Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has withdrawn his support for the Transportation and Climate Initiative, saying the cap-and-trade program for gasoline is “no longer the best solution for the Commonwealth’s transportation and environmental needs,” according to […]
Gov. Ned Lamont says he is no longer pushing for Connecticut to implement the Transportation and Climate Initiative program, citing high gasoline prices and federal infrastructure dollars coming from Washington D.C., according the Waterbury Republican-American. […]
Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, called on Sen. Richard Blumenthal to urge Democrats in the Connecticut General Assembly to reject the Transportation and Climate Initiative, which would increase the price of gasoline by forcing […]
In an op-ed for The Connecticut Post entitled “The simple math of addressing climate change,” Rep. Christine Palm, D-Chester, wrote that the Transportation and Climate Initiative program, which would require fuel wholesalers to purchase emission […]
A member of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s Board of Directors says he is trying to use his position to steer the state’s largest business association toward supporting the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Kevin […]
Save the Sound, one of Connecticut’s environmental advocacy groups pushing hard for the Transportation and Climate Initiative program, is ramping up their lobbying efforts in September, according to filings with the Office of State Ethics. […]
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed on to the Transportation and Climate Initiative program without legislative approval, but he may soon need voter approval if Massachusetts is going to remain in the controversial cap and trade […]
Connecticut trade unions are joining environmental and social justice advocacy groups in sending a letter to Connecticut lawmakers urging them to pass the Transportation and Climate Initiative program with a greater focus on equity and […]
In July, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Connecticut was increasing its rebates for the purchase of an electric or zero-emission vehicle, boosting the rebate from a maximum $5,000 to $7,500 depending on the type of vehicle […]
Proponents for the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) plan to use a special legislative session in September to implement the program in Connecticut, according to a key supporter. Legislative leaders haven’t yet announced formal plans […]
The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4th and will adjourn on June 7th. The “long session,” as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts.
What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? What tax reform proposals will there be? What can be done to lower home heating bills? How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements?
While we wait to see the thousands of individual and committee bills that while dominate the myriad policy debates this year, Yankee Institute is hard at work promoting free-market solutions to the problems we face from Stamford to Putnam and Mystic to Salisbury. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticut’s government work for its residents.
Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! And that’s why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s also imperative that we do so. As we noted in a report and CT Mirror op-ed last year, the debate over whether we’re in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. We had more people employed in the private sector in 2007 than we do today. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. We’re not attracting innovation and industry. We’re losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where it’s easier to make a living.
But together, we can reverse this trend.
At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet! Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive – and with your help, it will be.