The Environment Committee will hold a public hearing on Feb. 20 regarding H.B. 5156, a proposal to create a new “climate superfund” requiring certain fossil-fuel companies to pay for climate-related projects across Connecticut — from infrastructure upgrades to flood mitigation and coastal protection.  While the bill’s stated goal is to help fund adaptation efforts tied to severe weather and environmental risks, it would also establish a significant new state-run cost-recovery program administered largely outside the traditional annual appropriations process.