Rep. Fishbein Once Again Stands Up for Electric Ratepayers

State Representative Craig Fishbein (R-90) last night stood up for the electric ratepayers of Connecticut, joining his colleagues in support of legislation that provides more oversight of Connecticut energy companies, including Eversource.

HB 7006 – “An Act Concerning Emergency Response by Electric Distribution Companies, the Regulation of Other Public Utilities and Nexus Provisions for Certain Disaster-Related or Emergency-Related Work Performed in the State” – allows the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) more oversight over the actions and compensation of energy distribution companies, including the ability to review executive compensation and whether those costs should be borne by ratepayers. The bill also allows for performance-based regulations to examine whether-or-not companies are performing as expected and are therefore deserving of a rate increase, and it allows homeowners to apply for the costs of certain losses resulting from extended power outages. The bill passed the House 134 – 4, with 11 members not voting.

“The recent storms that ripped through Connecticut devastated electric infrastructure and forced people to go without electricity and other basic needs for days on end.  That situation was more than inconvenient, it was dangerous, and I’m pleased we were able to pass this bipartisan legislation to provide benchmarks that will hold public electricity providers accountable when they fail to meet the basic needs of their customers,” Rep. Fishbein said. “However, I do have concerns that this legislation may not be quite strong enough to protect against potential future rate increases, and the language regarding how and when a storm is classified is yet to be fully defined.  But this is an important step toward helping people get back to normal after these types of events.”

Rep. Fishbein has been a strong advocate for lower electric rates, and a long history of voting to prevent unnecessary increases.  Rep. Fishbein was one of the few Republican members of the House to cross the aisle and vote against the bills now being blamed for the recent drastic increases recently charged by Eversource.  In recognition of his efforts, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) awarded Rep. Fishbein with their “Affordable Utilities Champion” award.

If passed by the Senate and signed by Governor Lamont, HB7006 will take effect in June of 2021.