CT Utility Reform, Absentee Ballots Being Tackled In Session

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he will call the state legislature back to the capital for a limited special session to tackle several issues including absentee ballot processing rules and utility reform. The legislature is expected to return by the end of next week.

The push for utility reform came mainly from two things. A utility rate hike for Eversource customers coupled with greater residential energy use caused some customer bills to skyrocket over the summer.

Tropical Storm Isaias also knocked out power to more than 750,000 residences and businesses and some customers didn’t get power back for a week. Many local mayors and first selectmen complained about Eversource’s communication and coordination with local public works crews.

Other nearby utilities including Con Edison offered customers a reimbursement for the cost of lost food or prescription medication caused by long-term power outages. Both Eversource and United Illuminating didn’t offer the reimbursement.

Lamont has pitched a performance-based regulation plan for the state’s electric, gas and water companies. The regulation system would essentially reward utilities when they achieve certain benchmarks related to reliability and resilience of the electrical grid. Other benchmarks would include affordability, customer satisfaction and renewable energy goals.

Currently, Connecticut operates under a rate of return system, which gives utilities a certain percent of what they spend irrespective of performance.

Lamont noted in his proclamation to call the legislature into session that Connecticut has the most expensive electricity rates in the continental U.S. Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority also only has 180 days to review requests for rate changes, which is the shortest amount of time in the U.S.

Eversource’s five highest-paid executives earned more than $40 million in 2019, according to legal filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission. CEO Jim Judge’s compensation was valued at nearly $20 million.

Absentee ballots

Legislators will also get to decide on a proposal to allow local election officials to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day. The proposal would allow them to begin processing them the Friday before Election Day.

There may be 10 to 20 times more absentee ballots this Election Day than previous ones, Lamont said.

“They can start processing the ABs earlier, the Friday before Election Day, checking signatures, outside envelope making sure they’re ready to go, ready to be counted when the time is right,” Lamont said.

That would allow election officials to begin the counting process earlier on Election Day, which should lead to results coming in sooner.

The legislature will also take up issues on school construction, transfer of Brownfield properties, and the approval of appellate and state Supreme Court justices who have been serving on an interim basis.

Below is the full agenda from Lamont’s office:

1. Establishing a performance-based regulation to hold the state’s electricity, gas, and water companies accountable for the critical services they provide to customers;
2. Ensuring local officials may administer absentee ballots in a secure and orderly manner during the November 2020 general election;
3. Authorizing school construction projects;
4. Updating the state’s Transfer Act;
5. Aligning Connecticut’s hemp program with federal law and providing opportunities for hemp growers and manufacturers in the state;
6. Updating the state’s environmental justice law to require public notice and community benefit agreements in certain circumstances;
7. Providing greater protection for employees in occupations engaged in construction on certain non-residential building, heavy, or highway works projects in Connecticut;
8. Permitting homeowners’ associations to obtain loans through the Supplemental Collapsing Foundation Loan Program;
9. Permitting some late property tax exemptions to be filed with towns; and
10. Clarifying the ability of state marshals to recover costs for searching records of the Department of Motor Vehicles.