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Day two of David Pecker testimony wraps in NY Trump trial; Supreme Court hears arguments on Idaho's near-total abortion ban; ND sees a flurry of campaigning among Native candidates; and NH lags behind other states in restricting firearms at polling sites.

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The Senate moves forward with a foreign aid package. A North Carolina judge overturns an aged law penalizing released felons. And child protection groups call a Texas immigration policy traumatic for kids.

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Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

Advocates: Transportation Climate Bill Needs Vote in Special Session

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Monday, June 14, 2021   

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut environment and health advocates are pushing for the Transportation and Climate Initiative to get a vote in the General Assembly's special session, which starts Wednesday.

The Initiative is a cap-and-invest program for vehicles in order to curb pollution, and encourage use of clean-energy transit and fuels. It would require companies to pay states when they surpass the cap, then half the money would be invested into communities near transportation corridors.

Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, is one of many advocates concerned about the bill stalling out this session.

"Transportation accounts for 38% of our greenhouse-gas emissions in our state and our region," Brown noted. "And anything you can do to reduce those emissions takes a big step forward. This is a solution. It's ready-made."

Harvard research showed the Initiative's impact on air quality could also help prevent asthma-related illnesses in thousands of children. The Initiative has received pushback from GOP lawmakers, who see it as a gas tax for consumers, since suppliers would likely raise prices after their costs increase.

Climate change legislation in the state requires at least 45% greenhouse-gas reduction by 2030.

Brown contended not passing Senate Bill 884 would create an even bigger barrier for the state's climate goals.

"We're already going to be delayed by two years, because if they approve it this year, it doesn't go into effect for another two years," Brown explained. "In terms of the ramp up, and the credits and the sales, and actually starting to reduce emissions, and generating money."

In Connecticut, the measure could generate an estimated $1 billion between 2023 and 2032. The state, along with Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Washington DC, is among the first jurisdictions to commit to launching the initiative.


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