Berger-Girvalo Calls For Energy Ratepayer Protections, More Oversight

**News Release Submitted by The Connecticut General Assembly**

Feb. 12, 2025

State Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo joined 14 of her colleagues at the State Capitol Tuesday to discuss ways in which House Democrats are working to bring down energy costs for Connecticut residents.

A number of proposals have been introduced to address the issue, many focusing on the need for stronger regulatory practice over the utility companies, and better advocacy for ratepayers. Other potential solutions include improving grid enhancing technology, planning for transmission infrastructure, incentivizing energy supply expansion, providing price stability on supply and demand, and a competitive bid process.

During the press conference Rep. Berger-Girvalo said, to address the high cost of electricity, it's imperative to know how we got here to begin with, so that we don’t repeat our mistakes.

Much of the spike in electric rates is reflected in the public benefits charge, which used to account for about 8 to 12 percent of a customer's electric bill. This year, the public benefits portion of the bill saw a sharp increase, reflecting 60 percent of the entire bill.

The current public benefits portion is primarily composed of two parts:

77% of this charge stems from the Republican-led Millstone agreement which passed in the CT General Assembly in 2017, that requires Eversource and UI to purchase power from the Millstone power plant. The rate at which the utilities purchase power is set to adjust periodically, and the resulting public benefits charges are reviewed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). Utilities can phase in new charges to reduce the monthly cost to consumers, but Eversource decided to do it all at once. The 10-month cost spike will be in place through May. The PURA Chairperson, Marissa Gillett, opted to spread that over a much longer period, but was outvoted by the other two members of the board.

The remaining 23% of the fee stems from assistance programs that were created under the bipartisan Take Back Our Grid Act, and from the utilities recovering loss from the shutoff moratorium enacted during the Covid pandemic. However, most of the shutoff portion is being paid down by the companies and individuals who utilized the moratorium, and should be credited in future public benefits billing cycles.

"A lot of the conversation we have is disingenuous," Rep. Berger-Girvalo said, adding that she didn’t begrudge her predecessors for voting in favor of the Millstone deal, which saved 1,000 jobs in Connecticut and ensured the plant, which provides 40 percent of electricity to Connecticut, remained open. However, she expressed her dismay at the lack of consumer protections built into that legislation. "Some states would have demanded payment over five or six years, rather than 10 months. They would have asked that rate payers were represented in a way that was much more meaningful and tangible."

Rep. Berger-Girvalo has proposed a bill that would require at least one appointed member of PURA to be a consumer-focused advocate.

"To say that Democratic legislators aren't offering proposals that defend ratepayers goes beyond being disingenuous, and is dishonest," she said.

The next Energy and Technology Committee public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m.