Addressing Massive Increases in Electric Bills

From the Desk of Rep. Mastrofrancesco:

Dear Friends and Neighbors –

Like you, I am deeply concerned about the effects that legislative policies are having on you and your family, specifically in the form of soaring Eversource utility bills. These misguided policies are advertised as environmentally friendly, but in reality, they are inflicting financial strain on Connecticut families who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Majority Democrats have pushed for aggressive renewable energy mandates without considering the economic burden these policies impose on our residents. Their approach, coupled with millions of dollars in arrearages for people who did not pay their bills, are now being pushed onto ratepayers, has led to skyrocketing energy costs, making it increasingly difficult for families to afford basic necessities.

The combined public benefits charges that you are seeing on your bills reflect several mandated costs that provide money for financial hardship programs for electric customers. Other portions go to the state Renewable Energy Investment Fund, which provides incentives for renewable energy projects and energy efficiency programs.

In other words, the reason for the rate increases has more to do with legislative priorities to achieve zero-carbon energy by 2040 and a misaligned directive requiring the utilities to provide power to some individuals, regardless of whether they will make payments on their bill. In 2020 during the pandemic, the legislature prohibited the utilities from shutting off service to non-paying customers- this has been extended more than once and it has now been 4 years to the tune of $160 million.

So-called “green” initiatives, hardship costs, renewable energy projects, etc., have led to increased costs and financial strain on our communities (and do not forget that the majority wanted to MANDATE that you purchase an electric vehicle, what would that have done to our bills?).

We all want a clean environment, but that does not mean the majority should check its economic sense at the door. We need to ensure our families are not left in the dark and drowning in utility debt in order to pay for every program that is dreamt up.

And in addition to those programs, ratepayers are now being forced to pay other people’s unpaid electric bills that accumulated during the pandemic. All of these programs cost money and the majority in the legislature cannot just hand over a blank check and keep kicking the bill down the road, then expect us all to pay for it.

Connecticut Republicans held a news conference at the Capitol yesterday that outlined several proposals to directly address these costs:

• Limit all future Power Purchase Agreements so that no contract can be for more than 150% over the wholesale electric market price.
• Study moving public policy charges off ratepayer bills and into the budget.
• 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)
• Cover the portion of rate increases associated the moratorium on electric service shutoffs by reallocating remaining end-of-year American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and examining budgetary options that could make available as much as $1 billion.

But to make these proposals happen, we need members of the majority and Gov. Lamont to join us to reduce these energy bills. I will keep you informed of legislative updates on this as they occur.