Republicans Call for Special Session Over Electric Rate Hikes

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

In response to the recent, substantial rate hikes on electricity bills that have ratepayers across the state suffering from sticker shock, my Republican colleagues are urgently calling for a special legislative session to tackle not only the sudden significant increase but also the perpetually high electric rates in Connecticut.

In February, Republican legislators warned of the impending increase, due in part from a nearly 4-year pandemic shutoff moratorium, and called on 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. 

Instead of taking the issue seriously, majority party Democrats are trying to blame this hike on the 2017 bipartisan Millstone Nuclear agreement, but we all support nuclear, and the bill was passed with broad support on both sides of the aisle. Supporting nuclear energy should have bipartisan support because it is our greenest and most reliable energy source. In fact, more than 30 percent of the state’s electricity is generated by nuclear power. How we pay for the sometime higher costs of nuclear energy is where we differ. The Millstone agreement was included within S.B. No. 1501 – AN ACT CONCERNING ZERO CARBON SOLICITATION AND PROCUREMENT, that was introduced by the Democrat leaders of the Senate and House.

What This is Doing to Local Businesses

And it’s not just regular ratepayers feeling the pain, our business owners are forced to deal with this increase at home and at work. The bills below represent the severe monthly public benefits cost increase to just one small family-owned manufacturing business. Incredible rate hikes like this are crushing their ability to plan ahead, hire new employees or invest or otherwise expand their business.

Connecticut businesses cannot sustain unpredictable rate increases like this.

Recent Developments: A New Blow to Ratepayers!

Only a few days after Republicans demanded a special legislative session to address these high electric rates, customers of Eversource and UI, once again got hit in the wallet!

AMAZINGLY, while the sticker shock of massive electricity bill increases were still reverberating across the state, PURA granted YET ANOTHER ADJUSTMENT (read: increase!) to Eversource and UI to recoup the cost of providing infrastructure for EV charging stations!

This is outrageous and yet another reason Republicans continue to call for a special session to develop a reasonable state strategy on electric rates. Ratepayers should not be paying for these costs in their electric bill.

Our Plan for Relief

Republicans continue to propose ideas to lessen the impact on ratepayers and the state’s overall economy, including:

Reallocating the remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover moratorium shut-off fees

Examine budgetary options that could make available as much as $1 billion, such as:

• Allocate the FY24 General Fund surplus of $329.3 million for ratepayers.
• Reduce the Budget Reserve Fund maximum threshold from 18 percent back to 15 percent permanently, reallocating the difference to ratepayers.
• Strike language in the Democrats’ 2024 budget “stabilization” plan allowing ARPA funds to be used for a budget deficit in FY25
• 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)
• Limit all future Power Purchase Agreements so that no contract can be for more than 150% over the wholesale electric market price.

I am committed to finding viable solutions to the state’s energy issues and will continue to press for strategies to stabilize, and ultimately lower, electric rates for homes and businesses. I am committed to supporting both nuclear energy and our most efficient and reliable green energy resources.

To Keep your Bill Low

If you’re using a third-party supplier for your electricity, you should compare whether your per kilowatt hour rate is more than the current standard offer rate from your utility company.