Rep. Pizzuto Petitioning for Special Session on Electric Rates

House and Senate Republicans are petitioning for a special legislative session to tackle perpetually high electric rates in Connecticut.

The petition, which will be submitted to Connecticut’s Secretary of the State, says Rep. Bill Pizzuto (R-71) and other lawmakers deem it “necessary for the General Assembly to meet in special session” for the purpose of passing several policies which aim to provide ratepayers with relief.

“Let’s do the right thing and make our energy rates more affordable by taking up these proposals. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shouldn’t be making policy decisions, we as elected officials should be weighing in as the voice of our constituents. There’s an opportunity for us to provide short term relief and start the conversation on long term relief,” said Pizzuto.

Republicans unveiled www.SpecialSessionCT.com for residents to reach out directly to legislative Democrats to demand a special session.

Earlier this month, Connecticut Republicans held a news conference at the Legislative Office Building where they outlined proposals to provide rate relief to customers who for years have been frustrated by costly bills that are squeezing personal finances.

The proposals mirror those offered by the House and Senate Republicans in February, when they urged action as they reminded Democrats about the financial pressure on constituents caused by high electric bills.

The proposals outlined in the petition include:

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