Electricity Bill Signed by Governor
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed sweeping electricity reform legislation this week, marking what he called a significant step in the state’s ongoing battle against some of the highest utility rates in the country. The new law, Senate Bill 4, titled “An Act Concerning Energy Affordability, Access and Accountability,” was crafted through bipartisan collaboration and is projected to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings to ratepayers.
“Like many people, I think electric bills are too damn high, and this bipartisan bill is a first step in addressing a complex issue that is the result of policy decisions made years ago by legislators in both parties that have continued to impact our utility rates,” Lamont said in a statement. “We should not stop here. This legislation is the result of cooperative input, and I am encouraged that we can continue taking additional steps that will lower electric bills further. I thank Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly for approving this legislation. Let’s keep doing more to reduce electric rates.”
The legislation passed with overwhelming support: 34-1 in the Senate and 144-3 in the House of Representatives. It is expected to save Connecticut consumers between $325 million and $400 million annually, with most residential customers seeing about $100 in yearly savings, and small businesses and large consumers benefiting even more. Eversource spokesperson Jamie Ratliff told the CT Mirror that customers could expect to save approximately $4 per month from reductions in Public Benefits charges, with other impacts to be determined as the law is implemented.
Despite the broad support, some lawmakers cautioned that the measure is only a first step. “This bill won’t fix everything overnight and I want to be clear about that,” State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, Vice Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, told the Hartford Courant. “But it’s a meaningful step toward easing the burden on ratepayers and building on the accountability measures I helped pass.”
Yet, not all voices were celebratory. Several lawmakers and advocates expressed skepticism about the bill’s long-term impact and its approach to renewable energy. “While this is progress, energy costs are still going to continue to be high in Connecticut, and that requires a whole different conversation around producing energy,” House Majority Leader Jason Rojas told the CT Mirror. “But we can certainly build off of this [bill] to provide the kind of relief that I think a lot of families were demanding.”
Environmental advocates also raised alarms over the bill’s reduction in renewable energy incentives. “We are backing off from the renewable portfolio, and that makes me sad,” State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford said. “We used to be a leader in the United States, and we won’t be after this.”
Charles Rothenberger, a climate and energy attorney with Save the Sound, was even more blunt, telling the Hartford Courant, “I’ve not heard of anything positive in the bill yet.”
The law’s projected savings come on top of a recently approved 25 percent reduction in the public benefits charge and a scheduled 13 percent drop in electricity supply rates beginning July 1. As Connecticut continues to modernize its grid and invest in renewable energy, the new legislation is seen by supporters as a crucial move to provide immediate relief while laying the groundwork for more comprehensive reforms in the future—but critics warn that the state’s energy affordability and sustainability challenges are far from resolved.
