The Connecticut legislature’s Energy & Technology Committee held its final regular meeting on March 19, sending dozens of bills to the House and Senate for potential votes.
Rep. Charles Ferraro, the Republican lead on the committee, said, “My goal is to fight for consumers and help reduce the cost of energy in Connecticut. The bills that I supported out of committee this session will help us move in a direction that will help make Connecticut consumer friendly.”
Ferraro highlighted the following bills that he supported out of committee:
HB 7156: “An Act Concerning the Procurement of Energy Derived from Offshore Wind” will authorize the procurement of offshore wind, building upon the state’s renewable energy portfolio, and ultimately lowering the price of electricity. The bill accomplishes this by requiring the commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the procurement manager, the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Attorney General, to solicit proposals from providers of energy derived from offshore wind. It also includes a variety of provisions to mitigate potential impacts to wildlife, natural resources and ecosystems, and other traditional water-dependent use.
HB 5002: “An Act Concerning a Green Economy and Environment Protection” takes a broad approach to help incentivize companies to bring energy jobs to the state by encouraging students to explore the energy and technology fields through apprenticeship programs. It will also grow the technology of anaerobic digestion in the state, a process that turns food waste into energy, while also keeping it out of the waste stream. The final language of the bill is still being crafted.
HB 5687: “An Act Concerning Electric Supplier Electric Generation Service Rates and Customer Bills” would allow for an electric supplier to amend an existing contract to offer a customer a lower generation rate if they have the ability to do so. It would allow the customer to be able to benefit from a lower rate and protect the supplier from having their customer switched to the standard service offer rate if they are able to offer a price lower than what was on the previous bill.
For more information about the bills passed out of the Energy and Technology committee visit cga.ct.gov.