For Immediate Release
Contact Shelly Sindland
shellysindland@ctema.com
860-992-9045
For immediate release:
11TH HOUR AMENDMENTS WOULD GRANT DEEP COMMISSIONER COMPLETE CONTROL OF CONNECTICUT’S ENERGY ECONOMY DESPITE PREVIOUS, SIMILAR ATTEMPTS ALREADY DEFEATED THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
• Several amendments have been filed that would give the commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection unprecedented authority to set energy policy and prices without legislative approval.
• The move could potentially increase energy costs across the board for Connecticut residents who already pay some of the highest energy costs in the nation.
• For example, an amendment (LCO NO. 9103) to H.B. 6397, “AN ACT CONCERNING ZERO-CARBON EMISSIONS,” would declare a climate crisis and give DEEP’s commissioner authority to develop a “Connecticut Decarbonization Roadmap” which could potentially target and ban everything from your gas stove to the way you heat your home and keep the lights on.
Cromwell, CT: Connecticut Energy Marketers Association is sounding the alarm regarding 11th hour amendments to a house bill that would resurrect previously defeated attempts to give complete authority to the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to set and target energy policy and fuel sources without legislative approval. This move could impact the price of energy across the board from electricity to natural gas, to home heating oil and even the gas used to fuel your gas stove.
“They say the devil is in the details but what lacks here are specific details which we fear would give DEEP’s commissioner sole authority to set energy policy without going through the Connecticut General Assembly. This is a big concern for us and Connecticut consumers,” said Chris Herb, president and CEO of CEMA. “These vague amendments lack details, which means DEEP’s commissioner could essentially make up the rules as she goes. This is deeply concerning for us and for Connecticut consumers who will have to dig deeper into their wallets to pay for the fuel they need to drive to work, heat their homes and grill a burger in their backyard.”
The specific concerns are in lines 24 to 31; and in 52 to 62; which lack specific details and don’t include language requiring legislative approval.
“All we are saying is that if DEEP’s commissioner won’t have total control of our energy economy, then it needs to be spelled out in the amendments. Right now, as I see it, this gives an unelected bureaucrat complete authority to decide the winners and losers in our state’s energy economy without a say from the people of Connecticut who never elected this person. It’s too much power for one person and not the American way of doing things. There is a reason why we have checks and balances in government and this amendment has nothing that would keep DEEP in check,” said Herb. “We are sounding the alarm now while there is still time to stop this. Sneaking in these amendments when session ends in just a few days, and hoping one of them sticks, is not being transparent and not being honest with Connecticut residents.”
List of amendments:
https://cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO09388-R00-AMD.PDF
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08127-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08608-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08638-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08923-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08888-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO09016-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO08093-R00-AMD.pdf
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/lcoamd/pdf/2023LCO09103-R00-AMD.pdf