Connecticut lawmakers are considering a climate superfund bill that would require fossil fuel companies to help the state pay for infrastructure upgrades needed to combat climate change.
It would ensure that fossil fuel companies are held accountable for mitigating the damage caused by past environmental pollution, considering the EPA’s roll-back of federal greenhouse gas protections, said Representative MJ Shannon (D-Milford), a sponsor of the bill.
“A climate superfund will flip the script. It is a fair and simple proposal that the largest fossil fuel polluters who contribute to the climate crisis pay into a fund to help cover the damages,” Shannon said.
Representative Doug Dubitsky (R-Chaplin) questioned why fossil fuel companies should be held responsible for climate change.
“I’d love to see the connection between the cause and the effect. As opposed to just saying there is a cause and an effect,” Dubitsky said at an Environmental Committee public hearing on Friday.
The superfund would also further drive up energy prices in the state, which are already some of the highest in the country, opponents claimed.
The bill has the support of the Lamont administration.
