The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) is asking state officials to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to offset electric rates.
During their Sept. 10 meeting, the CCM Board of Director’s made an official recommendation to the state. One week later, they sent a letter to Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding.
The letter stated, “We know this issue is important to you and the Republican Caucus” before going into detail about the items the board supported.
CCM leaders want to use ARPA funds to “offset the cost of covering the non-payment of utility bills, which is currently being paid for by ratepayers through the Public Benefits Charge on residential and commercial utility bills. They make this recommendation in order to provide needed relief to ratepayers and help address the rising cost of electricity in the state of Connecticut. If a special session is needed to accommodate this recommendation, CCM supports this action.”
Harding offered a response, saying: “What we see here with CCM is emblematic of the fact that they are echoing the voices of individuals all across our state, all political stripes and affiliations, who have grown understandably frustrated with the rate of electricity here in Connecticut,” he said. “[They] believe that something needs to be done and something needs to be done immediately to address these exponentially rising electric rates.”
CCM’s recommendations are in line with what the Republican Caucus has been advocating for, for months, according to Harding.
“We have the third highest electric rate in the country,” Harding said. “We’re third only to Hawaii, which is an island, and California. There is no reason, no reason our electric rates should be so high.”
Republicans in the Connecticut House of Representations and the Senate have been pushing to use ARPA funding to offset the cost of electric utilities since February, according to Harding.
“This seems like an issue where everyone should be able to get on board,” Harding said. “I understand that there’s an election at this point less than a month away, but in my opinion, it is a dereliction of your duty as a legislature, regardless of your political affiliation, not to go into special session now and provide immediate relief to ratepayers.”
The Senate Democratic Committee could not be reached for comment.
There are other reforms that Republicans want to make in a special session, including moving the Public Benefits Charge to the state budget, making the Public Utilities and Regulatory Authority (PURA) independent from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and introducing a policy to cap purchase agreements at 1.5-2 times the market rate.
In August, Republicans created a petition to enter special session to address high costs to ratepayers.
Was this article helpful?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
This is a shuffling of who’s paying the high costs. Why not reduce the high costs. We need to look at future costs. And the costs will at least double as you add EV and heat pump load as the marginal costs of HP/EV load is 4-10 times the cost without the HP/EV load. ISO-NE says that without the HP/EV load you don’t need 90% of the expensive offshore wind and 77% of the battery storage. It is very expensive to build a NetZero system to supply heating load for a few days a year. Storage in home oil tanks and gas caverns is much cheaper.
Heat pumps are more of a loser than EVs. At present CT rates a heat pump will cost 70% more per year operate than an efficient gas boiler. Heat pumps cost about the same as modern oil boilers. There are no savings to justify the $20,000 to $50,000 conversion cost.
Massachusetts is requiring a utilities offer a large 5 cent/kWh electric discount and paying $10,000 to $16,000 rebates to encourage heat pumps which will cause electric rates for everyone to skyrocket. Customers will be upset when the 5 cent discount goes away in about 5 years as HP will drive the system from summer to winter peaking removing the justification for the discount.
Massachusetts’ actions will drive our costs up as the electric market is regional.
This one big “hide the costs” program by getting 95% of the customers to subsidize the 5% who install residential solar and heat pumps. The costs will skyrocket as the 5% increases.
According to Trump we need available funds to house illegal immigrants let in by the Biden administration
Appalling discussions and two faced political rhetoric. Nothing is more criminal than a public/private transaction designed to steal from the public. Make no mistake the con Eversource and its relatives have wedged into the public’s pockets is a set up for the long haul. Passing any legislation in favor of protecting a municipal entity from its own shortcomings and covering up inefficiency, overspending, and corruption is not up for discussion. Any individual who would enter into discussions is corrupt and will be exposed. Eversource et al are losing to solar advancements. The most recent increase in transmission rates is the only evidence needed to prove/confirm questionable back room dealings with politicians. Pigs, pigs, pigs!! A cancer in the fabric of this state.