Connecticut Energy Bills Increase Involvement With Energy Companies
Four energy-related bills have been approved by committees within Connecticut’s General Assembly, and if passed by the State Senate and House and ultimately become law, they will bring further collaboration between CT energy companies and legislators to create a more competitive energy strategy for the state.
Connecticut’s government and the business community have not always seen eye-to-eye on energy policy, but these bills have been welcomed by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, and the actual implementation of these bills would increase communication to hopefully create better alignment between Connecticut energy businesses, State government and local businesses.
Bills from the Environment Committee
The Environment Committee approved two bills that aim to ease the impact of regulation on CT companies. One of the bills, SB 998, requires Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to annually solicit three high-priority regulatory concerns from a statewide organization that represents the business community. DEEP must then meet with affected businesses and relay those concerns, as well as any plans to address those concerns, to certain legislators.
Additionally, the Environment Committee approved SB 285, which waives civil penalties from DEEP for first-time regulation violations if the business then takes action to comply, provided that the violation is not willfully or grossly negligent, does not harm the environment or human health, or that the penalty is not required by federal law.
Bills from the Energy and Technology Committee
Similar to how the Environment Committee approved bills related to the impacts of regulation on CT companies, the state’s Energy and Technology Committee passed two bills related to how regulations affect energy costs.
One of those measures, SB 861, requires bills that could affect electricity costs to include a fiscal analysis of the impact on CT electricity rates.
The Environment Committee also approved HB 7012, which requires DEEP to take further action when revising the state’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy every three years. These actions include assessing progress on reducing CT energy rates relative to other Northeastern states as well as having DEEP make recommendations to improve the state’s energy cost competitiveness compared to these states.
How Businesses Can Get More Involved
For SB 998, there is built-in collaboration, as DEEP must meet with businesses affected by regulation. Meanwhile, the other bills offer significant opportunity for CT companies to get more involved, because if the state government has to figure out the fiscal impact of policies on CT electricity rates, then businesses have a natural opportunity to weigh in on how various laws affect them.
Plus, with SB 285 providing an avenue to waive fines for first-time offenses in some cases, there can be less opposition between the two sides. And offending businesses that then comply in order to get the penalty waived will naturally increase their involvement with DEEP during this process, and perhaps they will then be more comfortable weighing in when it comes time for the agency to review the state’s energy cost competitiveness.
Specifically, CT companies can get involved such as by calling or writing legislators, or joining business organizations that advocate for the community. They can also participate in events like Connecticut Business Day, which was sponsored by CBIA and the Connecticut Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and it brought together legislators, business organizations and CT companies in order to discuss pressing issues.
Even if some of these bills do not ultimately pass, they indicate that the state government is focusing more on understanding how policy affects energy costs, and businesses should take that as a cue to voice their concerns. This involvement does not need to be political in terms of choosing one party over the other, but rather by simply explaining how certain issues affect CT companies, the state can make bipartisan changes that benefit Connecticut as a whole.
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