Lamont tries to get state on track to meet 2040 climate goal

BLOOMFIELD — After notching several legislative victories for his ambitious plan to cut fossil fuels from Connecticut’s power grid by 2040, Gov. Ned Lamont is now faced with a test of his own administration’s ability to get up to speed.

Promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have lagged behind schedule under both Lamont and his predecessor, former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, driven mostly by increases in both vehicle exhausts and home energy emissions. Officials, however, have depicted the power sector as a bright spot in the state’s climate change goals with successes such as the closure of coal-fired power plants and the deployment of solar and wind projects.

Hoping to continue that streak, Lamont on Tuesday said that the next benchmark of his clean-power goal could come in just a few years as contracts with offshore wind projects are expected to boost zerocarbon sources to around 92 percent of the state’s total electricity needs.

“That’s a pretty good start for a 2040 goal,” Lamont said. “I want to set a very clear road map. I want all decisions made by business, made by municipalities, made by schools, made by state government all oriented toward honoring that goal.”

While Lamont made the 2040 clean energy goal a hallmark of his climate plan in 2019, during his first year in office, lawmakers voted on a largely bipartisan basis this legislative session to codify that plan into state law. The governor re-committed to his timeline Tuesday during a ceremonial signing for that legislation and a related bill to increase caps of solar electricity.

The legislation does not come with any penalty for the state if officials fail to meet the 2040 goal, meaning the impact — if any — will come from voters judging the performance of Lamont and future administrations.

Ratepayers in Connecticut support the zero-carbon electricity generation that is equivalent to around twothirds of the state’s demand, according to a 2020 report from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Most of that clean energy comes from the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in East Lyme, which generates about 40 percent of the total electricity produced in Connecticut.

To help achieve the 2040 goal, lawmakers this session also passed the solar energy bill that Lamont signed on Tuesday as well as legislation to partially lift the moratorium on nuclear energy that has existed since 1979.