Executive Order No. 21-3

Calls for 23 actions, proposed by the Governor’s Council on Climate Change in its January 2021 report, that cut across state agencies and sectors in the following areas: Buildings and infrastructure; Clean transportation; Community climate resilience; Health, equity, and environmental justice; Jobs and the economy; and Natural and working lands. The actions include affordable heating and cooling for residents and businesses; building codes; a statewide battery electric bus fleet; shovel-ready resilience projects; regulating emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles; and increasing resilience and carbon sequestration in forests and agriculture. It also establishes Connecticut’s first Office of Climate and Public Health, the first Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the first Connecticut Clean Economy Council, and continues the work of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.

The DOT shall cease purchasing or providing state funding to third parties for the purchase of diesel buses by end of 2023. DOT shall create an implementation plan which identifies any barriers to full bus fleet electrification.

100% Zero-Emission Transit Bus Procurement Requirement

By 2030, all newly leased light duty state vehicles shall be zero emissions vehicles.

Leased State Vehicle ZEV Target

The Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES) examines future energy needs in the state and identifies opportunities to reduce costs for ratepayers, ensure reliable energy availability, and mitigate public health and environmental impacts of Connecticut's energy use, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emissions of criteria air pollutants. Under Section 16a-3d of the Connecticut General Statutes, DEEP is charged with preparing a CES every four years. In planning for effective management of Connecticut's energy system -- including electricity, heating, cooling, and fuels used for transportation -- the CES provides recommendations for legislative and administrative actions that will aid in the achievement of interrelated environmental, economic, security, and reliability goals.

2022 Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES)

By 2023, DEEP and DAS shall develop a plan to retrofit existing fossil fuel-based heating and cooling systems at state buildings to systems capable of being operated without carbon emitting fuels

Plan to retrofit fossil fuel-based heating and cooling systems at state buildings

By 2023, DEEP and DAS shall develop a plan and a budget to achieve zero-GHG emissions for all new construction and major renovations funded by the State or in facilities owned/operated by the Executive Branch, targeting construction beginning in fiscal year 2024 and after. GreenerGov CT is in the process of assembling a cross-agency NetZero New Construction Team to develop this plan.

Plan for Zero Net Energy Targets for State Facilities

DEEP shall promulgate regulations for increased and additional
appliance and product efficiency standards, pursuant to Section 16a-48 of the Connecticut
General Statutes, to promote energy conservation and efficiency, provided that the subject
appliances remain cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use them. New product
categories or updates to existing product standards shall be selected based on the following
criteria for each product category:
A. there is an existing EPA ENERGY STAR standard or other state standard;
B. there is an existing test procedure;
C. there are multiple manufacturers producing at that standard;
D. sufficient data for measurement and verification exists; and
E. products manufactured to the standard are cost-effective for consumers

Small Product and Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards

The DEEP Climate Resilience Fund provides grants to help Connecticut communities initiate planning and develop projects that will help communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change. The Fund specifically is intended to support climate resilience planning at regional, municipal, and neighborhood-level scales, and to support resilience project scoping and development. This historic state-level investment into climate resilience planning and project development was established by Executive Order 21-3 (EO21-3) in December 2021, pursuant to CGS Sec. 16-243y as amended in Public Act 20-5Sec. 15, and was one of 61 recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) in 2021.

DEEP Climate Resilience Fund

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) Office of Climate and Public Health works with partners throughout the state, including the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, to implement actions that enhance health equity, increase resiliency, and ensure Connecticut communities are prepared for the health impacts of climate change. The Office of Climate and Public Health focuses on populations most vulnerable to the health effects of climate change and seeks to address social determinants of health in the context of climate change.

Office of Climate and Public Health

The Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (“CEEJAC”) will advise the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on current and historic environmental injustice, pollution reduction, energy equity, climate change mitigation and resiliency, health disparities, and racial inequity, including but not limited to the following:

Integrating environmental justice considerations into the programs, policies, and activities of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection;

Providing mechanisms for Environmental Justice Communities to have a meaningful opportunity to participate in any decision to allow certain types of facilities in such communities;

Developing a model plan for community engagement and stakeholder outreach; and

Strengthening the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection partnerships.

Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC)

The Connecticut Clean Economy Council (CCEC) has been tasked with advising on strategies and policies to strengthen Connecticut’s climate mitigation, clean energy, resilience, and sustainability programs, thereby lowering emissions, and advancing the state of economic justice for its residents.
The CCEC will be used to engage relevant businesses to communicate opportunities within Connecticut’s Clean economy, inform the needs and development of workforce development training programs, and advise the CCEC in approaches to deploy funding on the previously identified opportunities and needs.

Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC)

Action History

Policy-Specific Details

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