Happy Saturday! We have 60,175 signers as of this writing. Incredible! Thank you all for sharing and voicing your outrage. Please continue to share!! It's important we get 100K signatures. Yesterday, I talked to two lifelong friends. They never heard of this petition! That's why it's so important to keep sharing! There is a lot to get through so lets start.
Yankee Institute's Meghan Portfolio latest article Green Monster’ Strikes Again , Rep. Joseph Gresko (D-Stratford) — co-chair of the Environment Committee - revealed his plan to reintroduce the bill early in the session. Early drafts of the bill were extremely ambitious, featuring a sweeping all-electric mandate that would have banned the use of natural gas, propane, and oil in new construction and major renovations. However, this mandate faced significant pushback, leading to a substantial rollback.
"The bill’s return suggests that its supporters are unfazed by the potential economic impact on ratepayers, prioritizing an aggressive green agenda over the financial well-being of Connecticut residents."
Rally at the Capitol planned for Thursday, Sept12. More information, contact Cindy Jordan on facebook - I am not involved and will not be attending.
NOW THE MEAT OF THIS UPDATE
I sent an email out to Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, (D-Westport) co-chairs of the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee regarding some questions. I also cc Vincent Candelora and Senator Jeff Gordon.
Although I did not get a written response from either Mr. Needleman or Mr. Steinberg, Mr. Needleman had the decency to call me Sunday. He spent an hour on the phone explaining the logistics of hedging energy futures in addition to the complicated interaction with various departments of acquiring energy in Connecticut and PURA. He is a well spoken, successful, and extremely intelligent man that doesn't even pull a paycheck from CT. I thank him for his time and Mr. Steinberg who gave me his personal cell and offered to talk to me.
Senator Needleman did state that Eversource continues to hold Connecticut hostage. You can read his post here. My own research shows this to be true. You can read this article from CT Mirror dated May 2, 2024. Eversource indirectly threatened CT on an earnings call to fire PURA director, Marissa P. Gillett. Lamont pushed back and appointed her for another 4 years. Eversource is an evil empire!
Senator Jeff Gordon, who was cc in the email, spent his entire day responding to my questions in written form. He truly cares about our situation as do the entire minority Republican Party. Please take the time to read his entire response.
State Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock)
Proudly representing all of the people of Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, and Woodstock
Answers to questions asked.
1) My understanding is that Connecticut promised to compensate Eversource and UI from the pandemic for non payers. For the last two years, the bill was adding up plus added 1% interest due to non payment. Why wasn't ARPA funds used to pay for this bill as it became due instead of waiting for 2 years and then imposing it on all rate payers? Did ARPA really go to higher education instead? What percentage?
“This is a key question. The federal pandemic ARPA money that the State had left unused could have been used to cover the Governor’s pandemic era moratorium on electricity shut off for failure to pay bills. This moratorium was supported by the PURA. The moratorium lasted 4 years, one of the longest of any state.
My Republican colleagues and I proposed to use ARPA money to help prevent the big electricity rate hike. However, the proposal was ignored and not included in the final decision in this year’s budget adjustment crated by the majority Democrats.
ARPA money went instead to various and many other items, including but not limited to covering expenses for the public higher education systems. I am not saying that there is no merit to supporting things like public higher education, but not all of the ARPA money was spent on this item so there was still ARPA money otherwise that could have been used to cover some of the increase we are now facing with electricity bills.”
2) I get that we all need clean energy. I am all for building this infrastructure for EV vehicles. I get that it is expensive. Before PURA passed this increase Sept 1 on the ratepayers, did anyone propose to Eversource and UI; if they want the EV infrastructure, since they have most to gain from it's existence, why don't they pay for it?
“This question gets to a fundamental point that my Republican colleagues and I have been highlighting.
We all want to do what can be done for a cleaner and sustainable environment. But we must look realistically at what can be afforded and during what time frame things would need to be done. It would cost a lot of money! Some estimates are that it would easily costs several billions of dollars in Connecticut to upgrade the existing electricity grid and build out new infrastructure everywhere in the state in ways that are accessible, reliably work, cybersecure, and can withstand the weather of our summers and winters over the long-term.
