rules establish stringent tailpipe emission standards for heavy duty vehicles, updated testing procedures, and technology-neutral compliance mechanisms to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) pollution. The regulation must be adopted first by California, and other states may adopt the regulation under the federal Clean Air Act.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
In-Progress
Empty column

DEEP is authorized to adopt California's medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle standards

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicle rebates consist of programs and policies that offer rebates to make MHD electric vehicles more affordable to increase their adoption in a state.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Enacted
Empty column

30% of new school buses purchased by the state are zero-emission and 100% of school buses in EJ communities are zero-emission by 2030 | 100% of school buses are zero-emission by 2040

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Lead by Example 2022
Enacted
Empty column

50% of state-purchased cars and light-duty trucks are EVs by 2026 | 75% are EVs by 2028 | 100% are EVs by 2030

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Lead by Example 2022
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure rebates offer rebates to make the purchase and/or installation costs of EV charging infrastructure more affordable.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requirements establish mandates for the installation of EV charging infrastructure in new construction or developments, such as residential or commercial buildings, and public parking lots.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Enacted
Empty column

Electric Vehicle Roadmap for Connecticut

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets 2020
Not Enacted
Empty column

A low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is a market-based mechanism to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and account for the fuel's life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
In-Progress
Empty column

The state must establish transportation emissions reduction targets by 2030 and develop a plan to meet the targets, which includes recommendations for legislation needed to implement such targets.

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets 2023
Enacted
Empty column

Connecticut is ranked 20th out of 50 in the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State rankings by the League of American Bicyclists.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
5/5
Transportation
Public and Active Transportation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Buy clean requirements mandate or incentivize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete and steel, in public projects to address embodied carbon.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Industrial Decarbonization
Not Enacted
Empty column

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations include phasedown commitments, rulemakings, disclosure requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce HFC usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce SF6 usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Fracking bans prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracking for the production of oil and/or natural gas by a certain year. Legislation often requires an environmental agency or department to promulgate regulations.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Oil and gas methane regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, leak detection and repair, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Enacted
Empty column

Food waste ban – The state requires commercial waste generators to recycle organic materials at authorized composting facilities, provided they generate at least 26 tons of food waste per year and are within 20 miles of a permitted recycling facility.

Establishing Policies
Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Landfill methane regulations include rulemakings, emissions monitoring, emissions control, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from decaying organic waste in landfills.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Not Enacted
Empty column

Agriculture financial incentives support healthy soils and regenerative agriculture. Incentives may include reduced crop insurance premiums, property tax exemptions, grants, or cost-share programs.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture
Not Enacted
Empty column

Agriculture technical assistance programs provide state-driven technical assistance, apprenticeship and mentorship programs, and support securing additional funding for farmers to increase uptake of soil health practices.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture

The State Climate Policy Dashboard tracks only passed policies and does not include bills currently proposed in legislative sessions. The website is intended to illustrate the current status of policies for each state, as well as key resources and model states for each policy.

Much of the information contained in this database is derived from the public domain, with links to resources provided. The information provided is made available solely for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Click here for full Terms of Use.

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