HOUSE DEMOCRATS • ROBERT MEGNA • NEWSROOM - 2006
Newsroom - 2006
September 29, 2006
Chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee Robert Megna (D-New Haven) says he is pleased with the announcement of $6 million in additional federal home-heating assistance for Connecticut’s low-income families. Last week, Connecticut’s Department of Social Services was authorized to plan for higher-than-usual benefits to help low-income families with heating their homes for the winter.
“This assistance will go a long way to help our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly and young children, with the rising costs of heating fuels,” Rep. Megna said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues in Hartford to formulate solutions and to insure that we continue to assist our constituencies.”
A joint meeting of the General Assembly’s Appropriations, Human Services, and Energy Committees recently approved plans for winter assistance which included an estimated $44.28 million in anticipated federal funding.
A one-person household earning $27,867 or a three-person household earning $45,016 will be eligible for as much as $675 in basic assistance, supplemented by crisis and safety net assistance for those heating with deliverable fuels.
Applications for home heating assistance are now being received at community sites throughout the state. Residents are urged to call info-line at 2-1-1 for more information on this and other programs.
Representative Megna represents the 97th district in New Haven, he is Chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee and a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee and the Environment Committee.
July 12, 2006
By Representative Robert Megna
Your home may be your castle, but it is under siege by the city of New Haven and State Supreme Court. The property rights of New Haven homeowners were placed at risk when the City of New Haven authorized an East Shore catering facility known as Anthony’s Ocean View to expand its commercial enterprise within a residentially zoned neighborhood to capitalize upon the beachfront.
In an attempt to block the expansion of a preexisting nonconforming use in a residential area, a lawsuit was successfully brought against the City of New Haven and Anthony’s Ocean View. However, the decision to stop the expansion was only temporary, as the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the appellate court in Susan C. Campion et al v. Board of Aldermen of the City of New Haven et al, SC 17347 to the detriment of local homeowners.
Reversing the appellate court diminished homeowner property rights by setting precedent for cities and towns to allow pre-existing non-conforming commercial businesses to expand and downgrade residentially zoned neighborhoods anywhere in Connecticut. What appeared to be a court victory for the City of New Haven and Anthony’s Ocean View was a loss for homeowners throughout Connecticut.
Many residential zones throughout New Haven contain grand fathered commercial use properties such as old factories and catering facilities. Anthony’s Ocean View, which is located in Morris Cove, is a pre-existing non-conforming commercial use, since it was erected prior to the creation of the residential zone. Morris Cove has what is known as an RS 2 zone district designation, the second most restrictive residential zone within the City of New Haven. The RS 2 zone generally permits the construction of only detached single family homes of 6 units per acre.
Prior to the Supreme Court decision, any person buying a home within a residential zone such as Morris Cove had an expectation the zone provided legal property rights which preserved a quality of life offered by the residential neighborhood. This expectation included, as a fundamental property right, not allowing the expansion of pre-existing non-conforming commercial use properties which downgrade the residential zone.
Recognizing the risk, the New Haven legislative delegation created Public Act 06-128 re-establishing residential property rights in light of the court decision. The act does not allow anyone to expand a preexisting nonconforming use property that does not conform to the current zoning requirements. What is unfortunate for the other 168 towns and cities of Connecticut is the act applies only to New Haven.
Representative Megna represents the 97th district in New Haven, he is Chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee and a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee and the Environment Committee.
May 1, 2006
Vice Chairman Energy and Technology Committee Robert Megna (D – New Haven) urges the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to oppose a docketed case to allow an additional profit of $23 million for the United Illuminating Company (UI) and Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) for the task of obtaining electric generation supplier contracts.
The task of obtaining contracts is undertaken by the electric utilities and the costs to do so are reimbursed by the ratepayer. The $23 million in additional profit was disguised as an “incentive piece” along with a “procurement fee” and was buried in a comprehensive energy bill during the final hours of a previous legislative session. The additional compensation paragraphs by-passed the public debate process of the Connecticut General Assembly. The “procurement fee” (profit) of $52.5 million has already been paid to UI and CL&P by Connecticut’s electric customers.
“The estimated $75.5 ($52.5+23) million procurement and incentive compensation will amount to a windfall profit above and beyond the annual reasonable rate of earnings or profit the two monopolies are currently permitted to receive for providing electric service to an estimated 3.4 million customers in Connecticut.” Rep. Megna said.
In 2005 the investor-owned monopolies UI and CL&P were permitted to earn a profit or reasonable rate of earnings in the combined estimated amount of $134 million - an amount deemed just and reasonable compensation for the electric utility monopolies.
During the 2003 legislative session, Public Act 03-135, “An Act Concerning Revisions to The Electric Restructuring Legislation,” was passed and became law. Generally, the detailed and comprehensive legislation addressed renewable energy and electric deregulation. However, buried within the legislation were two paragraphs creating a law establishing the additional compensation and exempting the windfall from current regulations which would have rendered the compensation unjust and unreasonable by the DPUC.
“Despite my and many other legislator’s opposition, and opposition by the Office of Consumer Counsel, the paragraphs became law.” Rep. Megna said.
The $23 million “incentive compensation” is to be paid as a result of UI and CL&P allegedly obtaining electric generation contracts favorable to electric customers.
Rep. Megna continued, “The recent 22% rate increase to the customers of CL&P was a result of electric generation contracts obtained by CL&P for 2006. The inability of CL&P to mitigate the outrageously priced contracts should be evidence sufficient for the DPUC to deny the $23 million incentive compensation.”
January 24, 2006
State Representative Robert Megna (D-New Haven) and Representative Tim O’Brien (D-Newington, New Britain) will hold a press conference with members of the Energy and Technology Committee Wednesday, January 25 at 1:30 p.m. in room 1C of the Legislative Office Building.
This press conference will address the public outcry to the excessive recent CL&P rate increase that resulted from the extreme increase in the cost of electric generation procurement. Proposals will be discussed to remove the bloat and seemingly unjust profits being earned at the cost of the people and businesses of Connecticut.
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