Additionally, there would be ongoing costs for repairs and replacements. And, adding to it all, ISO New England, which runs the electricity grid, has cautioned that even without an EV mandate, Connecticut is currently in a position of uncertainty as to where it will get (and pay for) the growing demand for electricity in the next 5-10 years.
This is why one cannot put the cart before the horse. One cannot rush into things without careful thought and planning. If the State mandates various EV infrastructure programs, including that will add costs to Eversource and UI to do such work, then the State should not dump the cost onto rate payers in the form of extra taxes.
The State should decide how it would pay for it in the state budget without raising taxes and seek continued funding from the federal government. Connecticut cannot afford to fund it all itself. Connecticut already is one of the highest cost of living states in the country with one of the highest energy costs for people, businesses, and municipalities.
We cannot add more onto these costs and expect people to be able to pay. The reality is that too many people already cannot afford to live or run a business in Connecticut. And our towns and cities already are struggling with the costs of things, which causes an upward pressure on property taxes, adding to the unaffordability of Connecticut.”
3) Did it occur to anyone that it would be best to hold since we, the middle class, are suffering from high inflation, CT high taxes, and struggling to keep financially afloat and to implement at a time when cost for food and gas are more reasonable after the Feds start reducing rates?
“Yes, my Republican colleagues and I have continued to raise these concerns and to fight for the hard-working people, families, retirees, job-creating businesses, non-profit and other organizations, and municipalities throughout Connecticut. Adding extra taxes via electricity bills during a time of continued financial struggle for too many people in our state is wrong. Especially when the prior decision to delay the extra taxes on the electricity bills has now led to a huge increase in bills because even more of the costs have piled up to be paid.
Many of my constituents are outraged. I am outraged. And many people cannot now afford to pay their bills. To add salt to the wound, the PURA then decided to add on another charge/tax to the bills starting September 1st. This is ill-timed and tone deaf soon after the huge rate hikes whacked people starting July 1st and continue for more months to come.
Last year and earlier this year, my Republican colleagues and I proposed serious ways to move these public benefits program taxes off electricity bills and into the state budget in a way that would not increase taxes. It would have saved people money on their electricity bills. The proposals were ignored. We continue to advocate for these common sense and meaningful proposals.
If the legislature wants to mandate or run various public benefits programs, some of which have good merits (such as winter weatherization, home efficiency upgrades, and help for low-income people/families), then the Legislature should figure out how to pay for it in the state budget without increasing taxes. Electricity bills should be only about paying for the electricity that people use!
4) With high inflation effecting the middle class, wouldn't it be best to allocate some of your 2023 surplus and some of the "rainy day funds" to offset these burdens on ratepayers?
“My Republican colleagues and I have been discussing and advocating for the need to go soon into a Special Session so that the Legislature can debate and decide upon how best to fix the electricity bill crisis in the short-term via available, legal options using state funds (after all, it was state government that created the mandates that led to the current crisis [I was not in the Legislature when these things were crated, however]). And the Legislature can also investigate what to do to fix the problem in the long-term. I was one of the first legislators to call for a special session being held.
We must act now because the clock is ticking, and people will have more electricity bills to pay with all of the other bills they have to pay.”
5) How is it that PURA can make these rate hike decisions without the voice from Connecticut Citizens or our Representatives? Why was PURA brought back into the Governor's office instead of remaining a separate entity with complete autonomy from political influence?
“This circumstance should not have happened. The Legislature should not have ceded its responsibility and authority in any way to the PURA. The PURA then is allowed to make policy decisions that have real-world costs to rate payers without oversight from or approval by the people’s elected representatives in the Legislature. This is wrong.
