Watch | Sen. Gordon Joins Grassroots Advocates, Delivers 68,000 Signatures to Governor Demanding Energy Ratepayer Relief

October 24, 2024

 

 State Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) today joined grassroots advocates and small business owners led by Scott Pearson of Monroe to deliver Pearson’s Change.org petition with more than 68,000 signatures from statewide residents to Gov. Ned Lamont, to demand that “Public Benefits” charges on customer energy bills cease.

 

“I’m proud of Scott and everyone who joined us here today. We can see the huge volume of people, and I know there are far more who are just as outraged about their sky-high electric bills. I hear it every day when talking to my constituents. If it weren’t for a law last year to make electric bills transparent, then people would not even know why their bills skyrocketed.

 

“Electric bills should be about the electricity that you use, and nothing else. We’ve been proposing for a long time to remove these taxes from your bills. This petition with 68,000 signatures is an outcry to the state government. I talk to people all the time who do not know how they are going to pay their electric bill. Enough is enough. We are encouraging the Governor and the Democratic majority to work with us to get things done for a long-term solution,” said Sen. Gordon.

Pearson created the petition on July 28, 2024, as Connecticut ratepayers became overwhelmed with energy bills that doubled and even tripled because of PURA’s rate hike approval for Eversource and UI customers. A portion of this dramatic rate hike is attributed to the dubious “Public Benefits” charge.

 

Senator Gordon and legislative Republicans made repeated calls over the summer for a special legislative session to enact their proposals for long-term relief from the sharp electric bill increase..

 

Also, in September, he and all legislative Republicans signed a petition to force a special session to address the issue.

 

Click here for more information on Senator Gordon’s ongoing efforts to reduce utility rates in Connecticut.