Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group 2020 Final Report
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November 2020 State of Connecticut Final Report Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group Cross-sector Buildings Electricity Non-Energy Transportation Readers may find the PDF Table of contents bookmarks useful in navigating between chapters 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………… 2 2. Cross-sector ………………………………………………………………………..…………. 4 Overview Executive Summary 3. Buildings …………………………………………………………………………………….….. 34 Overview Executive Summary 4. Electricity .………………………………………………………………………………………. 72 Overview Executive Summary 5. Non-energy …………………………………………………………………………………… 103 Overview Executive Summary 6. Transportation …………………………………………………….……………….………… 126 Overview Executive Summary Connecticut Governor’s Council on Climate Change Report of the GC3 Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group Chapter 1 Introduction The Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) appointed the Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group (Mitigation WG) to review recommendations the Council had made in its 2018 report Building a Low Carbon Future for Connecticut: Achieving a 45% GHG Reduction by 2030, assess progress made in implementing those recommendations, and advise the Council on additional actions that should be taken. The focus of this work is Connecticut’s contribution to reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the global climate change implicated in melting of glaciers and ice caps, breaking heat records, exacerbating droughts and floods, fueling wildfires, pumping up hurricanes, pushing numerous species toward extinction, and raising sea level. GC3 assigned the Mitigation WG to address two additional key focal points during this work as well: (a) the relationship between climate change mitigation efforts and equity and environmental justice concerns; and (b) the relationship between climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation/resiliency. The Mitigation WG is composed of members of GC3 and others who were appointed to help flesh out its expertise and diversify its perspectives. The WG assembled five teams corresponding to the division of GHG emissions policies employed in the 2018 report: Cross-sector, Buildings, Electricity, Non-energy, and Transportation. Each team was co-chaired by a WG member or a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) staff member and involved both WG members and other stakeholders who volunteered to participate, with DEEP staff (primarily from the Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy) providing support. Members of the teams are listed in an appendix in each chapter. In all, the teams involved 19 Mitigation WG members, 55 other stakeholders, and 10 DEEP staff. The period between the initial Mitigation WG meeting on February 28, 2020, and fall 2020 saw a frenzy of activity. The WG met seven times and the teams, collectively, 53 times, often with 20 or more attendees. Individuals and small clusters of team members engaged in research and consultation. The teams interacted and consulted with other GC3 working groups. They prepared reports, each of which underwent multiple rounds of revision and review, both within the WG and within GC3’s Equity and Environmental Justice WG and the Science and Technology WG. Altogether, Mitigation WG efforts during this period have involved thousands of person-hours. The chapters that follow are a product of the Mitigation WG and team members. The perspectives expressed do not necessarily reflect the perspectives or positions of DEEP. The Working Group thanks members of the public who reviewed an earlier draft and provided feedback. Major revisions made after the draft report went out for public comment in September are outlined in an Readers may find the PDF bookmarks appendix in each chapter. useful in navigating between chapters Introduction 3 Report of the GC3 Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group Chapter 2 Cross-sector Chapter overview Executive summary Introduction Equity & environmental justice ─ Addressed in multiple sections Adaptation & resilience ─ Addressed in multiple sections Progress on 2018 recommendations Strategies Enhancements and new strategies Put a price on carbon Implement an economy-wide carbon fee that assesses the carbon content of fossil fuels and sets a price per ton of carbon emitted Implement an economy-wide cap-and-invest program that sets a limit on carbon emissions and allows the market to determine a price on carbon based on least- cost reduction measures Expand consumer Enhance outreach efforts by using social media campaigns, webinars, case studies, education and testimonials, and customer-engagement platforms o Conduct outreach on climate action plan awareness efforts to increase the uptake of zero- and low- carbon technology measures Pursue an integrated Prioritize opportunities for achieving synergies among actions that cut carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change [PRIORITY] approach to GHG o Proactively address synergies and dis-synergies mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency New Ensure that regulatory programs and State decision-making take into account their impact on meeting Connecticut’s GHG emissions-reduction goals [PRIORITY] recommendation Ensure that regulatory programs incorporate accounting for health and social cost Strengthen impacts, including co-benefits of non-CO2 pollutants [PRIORITY] alignment between Where appropriate, adopt supplemental lifecycle GHG accounting metrics state decision making Encourage energy-focused partnerships between regional councils of government and GHG emissions- and their member municipalities, Sustainable CT, and other NGOs to enable and reduction goals align quantitative measurement of progress in reduction of GHG emissions, using a state-wide standard tool [PRIORITY] Appendices Cross-sector 4 Report of the GC3 Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group Executive summary The Cross-Sector chapter addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies that touch upon emissions across all of the sectors identified as part of Connecticut’s emissions inventory: transportation, electricity, buildings, waste, industrial processes, agriculture, and natural gas leakage. While the state appears to be on track to reach its 2020 goal of reducing economy-wide GHG emissions to a level 10 percent below 1990 levels, the reduction curve must become much steeper in order to meet our 2030 and 2050 goals (45 percent and 80 percent below 2001 levels, respectively). To ensure that Connecticut is able to meet the necessity of reducing emissions more rapidly, it is essential that broad policies be adopted to ensure the prioritization of GHG emissions mitigation from all sources. This requires strong accountability and enforcement mechanisms, as well as a strong public education and outreach effort to build awareness and support for necessary actions. The recommendations in his chapter were developed by stakeholders representing private companies, non- profit and grassroots organizations, academia, and state and local government. The Cross-Sector stakeholder team reviewed the following recommendations from the 2018 report: 1. Put a price on carbon. 2. Expand consumer education and awareness efforts. 3. Pursue an integrated approach to GHG mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency. Given the broad nature of these recommendations, it is important to consider how they will impact Connecticut residents, especially underserved and overburdened populations. This chapter builds on the 2018 report by exploring the equity and environmental justice implications of each recommendation. The team then developed a suite of six additional broad, cross-sectoral policies, some of which expand upon or enhance the 2018 recommendations, and some of which take the form of new recommendations. Among the highest priorities identified by the team are these: • Prioritize opportunities for achieving synergies among actions that cut carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change • Ensure that regulatory programs and state decision-making take into account their impact on meeting Connecticut’s GHG emissions-reduction goals. • Ensure that regulatory programs include accounting for health and social cost impacts, including co-benefits of reducing emissions of pollutants other than carbon dioxide. • Encourage energy-focused partnerships between regional councils of government and their member municipalities, Sustainable CT, and other non-governmental organizations to enable and align quantitative measurement of progress in reduction of GHG emissions, using a state- wide, standard tool. Cross-sector 5 Report of the GC3 Progress on Mitigation Strategies Working Group Introduction The Cross-Sector recommendations provided in the 2018 Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) report address issues that impact Connecticut’s climate change mitigation efforts broadly, including: carbon-pricing policies; education and outreach activities; and attention to the relationship between mitigation efforts and adaptation/ resiliency efforts. These policies are further explored in this chapter. The chapter also recommends additional policy initiatives: requiring an ongoing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-mitigation focus across all state decision making; expanding GHG inventory practices; and adopting a more comprehensive approach to calculating the benefits of reducing GHG emissions. The Cross-Sector team was chaired by Charles Rothenberger (Save the Sound) and involved eight other Working Group members and 15 other stakeholders representing