AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY SCARCITY AND SECURITY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study energy scarcity and sustainability. The task force shall conduct scenario planning for long-term petroleum and natural gas scarcity, steep price increases and supply disruptions. Such study shall include, but not be limited to, examining price and scarcity impacts of natural gas and petroleum on the economy, food supply, transportation, education, health and emergency response.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;

(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives;

(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;

(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and

(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.

(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General Assembly.

(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made no later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force, from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held no later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(f) The administrative staff of the Office of Policy and Management shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.

(g) Not later than January 1, 2009, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Said report shall include, but not be limited to, short and long-term responses to address potential scarcity, disruptions and cost increases. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2009, whichever is later.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Office of Policy and Management shall conduct a petroleum sensitivity study of state agencies. Such study shall include, but not be limited to, a state-wide assessment and inventory of state departments and agencies and their activities and corollary resource requirements concerning petroleum use. The office shall report the findings of such study to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy on or before November 1, 2008.

Sec. 3. (Effective July 1, 2008) The Office of Policy and Management shall establish a pilot program to provide grants to at least five municipalities to develop and plan responses to energy scarcity and cost increases. Said plans may include, but not be limited to, the heating and cooling of public buildings, transportation, vital services and food supplies. No grant awarded pursuant to this section shall exceed fifty thousand dollars.

Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2008) The sum of two hundred thousand dollars is appropriated to the Office of Policy and Management, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, for the purpose of providing grants to municipalities pursuant to section 3 of this act.

Statement of Purpose:

To create an energy scarcity and sustainability task force, to require the Office of Policy and Management to assess all state agencies with regard to petroleum use and to establish a grant program for municipalities to plan for energy scarcity and cost increases.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]