Connecticut

Connecticut uses electricity to hide cost of government

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2024

Connecticut uses electricity to hide cost of government

February 25, 2024 6:00 am
• Last Updated: February 23, 2024 1:02 pm

Feeling unusually put upon by state government, Connecticut’s two major electric utility companies, Eversource and United Illuminating, are pushing back, which is good, since, whatever their faults, they are too easily demagogued against, as nearly everybody hates electric companies, electricity being too expensive.

Connecticut has the second highest electricity costs in the country. But now the utilities, which formerly only grumbled privately about the biggest reason, are talking openly about it: government policy.

The forthcoming rate increases, expected to be around 19%, are reported to be entirely the result of two state government mandates.

The first mandate requires the utilities to purchase the production of the Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, electricity that sometimes is cheaper than other sources and sometimes isn’t. State government has concluded that keeping Millstone operating is vital to Connecticut’s energy security.

The second mandate requires the utilities to keep providing electricity to customers who consider themselves too poor to pay for it. Whereupon that cost is transferred to customers who don’t consider themselves too poor to pay and whose rates go up.

Quite apart from those mandates, Eversource long has estimated that 15-20% of its charges to customers arise from state mandates having little or nothing to do with the cost of the production or delivery of electricity.

Then there is the failure of Connecticut to import more natural gas, largely the result of New York’s obstruction of new pipelines from the west.

The co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee, Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, accuses Eversource of trying to make customers pay for a cash-flow problem the company suffered as a result of its recent “wind-power investment gamble.” But even there state government has to share responsibility. After all, why would electric companies “gamble” on wind power if government wasn’t encouraging “green” energy and setting targets for accomplishing it?

The state government policies affecting electric rates are not necessarily wrong. But recovering their costs by hiding them in electricity bills, as Connecticut does, is dishonest. It deliberately misleads the public into thinking that the utilities are responsible for high rates when they are the work of government.

There is no social justice in requiring electricity users who pay their bills to pay as well for users who don’t pay. The cost of people who don’t pay their electric bills easily could be drawn against everyone from general taxation. Even the much bigger cost of subsidizing Millstone could be paid directly from general tax revenue.

Of course other taxes might have to be raised, but then people would see that it wasn’t the big, bad utilities that took their money but that their own state legislators and governor did. Then people would be prompted to make a judgment on the policies behind the extra costs.

But hiding the cost of government in the cost of living is practically a principle of government in Connecticut. State taxes and the cost of state government policies are concealed not just in electricity rates but also in wholesale fuel taxes and medical and insurance bills so that energy companies, hospitals, doctors and insurers take the blame, just as electric companies do.

Indeed, hiding the cost of government in the cost of living is now a primary principle of the federal government as well, with trillions of dollars in government expense being covered not by taxes but by borrowing, debt, the resulting money creation, and thus by inflation, which most people imagine is a force of nature, like the weather, something beyond human control.

Inflationary finance prevents people from asking their members of Congress inconvenient questions, like: How much more war in Ukraine, other stupid imperial wars, illegal immigration, Social Security, Medicare and new subsidy programs can we afford?

With their new candor about the origin of high electricity prices the utility companies are taking a big risk. Through the Public Utilities Control Authority, the governor and legislators can punish the companies expensively for telling the truth. But state government’s deception of the public is already expensive.

Chris Powell has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years. He can be reached at CPowell@cox.net.

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Connecticut

UGA student dies after fall while hiking in Connecticut

Published

3 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

UGA student dies after fall while hiking in Connecticut

article

William Cooper Gatch. Photo courtesy of Joiner Anderson Funeral Home

ATHENS. Ga. – A University of Georgia student from Georgia has died after falling during a hike in Connecticut, according to UGA’s Red & Black.

What we know:

Police identified the victim as 23-year-old William Cooper Gatch of Statesboro. Gatch was a senior majoring in agricultural education at the University of Georgia and was set to graduate in May.

Investigators say Gatch was hiking with his sister at Sleeping Giant State Park when he fell along an unmarked trail. He was later located in a wooded area and died from his injuries.

Officials with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police are investigating the incident. Early findings suggest the fall was accidental.

What they’re saying:

According to his obituary, Gatch was known for his curiosity and compassion, qualities that shaped his interest in agricultural education and mentoring others. During his final semester, he was completing his student teaching at Madison County High School.

His obituary describes him as someone who was deeply loved by those around him.

