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HARTFORD—House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) and State Rep. Tracy Marra (R-Darien), House Ranking Member of the Energy and Technology Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Connecticut Siting Council’s decision to delay ruling on United Illuminating’s application to replace and reposition aging transmission lines in Fairfield and Bridgeport:

“While United Illuminating’s project to replace overhead transmission lines along existing railroad infrastructure is a local issue for residents of Fairfield and Bridgeport, the implications stretch far beyond those communities. The approach ultimately selected could have cost impacts for electric ratepayers across Connecticut.

Although the Siting Council postponed a final decision today on the current application, we are concerned it may ultimately require UI to pursue a new—and far more expensive—underground alternative. That option could add an estimated $500 million to the project’s roughly $300 million cost, with the entire burden of the overage falling on Connecticut ratepayers. In contrast, the more cost-effective overhead design currently under consideration would see the project cost shared with other New England states.

With electric bills already straining households and businesses, a move in the wrong direction would risk undermining recent and ongoing efforts by lawmakers to improve energy affordability. And because this process is being steered by unelected bureaucrats, with no direct decision-making power for Connecticut ratepayers, it’s time for more elected officials—whether it’s the Office of Consumer Counsel, the Governor’s administration, or both—to step in and advocate for a solution that better balances local concerns with the broader interests of ratepayers across the state.”