Travis Simms

I strongly oppose Eversource’s proposal to increase electric bills for Connecticut residents by approximately $25 per month. At a time when working families, seniors, and small businesses are already being squeezed from every direction, asking them to pay even more for electricity is simply wrong.

Residents deserve reliability and fairness from their utility provider — not repeated rate hikes while corporate profits remain strong.

This audacious proposal once again brings into sharp focus the urgent need for greater accountability and transparency in how utility rates are set in Connecticut.

Eversource has announced plans to seek a $503 million rate increase, even after reporting about $1.69 billion in profit last year and paying its CEO roughly $13.5 million in compensation.

Connecticut families should not have to choose between keeping the lights on and paying for groceries, housing, or prescription medication. If the current model continues to produce unaffordable bills while prioritizing shareholders over ratepayers, then we have a responsibility to seriously explore alternatives — including a path toward a public utility model that puts people first.

Over the last several legislative sessions, the General Assembly has worked to provide a small level of relief for ratepayers and reduce pressure on electric bills, including changes that temporarily replaced the public benefits surcharge with a customer credit. Those efforts reflected a recognition that Connecticut’s energy costs have become unsustainable for too many residents, but I fully acknowledge steps like this are essentially band-aids on critical wounds.

We have made incremental progress, but proposals like this threaten to erase any headway we’ve made. We need long-term reforms that deliver affordable, reliable energy and restore public trust in the system.

I remain committed to working with my legislative colleagues, regulators, and consumer advocates to protect ratepayers from excessive costs and pursue structural reforms that put consumers ahead of corporate gain.

The proposed increase must still be reviewed and approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority before taking effect. They have the only authority to stop this, and they need to prioritize Connecticut residents over Eversource shareholders – full stop.