Happy Sunday, everyone. We now have 74,647 signatures! On Thursday, I testified before the Energy and Technology Committee regarding the Public Benefits Charge. It was an exhausting 12 hours and 20 minutes of testimony for the committee, with 727 written submissions. The link to the testimonies are in PDF.
To be clear—this was a public hearing, and all records are available to the public. There was so many good testimonies, I can't list them all here. But thank you for everyone that testified and giving a written testimony.
Below are some key highlights from the testimonies, which you can watch here:
CT-N Testimony Recording in its entirety. I have provided links within the times for quick access.
Key Testimonies:
Senator Gordon (4:52:40) and Rep Tammy Nuccio (4:27:18) and Stephan Harding (3:20:45)
Cindy Jordan (5:52:20) - Organized the rally last year
Michael Sennello (9:45:50) – Presented strong graphics and a well-prepared written testimony, along with 28 footnotes as noted by Senator Fazio. Well done!
My testimony (6:08:10) – I was there in person for 8 hours. Had to leave to drive over an hour home. Then transitioning from in-person to Zoom. I barely made it before my turn was up. I was derailed for sure but submit a written testimony as well.
My apologies goes out to Senator Norm Needleman mistakenly calling him Rep Steinberg (yikes). Norm and I spoke to each other back in August and we text each other after the public hearing. I have a great deal of respect for him although we on opposite sides of the isle. We both agree that State of Connecticut is extremely complicated to purchase electricity but something needs to be done.
Sandra Laposlki (12:02) – Gave a clear, compelling argument in support of SB 647. Absolutely loved her testimony!
Opposition Testimonies:
Ashen Harper (9:55) – Stamford High School student opposing the bill.
Teresa Eickel, Director of IRESJN (Interreligious Eco-Justice Network) – Stated, “Energy is the cleanest and cheapest if you don’t use it.” I am not even going to comment on this statement.
Samantha Dynowski, Director, Sierra Club of CT (10:25:00) – Opposed the bill. Sierra Club’s involvement was highlighted in the Yankee Institute article.
Kathy Czepiel (10:33:00) – Spoke about her solar panels, EV, and the financial rewards she received from ratepayers. You're welcome.
Majority of us don’t qualify for solar panels and shouldn’t be forced into EVs. If you’re concerned about the environment, research how lithium batteries are mined and disposed of after their short lifespan (~5 years).
Tom Swan, Director, CT Citizen Action Group (11:57:42) – Attacked Republicans, calling it a “shameful and misleading political act.” Claimed it would “drive up costs,” yet failed to provide numbers. He also falsely stated that "nuclear is the most expensive energy source." Reality: Millstone costs 4.999¢/KW, while wind power costs Connecticut 15.0¢/KW.
Notable Testimonies:
Justin Pelkowski, Director of Wholesale Contracting Power at Eversource (11:08) – A very interesting engagement with Senator Needleman on reducing energy costs.
Andy Belden,Vice President of Solar Programs at Eversource Energy (11:27) – Spoke about solar initiatives.
Bottom line - You can't put green initiatives over people and bankrupt the lower and middle class. Connecticut needs to find a way to fix this.
The Millstone and COVID charges are going away in April from the CPB. Green initiatives will still be there despite the executive order from the federal gov to cease these programs.
~Scott