Late Tuesday, the Connecticut state Senate passed, by a vote of 20-14, a massive 129-page energy reform bill that would completely restructure the state’s deregulated energy industry.
The bill is now headed to the House on Wednesday, where it is expected to face stiff opposition from Republicans, before the state’s General Assembly adjourns its 2010 legislative session.
Proponents of the bill say that it could lead to lower electric rates (estimates have been floating by as much as 15%), but opponents maintain that the bill would destroy the momentum that Connecticut has achieved in creating a healthy and robust competitive marketplace, while ultimately hurting ratepayers.
Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration has expressed concerns with the bill, which reorganizes the state’s Department of Public Utility Control, saying it could hamper the DPUC’s ability to properly and legally regulate the electric, gas, water and telecommunications industries.
Questions have also been raised about whether the bill’s financial incentives to help the state’s budding solar industry would ultimately increase costs for ratepayers and whether parts of the legislation would hinder ratepayers’ ability to choose alternative electric suppliers.
Other parts of the bill call for job training for minority-owned energy businesses, a study of placing solar panels on large state buildings, consumer protections for customers who purchase their power from the competitive electric suppliers and programs to replace inefficient furnaces.
We will be following the bill as it is debated on the House floor on Wednesday. Be sure to check back often, and follow us on Twitter for all the updates.
To read additional commentary from the COMPETE Coalition, click HERE.
To learn how a bill becomes law in the state of Connecticut, click HERE.
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