Happy Wednesday! We have exactly 69,401 signatures! Thank you all for your continue support. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and new year!
The petition has gained traction once again since the lawmakers are now in session. This will be my 25th update! I know some of you don't even bother reading my updates anymore. Others miss me with emails like "what the hell is going on?" LOL.
My wife doesn't even proof read my updates anymore! :-) Can't blame her for that! Its extremely time consuming and there's so much to this madness, so much to digest, it will make a nomal person crazy!
Since the delivery of the petition on paper to Lamont, its been quiet here. I am sure the Governor's staff is using all 1573 petition papers to start their fireplace or are in a recycling center by now. Spent hundreds of hours and dollars so that your voices will be heard. Thanks for that, Lamont. Trust me, this isn't over!
My friend, Senator Jeff Gordon (35th district) wrote S.B. No 384 which has teeth to finally put an end to this madness. The bill reads below:
AN ACT CONCERNING A SUSPENSION OF THE PUBLIC BENEFITS CHARGE, LIMITS ON CERTAIN POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS, THE ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN ZERO-CARBON INCENTIVES AND AN INCREASE IN THE NATURAL GAS SUPPLY.
To (1) suspend the charges collectively called the "Combined Public Benefits Charge" pending legislative review of such charges, (2) prohibit any power purchase agreement that provides for the purchase of electricity at a price exceeding one hundred fifty per cent of the wholesale price of electricity, (3) remove incentives for the development of zero-carbon energy sources unless such incentives are available for the development of any energy generation, and (4) promote an increase in the natural gas supply in the state.
I love it!
As the 2025 session is now underway, we have one of the first bills, S.B. No 84 to remove the Public Benefit.
Another bill, SB No 304, To amend title 16 of the general statutes to prohibit any electric distribution company from collecting a combined public benefit charge from its customers. Awesome job Senator Rob Sampson!
The Yankee Institute, which has been a tremendous source of information to the public, has put out a blog January 10th. You can read Mehgan's latest article here. "Connecticut Lawmakers Kick Off 2025 Session With 555 Bills and Counting"
CII (Connecticut Inside Investigator) one of my favorite writers, Marc E. Fitch, wrote January 5, 2025 The Authority: PURA chair secretly issues decisions under secretary’s name. The utility companies claim Gillett has appointed herself presiding officer in all matters that come before PURA and has used this designation to issue substantive decisions affecting both the utility companies and ratepayers under Gaudiosi’s signature block, effectively hiding the fact that it was a decision of the presiding officer, rather than the commission as a whole.
WOW!
The follow up article by Marc, Eversource to PURA: Cease and desist published January 14 (yesterday) The letter by Eversouce is long but I provided a link anyways for your reading pleasure. It's in a PDF. Sometimes, the evil empires do have a point.
Marc continues...
Connecticut has long had some of the highest energy costs in the country and, under the Lamont administration, has ceased trying to expand natural gas usage, which remains the region’s largest and cheapest source of energy, focusing instead on expanding low carbon energy sources like solar and wind.
The problem in a nutshell
That's all for now. Stay tune for the bill's updates and the cray crays who will fight to kill it.
~scott