My Republican colleagues and I have warned that giving the PURA such unilateral authority is not a good way to do things. Corollary to this is that when the former Department of Public Utility Control was fold into what became the PURA and the PURA became under the authority of the Department of Energy and Environmental protection (DEEP), it unnecessarily put a regulatory agency into the midst of a policy making state agency. This took away some of the autonomy of the PURA to decide upon proposed rate increase reviews and subjected it to becoming involved in policy decisions and political pressures. This created a conflict of interest.
There should be a degree of separation from policy decision-making that could affect utility rates and the regulatory review of any proposed rate increases.
My Republican colleagues and I continue to advocate for separating these two issues and giving more independence to the PURA to do what is was created to do: review and decide upon proposed rate increases and other matters while keeping upper most in mind the rate payers. And, by giving the PURA more independence to do its required work, the Legislature must improve its oversight of what the PURA is doing to insure that the work being done is in the interest of the rate payers while still attending to matters necessary of the utilities to do the work the utilities do (get the energy and distribute it to customers, while maintaining the infrastructure, etc.).
With all of this said, my Republican colleagues and I continue to advocate for the PURA to have its full complement of five Commissioners. Currently and for a long time, the PURA has been functioning with only three Commissioners. Only three! In fact, when the PURA decided earlier this year to approve the huge rate hike to our electricity bills over a 10-month period, instead of over a longer period to lessen the impact, it was by a vote of only 2-1. Only two Commissioners who voted ‘yes’ were able to enact such a huge rate hike over a 10-month period without considering the impact on rate payers.”
.**********end of response**********
The petition will have a final edit (you will receive notification) to include all we have learned. The original rate increase, Sept 1 increase, PURA unchallenged autonomy, Lamont's silence on Republicans calling a special session, other local electric companies in the state not subject to these "taxes".
With regards to a special session Senator Needleman stated that this will not accomplish anything. Gov Lamont stated that he will consider but no action has taken place.
Here is what a special session will do - Democrats can show that they hear the pain of the ratepayers and at least start the conversation. Even if they can't accomplish anything this year. Senator Gordon and the Republican Minority Legislators have excellent suggestions.
Not having a special session shows us:
Complete lack of compassion by the Democrats Majority leaders who have been in complete power since 2011, Gov, House, and Senate.
Demonstrates the massive disconnect they have with ratepayers and even after this outcry and media coverage, PURA continues to raise our rates!
Reveals the lack of respect to the minority Republican Legistlators and the Ratepayers of Connecticut.
The refusal not to go into special session bothers me. Even if nothing can be done about it now, at least the majority leaders and Ned Lamont can demostrate to the people " Yes, I have been listening. The system is broken and we will make a special effort."
Please read this information from the tax foundation regarding taxes of EV in each state and its disparity.
Change.org has received $10,196 with over 315,062 petition views. These funds go directly to this website. None of it goes to me or this cause.
Thank you for reading this in full. It's important to get the information out there. This will my last update unless a major event happens. I have given you a lot to digest!
Here are the links to prior updates of this petition in chronological order
Petition update · Response from PURA from one of our petition signers
Petition update · Elderly woman endures heat instead of turning on AC because her bill doubled
Petition update · Comment of the week comes from James
Petition update · 99.1 PLR interview brings on over 4 thousand more signatures!
Petition update · Interview with Yankee Institute
Petition update · State Senator Jeff Gordon today highlighted the reasons for the shocking Bill!
Petition update · Press Conferences- Gov Lamont and State Reps - WPLR interview with Rep Steinberg
Petition update · In Just 2 weeks We are Over 25 Thousand Strong!
Petition update · 30K signatures and growing! Tomorrow 8/13/2024 is primary day
Petition update · Connecticut Legislator's Math Doesn't Add Up and I will Explain Why
Petition update · Add Insult to Injury, PURA Approves Another Rate Hike for EV Infrastructure!
Petition update · PURA Approves Another Rate Hike for EV Infrastructure -Part 2 MUST READ!
Petition update · This is What Transparency Really Looks Like from North Carolina Duke Energy
Thank you for all your dedication and the hard work from my "warriors' to promote change.
~scott