Climate change is costing Connecticut taxpayers millions every year, and the bill keeps growing. From floods to fires, from crop losses to rising seas, our communities are being left to clean up the damage while Big Oil and Gas companies rake in record profits. That’s not fair—and it’s time for change.
In Connecticut alone, the price tag of climate destruction is staggering. In 2023, extreme weather caused $29 million in losses to Connecticut farms from flooding and unexpected frosts. In August of 2024, catastrophic flooding brought over $300 million in damages across our communities. Just a month later, a historic fall drought fueled brush fires statewide, and a single fire in Berlin, which required out-of-state crews and helicopter water drops, cost between $1 million and $5 million. Looking ahead, the Center for Climate Integrity has found that $5.3 billion is the minimum downpayment needed by 2040 just to defend our coastlines from rising seas.
Meanwhile, the federal government is pulling back support. In May 2025, the Trump administration abruptly canceled the bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which had provided billions to help towns prepare for floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Now, with federal funding slashed, states like Connecticut are left holding the bag just as climate impacts grow worse.
New York and Vermont have already passed versions of the Climate Superfund and 15 states are following the effort this year. Now is the time for Connecticut to follow the momentum.
The concept of the Climate Superfund is simple: the biggest fossil fuel companies that do business in our state pay into a fund in proportion to the amount of damage they have caused. This fund supports climate resilience and disaster recovery projects. These corporations knew decades ago that burning fossil fuels would lead to catastrophic climate change. Instead of warning the public, they lied, delayed action, and profited while our communities have been left to foot the bill.
We can’t keep passing these costs onto taxpayers, municipalities, and already overstretched state budgets. The companies most responsible for climate change should pay their fair share to help communities prepare, recover, and build resilience.