Athens-Clarke CountyGeorgiaNews

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Connecticut

CT Attorney General Tong wants Aquarion deal reconsidered after ‘massive math error’

Published

15 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

CT Attorney General Tong wants Aquarion deal reconsidered after ‘massive math error’

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said the sale of Aquarion needs to be reconsidered following a ‘massive math error.’

Tong and the consumer counsel said that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) missed out on nearly $500 million in potential rate increases.

Aquarion, Eversource’s water company, was to be sold to the South Central Connecticut Water Authority back in November 2025. But a judge ordered PURA to reconsider, which led to another approval in March. Aquarion is the state’s largest water supplier, servicing hundreds of thousands of people across 60 municipalities.

But now, Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman said PURA missed out on just under $500 million in additional rate increases needed to pay for the sale. PURA was reviewing a compressed spreadsheet that omitted information about rate hikes after 2035, according to Tong.

That number could add an estimated $19 million a year over 25 years to customers’ water bills.

“These aren’t new numbers; this is a bombshell,” Tong said on Wednesday. “A deal breaker.”

This will be the third time PURA would have to take another look at Eversource’s plan to sell off Aquarion.

“$500 million more in rate increases pushes it off the knife’s edge and makes it clear this deal is terrible for rate payers,” Tong said.

The top Republican in Connecticut’s House of Representatives agrees that PURA should take another look, but said the sale is in the best interest of consumers.

“At this point, I question anything that the attorney general really has to say about this deal,” said Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader). “He’s cried wolf about this deal. He’s been against this deal since day one, and he’ll clearly do everything in his power to stop it.”

Other lawmakers oppose the sale and continue to push for legislation that would maintain PURA’s authority over rates, even if Aquarion becomes quasi-public.

“The same oversight that we require for any natural monopoly in almost all gases, in electricity, in water, in many utilities,” said Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich).

NBC Connecticut has not heard from PURA on when they may take up the petition, nor has it received a response from Eversource and Aquarion.

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Connecticut

New data shows drop in crime rates across CT, DESPP says

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

New data shows drop in crime rates across CT, DESPP says

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Crime rates kept falling across Connecticut in 2025, with murders, assaults, rapes, car thefts, and other thefts all dropping by double digits, according to the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

The number of murders in Connecticut dropped from 90 in 2024 to 70 in 2025, as seen in the newly released crime report for the fourth quarter. This decline matches a trend across the nation. The nationwide homicide rate is expected to be at the lowest level in more than 100 years, DESPP said.

“This is a story of double-digit declines. You have violent crime down. Robbery down by double digits. This is consistent from quarter to quarter,’’ said Dr. Michael Mascari, Chief Data Officer for DESPP.(DESPP)

“Irrefutably, this is making Connecticut – already one of the safest states – even safer. We are spending more time sharing our resources, building partnerships and task forces, and working collaboratively with our local and federal partners. These numbers are a reflection of that,” said Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. “But we know there are still areas of concern.”

The latest numbers for 2025 show that crime rates continue to drop across the board in... — The latest numbers for 2025 show that crime rates continue to drop across the board in Connecticut, with murder, assault, rape, vehicle thefts, and other larcenies showing double digit declines for the four quarters of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.(DESPP)

Higgins said fraud offenses, particularly identity theft, continue to increase. Arson also continues to rise. A small but concerning rise in prostitution offenses has also been recorded, said DESPP officials.

“We are drilling down and working with our local and state partners to respond to the increase in these offenses,” Higgins said.

Overall, crimes against property went down by 17 percent. The report said the overall number of crimes against persons is at its lowest point since early 2021.

“This is a story of double-digit declines. You have violent crime down. Robbery down by double digits. This is consistent from quarter to quarter,” said Dr. Michael Mascari, Chief Data Officer for DESPP.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the report shows Connecticut is getting safer, with crime down across the board.

“We’re on track for one of the lowest homicide rates in more than a century. Crimes of any kind are unacceptable, and we’ll keep building on this progress with smart public safety policies and strong support for our communities,” Lamont said.

Col. Daniel Loughman, commanding officer of the Connecticut State Police, said the results are driven by the discipline, coordination and effort of state troopers working alongside municipal and federal partners.

“We recognize this progress, but we will not slow down. CSP will stay focused, stay proactive, and continue driving crime down to keep Connecticut safe,” Loughman said.

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