Sen. Berthel, Senate GOP Unveil ‘A Better Way to a Cleaner and Greener Connecticut’

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Read the plan.

Chief Deputy Senate Republican Leader Eric Berthel (R-Watertown) today joined Connecticut Senate Republicans to unveil “A Better Way to a Cleaner and Greener Connecticut”: a set of responsible, affordable and achievable policy proposals which, if adopted, will make Connecticut’s air cleaner without having to follow California’s extreme ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles.

“Senate Republicans care about the environment. We also care about the impact on a financially stressed Connecticut and its citizens. Our plan allows for a more moderate approach to implementing cleaner, greener policies in Connecticut,” Sen. Berthel said. “The cost of EVs and a mandate that requires people to exclusively purchase them in 2035 and beyond is tone deaf to the fiscal pressures that people in the state are under. It also fails to account that a large part of Connecticut’s population today is living in poverty.”

Instead of following California’s extreme ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles, Connecticut can adopt provisions which will clean our air without burdening our residents with unaffordable and unachievable mandates.

The Senate Republicans’ plan calls for Connecticut to:

• Adopt EPA air quality standards that do not ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles.
• Reduce vehicle emissions by expanding existing tax credits to all fuel efficient vehicles, making hybrids eligible for half of the max credit of full electric vehicles, and encouraging flexible green workweek schedules
• Prioritize emission reduction programs by using historic federal and state investments for transportation construction projects to open congestion bottlenecks, expanding public transportation and EV charging station infrastructure and investing in roundabouts and smart traffic lights
• Make investments in the recycling stream to efficiently reduce, reuse, and recycle rather than ship waste out of state
• Invest in greenspaces, greenways and open spaces, restore seagrasses, increase green spaces in urban and environmental justice communities, and mitigate vegetation loss
• Ensure that $24.6 million in revenue from current state fees related to environment initiatives are directed to support the environment instead of supporting general government spending.
• Incentivize lean energy-efficiency opportunities in industrial and manufacturing operations.
• Encourage in-state investments in carbon-free technology
• Encourage and incentivize energy efficiency through rebates, credits, and changes to building codes
• Develop a detailed strategic plan to improve the electric grid charging stations and alternative energy resources
• Put more pressure on the state’s federal delegation to push for clean energy policies in states to our west that create the pollution that damages air quality in CT