Connecticut Seal

General Assembly



February Session, 2010

LCO No. 5438



Offered by:


REP. PISCOPO, 76th Dist.

REP. HAMZY, 78th Dist.


To: Senate Bill No. 493

File No.

Cal. No.


"Sec. 501. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) For the purposes of this section and section 502 of this act:

(1) "Climate expenditure" means any state expenditure designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

(2) "CO2e" means carbon dioxide equivalent calculated as greenhouse gases normalized to metric tons of carbon dioxide.

(3) "Certified carbon offsets" means carbon credits certified to meet the United Nation's Clean Development Mechanism.

(b) Any state agency, prior to making a climate expenditure intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, shall provide the following information: (1) The number of tons of CO2e reduced by such action; (2) the total cost of such action; and (3) the cost per ton of such CO2e reduction.

(c) Any state contract that is required to implement a climate expenditure shall include the cost per ton of CO2e reduction in the performance provisions of such contract.

Sec. 502. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The State Contracting Standards Board shall regularly audit state contracts to ensure that climate expenditure contracts meet performance standards for cost per ton of CO2e. If any such audit indicates that a contractor is not in compliance, such contractor shall: (1) Provide certified carbon offsets equivalent to the difference between actual emissions reductions and contracted emissions reductions, or (2) refund a portion of the contract funds to the state until the cost per ton of CO2e reduction meets the benchmark included in such contract.

(b) Each state agency that executes climate expenditure contracts shall, on or before January first of each year, provide to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, that outlines the performance of such individual contracts, and that includes: (1) The total tons of CO2e reduced under each such contract; (2) the total dollar value of each such contract; and (3) the cost per ton of CO2e reduced under the terms of such contract. Any agency that fails to submit such report shall have all funding for all climate expenditures suspended until such report is submitted. "