Connecticut State Climate Action

Executive Order 21-3

Gov. Lamont signing EO 21-3
Actions That Reduce Carbon Emissions and Adapt to the Climate Crisis

On December 16, 2021, the Governor signed Executive Order No. 21-3 which calls for 23 actions, supporting 30+ recommendations proposed by the GC3 and directs State executive branch state agencies to take significant actions within their authority to reduce carbon emissions.  Many of these actions implement recommendations of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (“GC3”) Phase 1 Report issued in January 2021.

The 23 actions directed by the Executive Order cover the areas of buildings and infrastructure; clean transportation; community climate resilience; health, equity and environmental justice; economic development and jobs; and natural and working lands. The Executive Order advances affordable heating and cooling for State residents and businesses, energy efficient and resilient building codes, a statewide battery electric bus fleet, shovel-ready resilience projects, the first state government assets and operation climate vulnerability assessment, and increasing resilience and carbon sequestrations in forests and agriculture. It also establishes the first Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council, Connecticut’s first Office of Climate and Public Health, and the first Connecticut Clean Economy Council, and continues the work of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.

 

Read the Press Release
Read the Text of the Full Executive Order

This website spotlights some of the latest progress on directives in Executive Order 21-3.

Buildings and Infrastructure | Clean Transportation | Community Climate Resilience | Health, Equity & Environmental Justice | Economic Development and Jobs | Natural and Working Lands | Governor’s Council on Climate Change

 

Buildings and Infrastructure header

1. Comprehensive Energy Strategy – Achieving GHG Reductions Consistent with the Global Warming Solutions Act

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in the next Comprehensive Energy Strategy, to identify strategies to provide more affordable heating and cooling for Connecticut residents and businesses, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial buildings and industrial processes, and improve the resilience of the state’s energy sector to extreme weather events, fuel commodity price spikes, and other disruptions.

2. Energy Efficient and Climate Resilient Building Codes

Directs the Department of Administrative Services Building Inspector to:

  • Maintain up-to-date code;
  • Prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions when adopting the State Building Code;
  • Consider impacts of climate change (incl. sea level rise of up to 1 foot 8 inches by 2050) when making amendments to State Building Code;
  • Solicit testimony from resilience experts when developing the code;
  • Consider resiliency standards based on best available science, including the Insurance Institute of Business & Home Safety FORTIFIED standards;
  • Train new and existing code officials on construction techniques that lower emissions and improve climate; resilience and continue to recruit new Codes and Standards Committee members with such expertise; and
  • Work with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to adopt High Performance Building Standards.
3. Strengthening Interim Targets for GreenerGovCT Lead By Example

In order to meet its 45% GHG emissions reduction goal, the state will adopt targets to implement organics/food waste diversion, purchase 100% zero carbon electricity, lease zero emission light-duty vehicles, plan for retrofit and new construction zero carbon heating and cooling, divest buildings, deploy solar, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from state buildings.

4. Appliance Standards

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to promulgate regulations to promote energy conservation and efficiency, provided that the subject appliances remain cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use them.

5. Resilient State Buildings

Directs the Department of Administrative Services to ensure state buildings are capable of withstanding wind and flood risks and to consider use of Insurance Institute of Business & Home Safety’s FORTIFIED standards to meet this goal.

6. Solar Arrays on Department of Administrative Services and Department of Transportation State Properties

Directs the Department of Transportation and the Department of Administrative Services to identify opportunities to deploy solar on their properties and rights-of-way.

Clean Transportation header

7. Statewide Battery Electric Bus Fleet by 2035

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

8. 2030 Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction Target

Directs the Department of Transportation to set a 2030 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction target and develop a plan of investments to influence the reductions. 

Community Climate Resilience header

9. Connecticut Community Climate Resilience Program

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish a Connecticut Community Climate Resilience program with funding from the microgrid and resilience grant program for plans and project development with 40% of resources targeted at municipalities where vulnerable populations reside. This planning investment will, among other things, help identify a pipeline of projects that could obtain federal infrastructure funding.

10. Community Resilience Engagement and Technical Assistance

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to work with partners, including UConn, to help municipalities and Councils of Government implement climate resilience actions, including establishing stormwater authorities and municipal climate resilience boards enabled under Governor’s bill AAC Climate Change Adaptation signed into law as P.A.21-115.

