Within minutes of signing legislation on Tuesday that pledged to put Connecticut on a path toward reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Gov. Ned Lamont flipped the script by reiterating his support for one of climate advocates’ chief causes of concern: an expansion of pipelines carrying fracked natural gas.
Specifically, the Democratic governor hinted that he’d been engaged in talks with the Trump administration and state leaders in New York about building or expanding pipelines that could deliver more gas to Connecticut and the rest of New England.
“We’ll see, but it’s back on the table,” Lamont told reporters, without offering further details.
Lamont’s comments were delivered immediately after he signed two of Democrats’ priority climate bills passed during this year’s legislative session. The first, House Bill 5004, set the state’s net-zero emissions target and added incentives for solar canopies, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, green jobs and sustainability-focused businesses.
The term “net-zero” refers to a point where any greenhouse gases produced by humans are offset with carbon-capture technologies or natural means such as reforestation. There are no penalties under the bill if the state fails to reach that target.
The other legislation, Senate Bill 9, included several climate-resiliency measures along with tougher restrictions on the use of rat poisons and class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
The juxtaposition between the governor’s praise of the climate legislation and his embrace of natural gas was jarring for several of the advocates who have fought for years against the expansion of gas pipelines. They argue pipelines can leak potent methane gases, and increase dependency on fossil fuel power plants, making it harder for the state to fulfill its promise to slash emissions.
“It was horrific to hear,” said Sam Dynowski, director of the Sierra Club’s Connecticut chapter, who had posed for photos behind the governor as he signed both bills into law Tuesday.
“It’s as dirty as coal when you add up the combustion emissions and the leaks,” Dynowski said. “So we cannot bring more gas into Connecticut if we really want to solve the climate crisis.”
It was not the first time that Lamont has angered advocates with his pitch for natural gas. As if sensing that pushback again on Tuesday, Lamont said that a larger gas supply is necessary to wean the region off its reliance on aging, oil-fired plants that are needed to meet demand in winter months.
“We’re taking out some things that are even more polluting,” Lamont said.
“Long term, what it means if we got more gas up from, say, the Pennsylvania area, you know, we’re working on that,” the governor added. “We’re working with all the different players. That doesn’t take our eye off the ball, what we’ve got to do as a state to make sure we stay green and clean.”
On Tuesday, Lamont was asked about a reported deal between Donald J. Trump’s Interior Department and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to allow work to resume on a offshore wind farm, Empire Wind 1. As part of that deal, Trump administration officials said Hochul had signaled her willingness to move forward on pipeline projects that could deliver gas to New England.
Hochul’s office denied that any explicit agreement had been made to approve a pipeline, according to Politico.
Lamont, who met with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in Washington earlier this year, said Tuesday that he had been “clued in” to those discussions around wind and natural gas.
“We were really cheering on Kathy Hochul to make sure that that Empire Wind kept going,” Lamont said. “Trump pulled it back, then he allowed it to go back again, maybe with some relief on what they want to do on natural gas.”
The Department of the Interior did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
One project mentioned by several outlets as a potential chip in negotiations between the states and the federal government is the so-called Constitution Pipeline, which would carry fracked gas from Pennsylvania to upstate New York, where it would connect with existing pipelines serving Connecticut and New England.
The developer behind that proposed pipeline, The Williams Companies, submitted applications with state and federal regulators earlier this year to approve the pipeline, with an estimated completion date in 2027.
