Anderson Signs Petition for Special Session

HARTFORD – Connecticut Republicans have signed petitions to call the legislature into a special session to address the increased cost of electric rates. State Rep. Mark Anderson (R-Granby) was at the Legislative Office Building on Tuesday morning to present his signed petition with the group of House and Senate lawmakers. The petitions were later filed with the Secretary of State.

“I’ve been hearing about this issue from the members of my community. It’s obvious that emergency action is required by the legislature. We have several actionable items in front of us, ones that will save ratepayers money,” said Anderson.

Anderson is calling for legislative action to be taken on the following items:

• Moving the ‘public benefits’ charge to the state budget and off the electric bill
• Allocate the remaining ARPA funds to offset costs accrued by the shut-off moratorium that lasted roughly 4 whole years
• Cap all future power purchasing agreements to no more than 150% of the wholesale electric market
• Redefine Class I energy sources to enable competition to lower procurement cost
• Restore the autonomy of PURA, removing the regulatory body from the purview of DEEP and the governor’s office

“I’ve been a staunch advocate for greater consumer transparency and protections. In 2023, I was proud to co-sponsor legislation that would have separated PURA from DEEP, required the legislature to examine ways to lower energy costs, eliminate the public benefits charge, and generally set the state on a better path for procuring affordable energy sources. Unfortunately, that bill never got a hearing,” said Anderson.

Looking at additional long-term obstacles. Anderson noted that there will soon be a required offshore wind procurement, which will increase the supply cost of energy. In turn, bills could increase further in the near future.

2023’s H.B. 5285 was just one instance of Republicans attempting to spark the conversation on energy. Earlier in the session year, Republicans had a proposal to use ARPA funding to take care of the costs incurred to suppliers through the governor’s four-year shut-off moratorium. This was one of the longest standing moratoriums in the country, leaving ratepayers on the hook to make up the lost revenue. Instead, ARPA allocations were made to higher education causes and other projects impacting small populations.

This moratorium greatly influenced the July rate increase, while another increase to build out charging stations for electric vehicles will hit bills in September. This rate increase falls on the shoulders of all ratepayers, even those who do not own an electric vehicle – which is most of Connecticut’s motorists. It’s concerning that steps like these show the majority’s interest in mandating the purchase of these vehicles in future legislative sessions.

Republicans have also created a website that residents across the state can visit to help urge their elected officials to sign the petition for a special session. To learn more, visit www.specialsessionct.com.

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