Yesterday, I took the difficult but necessary step of voting no on the reappointment of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Chair Marissa Gillett. This isn’t personal. Chair Gillett has been a fighter for ratepayers in many ways, but Connecticut residents are frustrated and rightfully so.
For months, residents have been promised relief from high electricity bills. We were told that charges tied to the Millstone agreement would come off our bills in May. Instead, the rollout of PURA's Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) program will add $137 million in new costs, quietly passed along to ratepayers, without clear public explanation or a guarantee of success.
I support helping low-income families. However, I cannot continue down a path where decisions that impact every household in this state are made without transparency or accountability.
The current system is broken. There are nearly 60 public benefit line items on electric bills today, programs with little oversight and unclear effectiveness. Renters and fixed-income seniors often pay for programs they cannot benefit from.
Now, Eversource is proposing to collect an additional $3.2 billion.
I understand that the Legislature already plays a role in approving many public benefit programs. But too often, once these charges are approved, there's no mechanism for regular review, evaluation, or control over how they're implemented, or how much they end up costing ratepayers. It's time to change that.
That's why I am actively advocating and will continue to advocate for a cap on the public benefits portion of the utility bill, starting at 20% in year one and phasing down to 15%, then 10% by year three. This approach allows us to fund the most critical and effective programs while giving ratepayers the relief and predictability they deserve.
Ratepayers deserve better. They deserve transparency, oversight, and a seat at the table. My vote reflects a growing demand for legislative accountability and a reevaluation of how public benefit programs are managed. |
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