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SB00453 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING A CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED SURCHARGE ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES.

AN ACT CONCERNING A CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED SURCHARGE ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES.

Energy
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Environment Committee
Last action
2026-04-20
Official status
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is October 1, 2026, but the surcharge application starts January 1, 2027; this distinction was kept in limits_and_unknowns.

Surcharge on Insurance for Fossil Fuel Facilities

This law adds a fee to insurance policies covering oil, gas, and coal facilities in the state.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires insurers to charge an extra five percent fee when issuing or renewing property or casualty insurance for fossil fuel infrastructure.
  • Defines covered infrastructure as wells, pipelines, terminals, refineries, and utility-scale generation facilities that process, export, or transport oil, methane gas, or coal.
  • Excludes home fuel delivery vehicles from the surcharge requirement.
  • Directs all collected fees to a new fund called the climate resilience account.
  • Allows state officials to use these funds for flood risk data, public awareness campaigns in high-risk areas, and grants for building infrastructure designed to reduce flooding risks.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Insurance companies that issue or renew policies covering fossil fuel facilities in the state.
  • Owners of oil, gas, coal wells, pipelines, terminals, refineries, and utility-scale generation facilities who buy insurance.
  • The Insurance Commissioner and the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Terms To Know

Surcharge
An extra fee added to a bill or premium on top of the normal cost.
Captive insurance company
A specific type of insurance company created by its owners, which is included in this law's requirements.
Climate resilience account
The new state fund where the surcharge money goes to pay for flood safety projects and grants.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much total money will be collected or exactly which communities will receive grants.
  • The law takes effect on October 1, 2026, but the surcharge only applies to policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2027.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-20 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-04-20 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  3. 2026-04-20 Connecticut General Assembly

    No New File by Committee on Appropriations

  4. 2026-04-20 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  5. 2026-04-17 APP

    Joint Favorable

  6. 2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred by Senate to Committee on Appropriations

  7. 2026-04-15 Connecticut General Assembly

    Immediate Transmittal

  8. 2026-04-07 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  9. 2026-04-07 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  10. 2026-04-07 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 289

  11. 2026-04-07 LCO

    File Number 477

  12. 2026-03-30 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/07/26 12:00 PM

  13. 2026-03-19 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  14. 2026-03-18 ENV

    Joint Favorable

  15. 2026-03-09 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/13

  16. 2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Environment

Official Summary Text

To enact a surcharge on certain insurance policies for fossil fuel related facilities that contribute to climate change.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
LCO 1 of 2

General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 453
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING A CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED SURCHARGE
ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) On and after January 1, 1
2027, any person that issues or renews any property or casualty 2
insurance policy in this state, including, but not limited to, any policy of 3
a captive insurance company, for any fossil fuel infrastructure that 4
facilitates or expands the processing, exporting or transporting of oil, 5
methane gas or coal, other than home fuel delivery vehicles, or any other 6
infrastructure related to such activities, including, but not limited to, 7
wells, pipelines, terminals, refineries or utility-scale generation facilities, 8
shall be assessed a five per cent surcharge for the issuance or renewal of 9
any such policy. Any such surcharge shall be transmitted to the 10
Insurance Commissioner for deposit by said commissioner into the 11
climate resilience account described in subsection (b) of this section. 12
(b) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 13
establish an account to be known as the "climate resilience account". 14
Such account may receive any funds required to be deposited in such 15
account, including, but not limited to, any surcharge described in 16
subsection (a) of this section and any other funds, gift or donation 17
appropriated for or made to such account for the purposes described in 18
subsection (c) of this section. The funds in such account shall not lapse 19
at the end of any fiscal year and shall be available for the purposes 20
Substitute Bill No. 453

LCO 2 of 2

described in subsection (c) of this section. 21
(c) The Insurance Commissioner shall ensure the deposit of any such 22
surcharge described in subsection (a) of this section to the climate 23
resilience account established by the Commissioner of Energy and 24
Environmental Protection. The Commissioner of Energy and 25
Environmental Protection shall prescribe the allocation of such funds for 26
the purpose of disseminating flood risk data to communities throughout 27
the state, establishing a public awareness effort in communities with a 28
high risk of such flooding and providing grants to such communities for 29
the construction or installation of climate-resilient infrastructure that is 30
designed to mitigate such risk of flooding in such communities. 31
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section

ENV Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO
APP Joint Favorable