11. State Vulnerability Assessment of State Government Assets and Operations and State Climate Resilience Project Pipeline

Directs the EO1 Greener Gov Steering Committee co-chairs (Office of Policy and Management, Department of Administrative Services, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) in cooperation with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to assess the vulnerability of state government assets and operations to the impacts of climate change and create a list of priority assets and infrastructure for climate resilience projects for each agency.

12. Resilient Stormwater and Drainage Systems

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to update the design criteria for stormwater management systems and the Department of Transportation to identify culverts that need to be repaired or replaced to guide application for federal funding for this work.

13. Resilient Critical Facilities

Directs the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Department of Administrative Services and the Office of Policy and Management to maintain a list of state and local critical facilities and directs all state agencies to consider this list in their capital and climate resilience planning, especially in floodplains or flood-prone areas.

Health, Equity & Environmental Justice header
14. Community Air Quality Monitoring

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop a community-based air quality monitoring program, in consultation with DPH.

15. Medium and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Vehicle Emissions Standards

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to assess whether Connecticut needs to adopt California’s standards to meeting our air quality standards and emissions reduction targets.

16. DPH Office of Climate and Public Health

Directs the Department of Public Health to establish an Office of Climate and Public Health (“OCPH”) to address the intersection of climate change and health equity. The OCPH will:

  • Utilize the social vulnerability index (“SVI”) in climate change planning for vulnerable populations, including for targeting resources;
  • Establish guidance, policies, and laws to reduce illness and death among Connecticut’s residents from climate-related disease and exposures with a focus on health equity;
  • Implement actions identified in the Public Health & Safety section of the GC3 January 2021 report
  • Develop plans to assist residents in high SVI locations for climate control in dwellings;
  • Apply lessons learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery;
  • Provide training and education;
  • Convene and form partnerships; and
  • Coordinate efforts to implement the above charge drawing upon the expertise within DPH and across state agencies.
17. Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Establishes the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (“CEEJAC”) within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The Council 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.

Jobs and Economic Development header

18. Connecticut Clean Economy Council

Establishes a Connecticut Clean Economy Council to advise the Governor on strategies and policies to strengthen the state’s climate mitigation, clean energy, resilience, and sustainability programs by  leveraging state and federal funding and maximize local economic development in clean energy, climate and sustainability; training the workforce in these areas; and supporting a diverse and equitable economic development and employment. 

The Council will consist of members of the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Office of Policy and Management, the Department of Transportation, the Office of Workforce Strategies, the Office of the Governor, the Connecticut Green Bank, and Connecticut Innovations. It will also form working groups to address workforce development. The Council must report of findings and recommendations by November 1, 2022.

19. Climate Resilient Economic Development

Directs the Department of Economic and Community Development to include climate resilience and adaptation in its considerations for Municipal Brownfields grants and new Communities Challenge with additional consideration for any projects designed under the Connecticut Community Climate Resilience program created under this EO.

Working and Natural Lands header

 

20. Forest Climate Resilience and Mitigation Potential

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to engage stakeholders on resources and programs to ensure Connecticut’s forests continue to be resilient to the impacts of climate change and to maximize forests’ potential to sequester and store carbon in support of state’s emissions reduction goals.

21. Agriculture Climate Resilience and Mitigation Potential

Directs the Department of Agriculture to engage stakeholders on what is needed to ensure working lands and soils in Connecticut continue to be resilient to the impacts of climate change and to maximize their potential to sequester and store carbon in support of state’s emissions reduction goals. The engagement will include streamlining protection of working lands, enhancing renewable energy and energy efficiency programs available to farms, and partnering with state and federal agencies to improve soil health.

22. Climate Resilience Using Nature-Based Solutions on State Properties

Directs the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Department of Administrative Services to develop guidance for state agencies to use nature-based solutions for flood and erosion control and stormwater management, integrate coastal marsh migration in state projects in coastal areas, and utilize low impact development and green infrastructure in new state construction and state-funded construction or redevelopment. The Order directs agencies to utilize this guidance for capital project planning and design. All capital projects following this guidance will report on their progress to the EO1 Steering Committee on State Sustainability.

Governor's Council on Climate Change header

23. Continue Governor’s Council on Climate Change

Extends the Governor’s Council on Climate Change to require a report on progress under both mitigation and adaptation and resilience planning in Sections 4 and 5 of EO3 by December 31, 2022 and December 31 every year thereafter.