Attached is an interesting report by the The Climate and Development Lab Institute at Brown University for Environment and Society.
Here is the executive summary:
Executive Summary
Who is testifying at the Connecticut Capitol on climate and clean energy? What arguments are those testifying against climate action using? What happens to clean energy bills? Who’s lobbying? What economic sectors are most actively among those opposing climate solutions legislation in Connecticut and what positions are they taking?
To address these questions, we analyzed publicly available written testimony on 48 bills that key organizations and coalitions working on climate policy in Connecticut saw as priority legislation from 2013-2020. In total, we analyzed 2,940 pieces of testimony, comprising 3,958 positions on legislation. We carefully read and summarize 263 pieces of opposition testimony to capture dominant discourses against climate solutions as they’ve been proposed in the state.
Electric and gas utilities spent over $24 million on lobbying over the eight years of this study, four times that of renewable energy firms, and over eight times that of environmental organizations. We find strong support for climate action in written testimony: 91.7% of the positions taken on climate and clean energy bills supported priority climate legislation. This strong support spanned every year from 2013-2020 and nearly all issues. Large numbers of testifiers supported legislation to ban fracking waste in Connecticut, facilitate shared solar energy, encourage electric vehicles, institute carbon pricing, create a Green New Deal and limit new natural gas infrastructure. Individuals speaking on their own behalf made up the largest segment of testimony, submitting over 3,000 positions on these bills - almost all in support of climate solutions legislation.
Opposition to key environmental organizations’ positions on climate legislation was most frequently heard from lobbyists and other staff from heating oil and alternative fuels companies, business associations, and electric and gas utilities. In addition, the majority of positions taken in testimony from the utilities, heating oils, business associations, auto, fossil fuel, and real estate sectors opposed key environmental organizations’ positions on climate legislation. Eversource Energy and Avangrid/UIL Holdings submitted over 20 positions each on a variety of issues. Two high-spending sectors identified in our lobbying analysis were nearly completely absent from testimony: power generators and natural gas pipeline companies.
Rather than attacking climate science, testimony in the Connecticut legislature sought to delay or stop the passage of individual climate and clean energy bills. We identified nine discourses frequently utilized in opposing priority climate legislation. The natural gas industry and supporters argued that its expansion is essential for the state economy. Climate bills were seen as disproportionately harmful to low-income residents, and carbon pricing was dismissed as just another tax. Several industries expressed a strong aversion to regulation and a preference for market-based incentives. Fossil fuel supporters argued that renewables and EVs are being given unfair advantages. Connecticut was presented by representatives of oil and gas distributors and the business association CBIA as too small to matter for the climate, and that adoption of proposed policies would make the state appear anti-business. Finally, several industry representatives argued that they and the state are already leaders on climate change.
We conclude with several recommendations:
Recommendations for the Legislature:
1: Evaluate and address utilities’ political influence.
2: Understand the new climate discourses.
3: Improve public voice and accountability at the Capitol.
4: Improve transparency and accountability.
Recommendations for Proponents:
1: Identifying opportunities for business support can advance policy.
2: Business lobbies may not be representing their members’ interests.
3: Broader coalitions can succeed
https://energynews.us/2021/12/13/study-business-lobbying-a-major-barrier-to-clean-energy-legislation-in-connecticut/
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