Connecticut lawmakers have acted on a bipartisan bill to reduce the high cost of electricity as part of a frenzy of activity leading up to the end of their legislative session on Wednesday.
The bill would reduce the public benefits charge on electricity bills and save the average Connecticut resident about $10 a month.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford), who helped write the bill, said businesses would save more.
“Residents might be $10, but a business could be a couple of hundred dollars. Because you pay your public benefits charges based on your usage percentage. The more you use, the more you pay,” he said.
Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said it was good that lawmakers were able to come together and produce a bipartisan bill.
“When you have a situation like this that has gotten very political, but has a true impact on families, if you can find a bipartisan way, it’s a good thing for the state of Connecticut,” Ritter said.
“I think it's the beginning of a process where we do everything we can to hold down the high cost of electricity,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The bill provides ratepayer relief and makes some changes to state energy policy. It promotes grid-enhancing technologies, lowers subsidies for solar and other renewable sources of energy, and gives utilities more flexibility in how they buy power.
