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Dear Friends After several years of trying to lower energy costs, I am pleased to say we passed landmark legislation that will help lower bills by establishing a low income rate, changing the way we buy power, enacting consumer protections that require written energy contracts, helping people finance energy efficiency improvements and providing new funding to defray the cost of solar power. We created a new energy policy division that is housed within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. For the first time we have directed the energy planning process to consider the cost of energy in future planning and policy development. For too long our major focus was on maintaining a reliable system and our energy policy was fragmented. This legislation received bipartisan support and proved that people with different ideas could come together to find solutions to address our energy needs. I was pleased to sponsor legislation that eliminated the surcharge on CL&P customer bills that we enacted last year to address the budget gap. The budget includes a cancellation of this fee that will lower the average bill by $2.50 per month. This session, the state budget deficit presented many challenges. Through a combination of spending cuts, tax changes, and labor concessions the legislature was able to present a balanced budget. Unlike the federal government, state law requires that our state budget be balanced. Thank you for you emails, phone calls and letters. They alert me to issues that concern you. If you would like additional information on any of these topics listed, please contact my office. It is my privilege to serve you. Sincerely,
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