Sen. Harding: Governor is Right; “Green Monster” Bill Not Special Session-Worthy

Sen. Republican Leader Stephen Harding today issued the following statement regarding the governor saying the “Green Monster” climate bill should not be taken up by the state legislature in a summer Special Session.

“The governor described the Green Monster as ‘a big bill that probably better deserves full attention in a real legislative session.’ He’s right. Republicans have been warning that this bill, while well-intentioned, would give too much authority to unelected officials at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). It would enable DEEP to plan to implement basically whatever it deems fit to meet certain carbon emissions. That could mean new taxes and new government programs that the public would object to, but would have no say over. It could result in an anti-consumer and very unpopular electric vehicle mandate. Republicans continue to have significant reservations about giving unelected bureaucrats authority to implement policy that would impact the daily lives of the people of the state of Connecticut. But what is really telling about this bill is what is not in it – there are no programs or policies or plans that would reduce energy costs for the hard-working people of our state. During the legislative session, Republicans offered numerous common sense policies to reduce electric bills for the citizens in our state – and they were all rejected by the Democrats by a party line vote. Energy bills are often the most expensive bills for Connecticut families. Democrats seem to be oblivious to this while Republicans will always fight against policies that will add significant costs to the consumers of the state. Connecticut Republicans are equally committed to preserving our precious environmental resources and supporting renewable energy options that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while also reducing energy bills. Unlike our Democratic friends, we don’t believe those essential goals have to be mutually exclusive.”