Sign Up
HB 6280 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CLIMATE CHANGE SUPERFUND.

HB 6280 establishes a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to fund climate adaptation projects by requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for historical emissions. It targets entities that extracted or refined fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) during 1995-2025 and caused over one billion metric tons of emissions, treating corporate "controlled groups" as single liable entities. Funds collected will finance concrete adaptation projects like flood protection, infrastructure upgrades, and health programs to address climate impacts. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection administers the program, using strict liability to recover costs for state-wide climate resilience efforts.
Issues: ✓ EnergySupports EnergyForces fossil fuel companies to fund climate adaptation projects, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and directing resources to climate-resilient energy infrastructure.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentMandates fossil fuel companies to fund climate adaptation projects via cost recovery, directly advancing environmental protection and climate resilience.95% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Feb 25, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Proposed Bill → Committee Bill · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended from a proposed version to a committee version, primarily adding detailed definitions and establishing the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program with specific administrative structures and liability criteria. The committee version introduces formal program definitions, sets a covered period from 1995 to 2025, and defines who qualifies as a 'responsible party' for cost recovery based on greenhouse gas emissions thresholds.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from a general statement of purpose to a detailed statutory framework with specific program administration, liability thresholds, and comprehensive definitions for climate adaptation projects and responsible parties.
DEFINITION

Added 22 detailed definitions including 'Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program', 'responsible party', 'covered period', and 'climate change adaptation project' to clarify program scope and eligibility.

REQUIREMENT

Established the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to be administered by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection with six specific purposes including securing payments from responsible parties.

TIMELINE

Set the covered period for emissions calculation from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2025, and set program effective date to July 1, 2025.

ELIGIBILITY

Defined 'responsible party' as entities emitting more than one billion metric tons of greenhouse gases during the covered period, with strict liability for cost recovery.

TECHNICAL

Added formatting changes including LCO number updates (2682 to 4800) and page numbering adjustments to reflect committee processing.

SCOPE

Expanded definition of climate change adaptation projects to include nature-based solutions, flood protections, infrastructure upgrades, and public health measures.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
1
Committee
3
Feb 24, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment
lower
Feb 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
DRAFTED BY COMMITTEE
lower
Jan 23, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.