CT GOP Seeks Meeting with Gov. Lamont to Discuss Special Session on Rising Electricity Costs

House Republican Leader Vincent J. Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding today sent this letter to the governor.

Dear Governor Lamont,

As a follow up to our joint letter dated August 9, 2024, and in response to your statement to the press, we are again seeking action from your office to convene a meeting of caucus leaders to discuss a call to special session for the purpose of providing relief to Eversource and United Illuminating ratepayers. In the beginning of July, electric customers saw a drastic increase in the public benefits portion of their electric bills, and the additional increase approved by PURA yesterday makes it unconscionable for us to sit idle while thousands have signed petitions and called their elected officials demanding action. At the very least a joint meeting facilitated by your office should be convened to address this situation immediately.

As you know, according to the Comptroller, the General Fund will end Fiscal Year 2024 with a surplus of $329 million—which could cover the government mandated arrearage costs imposed on the utilities and paid for by all ratepayers. This one time surplus could also absorb the expenses of the new electric vehicle charging program. We believe that the use of these one-time surplus dollars could provide immediate relief to ratepayers. This laudable goal is achievable if we act in a timely manner without violating any of the fiscal guardrails, as the mechanism to achieve this solution has been employed in the past.

You may also be aware of the long-term proposals that Senate and House Republicans have offered since February that would address the high electricity costs that residents are experiencing. These effects are the direct result of the public policies implemented by the Democrat-led legislature and the state. While it may be politically convenient for some to ask PURA to delay or amortize such costs to reduce the price shock, the obligation to discuss all options should be a priority of your office. We believe that policy decisions are the purview of the legislature and until we as a body act to address those public policies, deferring to PURA to do so does little to address the high long-term costs we face today and in the outyears, when additional policies will begin to be implemented.

The constructive ideas put forward by House and Senate Republicans should not be summarily dismissed and while we may disagree on some of the policy perspectives, there is no reason why we can’t meet to find bipartisan solutions. House and Senate Republicans are eager and willing to help address rising electricity costs. We await your response and will prioritize our time to make such a meeting work.

Sincerely,

Representative Vincent Candelora

Senator Stephen Harding