(Watch) CT House & Senate GOP Call for Special Session on Electric Rates

House & Senate Republicans Call for Special Session on Electric Rates
Lawmakers offer proposals for long-term relief

(Watch the press conference here.)

HARTFORD, CT — House and Senate Republicans on Thursday called for a special legislative session to tackle perpetually high electric rates in Connecticut and said it’s time for Governor Lamont to take a more aggressive role in bringing together lawmakers, utility companies, and government regulators to develop a reasonable state strategy on energy.

“Connecticut residents are getting crushed by electricity bills. They’re reeling from sticker shock and are justified in saying that our system is broken. It’s time for the Governor to get off the bench and lead on this issue. He can start by calling the legislature into a special session to install a few commonsense measures we’ve offered to help control future costs for residents, and we hope that Democrats, for the sake of their own constituents and ours, will join us in urging him to make that call,” said House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding. “More than ever, ratepayers are experiencing the reality of being on the losing end in a state with lofty if not ideological decarbonization goals that lack an affordable strategy to achieve them. They want solutions, and we have a few that we believe will serve as a foundation for improving the state’s energy landscape in a way that will benefit ratepayers in the long run.”

Connecticut Republicans held a news conference at the Legislative Office Building, where they outlined proposals to provide rate relief to customers who for years have been frustrated by costly bills that they say are squeezing their personal finances. The proposals mirror those offered by the House and Senate Republicans in February, when they urged action as they reminded Democrats about the financial pressure on constituents caused by high electric bills.

The proposals outlined Thursday include:

• Limit all future Power Purchase Agreements so that no contract can be for more than 150% over the wholesale electric market price.
• Study moving public policy charges off ratepayer bills and into the budget.
• Redefine Class I renewable energy sources to include all forms of hydropower and all nuclear power to lower the cost of these energy sources.
• Separate the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA)
• Cover the portion of rate increases associated the moratorium on electric service shutoffs by reallocating remaining end-of-year American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and examining budgetary options that could make available as much as $1 billion.

“Residents of Connecticut deserve better; they deserve relief in this worsening economy,” said Sen. Ryan Fazio, Senate Ranking Member of the Energy and Technology Committee. “The uncertainty surrounding the upcoming offshore wind procurement rates is unsettling, and we must put protections in place for our ratepayers. Our proposals for long-term rate relief mirror those we offered last February, and it’s high time the majority party took action. We need to address this issue now to alleviate the financial pressure on our constituents caused by high electric bills.”

Republicans lamented the fact that one of their passed-over proposals from February could have blunted the increase ratepayers are seeing now. Republicans said the Governor and Democrats should have acted on their plan to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the cost tied to a roughly four-year state-imposed moratorium on electric service shutoffs—a decision that today has left ratepayers covering the bills of those who didn’t pay theirs.

“Of course, I was disappointed that my majority party colleagues decided against setting aside a sliver of ARPA funds to cover the cost of the moratorium, choosing instead to dump it into higher education. They even included language that dictates unexpected surpluses should go to colleges and universities—not even to our local school districts, which are struggling with surging special education costs,” said Rep. Bill Buckbee, House Ranking Member of the Energy and Technology Committee. “Our proposal in February to use ARPA money to offset rate hikes would’ve made a huge difference in the lives of people today. But a special session would give us another bite at the apple—to reallocate money. It won’t solve the immediate problem, but it’s potentially a bit of relief ratepayers deserve.”

Rep. Candelora and Sen. Harding criticized Democrats for failing last session to pass an energy bill that would ease the burden on ratepayers. Much of the Democrats’ work over the last two years has focused on ideological pursuits that would instead increase rates, they said.

“What we’ve seen from our colleagues has been a dogged pursuit of electrification of everything you can think of, from our leaf blowers and stoves to our vehicles and home heating systems. Of course, what’s missing is how to mitigate the cost of any of it and the ability of the grid to handle it,” Rep. Candelora and Sen. Harding said. “They’ve spent the last two years pursuing policies that will lead to cost increases for ratepayers. Earlier this summer, many Democrats were urging a special session to pass their ‘Green Monster’ climate bill that failed during the regular session, legislation that called for the installation of thousands of electric heat pumps. Utility companies will also recover from ratepayers the cost associated with a rebate they offer for home EV charging systems, another program designed to help the state achieve the climate goals set by lawmakers and bureaucrats. It’s ideology before affordability.”

Sen. Fazio and Rep. Buckbee said the current crisis should be a catalyst for change.

“We hope the ongoing statewide conversation about exorbitant energy rates will not only prompt immediate action during a special session but also ignite fresh dialogue and innovative ideas among members of the Energy and Technology Committee. We are prepared to take action and stand ready to collaborate with the majority party to start helping our residents and address this pressing issue.”