Lamont issues executive order aimed at reducing carbon emissions

(The Center Square) – Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order Thursday that calls for state agencies to reduce carbon emissions.

Lamont announced in a news release he signed Executive Order 21-3 that mandates executive branch state agencies to prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis and “precious little time remains to take action to mitigate the impacts the state will experience in the future.”

“Climate change is here, and it’s only going to get worse if we don’t take meaningful action,” Lamont said in the release. “In September, a bad progress report showed that we’re in danger of missing our statutory greenhouse gas reduction goals, so we need to roll up our sleeves and do the necessary work to improve. That work starts with us in the executive branch, and that’s why I’m directing our state agencies to take these actions for our environment, our public health and safety, and the incredible opportunity before us to develop our green workforce.”

According to the release, the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report indicates emissions from transportation and building industries are rising and the state won’t meet the interim 2030 target for reducing emissions.

The governor, according to the release, said the state needs to take immediate action in regard to reducing carbon emissions, and is also calling for the General Assembly to expand investments in climate change initiatives and decarbonization programs.

The executive order, the release said, recommends 23 actions developed by the Governor’s Council of Climate Change in building in infrastructure, clean transportation, community climate resilience, health, equity, and environmental justice, and jobs and economy and natural and working lands.

According to the release, the 23 actions encompass affordable heating and cooling for state residents and businesses, a statewide battery electric bus fleet, shovel-ready resilience projects, emissions regulation for medium and heavy-duty vehicles, while increasing resilience and sequestering carbon from forests and agriculture.

Under the order, the Office of Climate and Public Health will be created, in addition to Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisors Council, and Connecticut Clean Economy Council, while furthering completion of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.

“From our built environment to our natural environment and everything in between, the impacts of the climate crisis are informed by every decision we make, and felt in every aspect of our lives,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes in the release. “These actions, combined with the historic federal infrastructure funding coming to Connecticut, provide us with an extraordinary opportunity to advance equity and environmental justice, clean air, healthier communities, affordable energy, and expanded jobs and economic opportunity, all while reducing planet-warming emissions and making communities more resilient to a changing climate.”

For buildings and infrastructure, the order, according to the release, directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to seek affordable HVAC for businesses and residents, while reducing greenhouse gases from residences, businesses and industries. The order also calls for the construction of more efficient and climate resilience buildings.

Under community climate resilience, the order calls for DEEP to develop plans with 40% of the resources in municipalities with vulnerable populations and identify projects designed with federal infrastructure funding in mind.

The order also calls for an air quality monitoring program in communities, and the Clean Economy Council, according to the release, will advise the governor on best practices and policies designed to embolden the state’s climate mitigation.

For natural and working lands, according to the release, DEEP will contact stakeholders in regard to resources and programs to ensure the state’s forests and farms are resilient when addressing climate change.

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