A Vision for a Stronger Connecticut
Op-Ed: Connecticut Ratepayers Now Pay Highest Electricity Bills - Rate Hike Scheme Needs to be Repealed!
Households in Connecticut are getting a shock as they open their latest electricity bills, thanks to a sketchy agreement between Hartford politicians and the big shots at Eversource and UI.
Connecticut households already pay the highest average electricity bills of any state in the USA according to the US Energy Information Administration. Nevertheless, beginning in July, their average electric bill went even higher, thanks to the “Public Benefits Charge”.
Wait, rates are going to go higher because of “Public Benefits”? That doesn’t appear to make sense, does it? Only in Connecticut!
The public benefits charge is a part of our electricity bill that is mandated by the state legislature. It covers 16 different items that are mandated by the politicians in Hartford. It’s a reckless, pie-in-the-sky wish list from the same crowd who want to ban gas-powered vehicles in our state, and coerce us into buying unaffordable, and for most of us, impractical electric cars.
That’s right. As if electricity isn’t expensive enough here in Connecticut. There are 16 different politically mandated charges in the public benefits part of our electric bill! Did anyone consult you and your family to find out if you were okay with this involuntary rip-off?
Many families and small businesses are struggling in this economy. The cost of living is sky-high. Prices and fees are up on just about everything we need and use. Necessities of life – including electricity – are way up. While the Robber Barons in the utility board rooms line their pockets, politicians at the state capitol tell us to freeze in the winter and sweat in the summer.
Some of those 16 extra costs are the subsidy you must pay for people who don’t pay their utility bills. It also includes a charge related to a deal struck by the politicians and the owners of the Millstone electric plant here in Connecticut to guarantee they make an excessive mandated profit generating electricity. It also includes the hidden costs of various renewable energy programs – all of which are dubious. The shareholders are protected by law while the ratepayers get stuck holding the bag. This sweetheart deal between Connecticut legislators and the electric monopoly needs to be fully exposed and the legal scheme repealed. The details of this ratepayer sell-out cannot stand up to public scrutiny, which is why we must shine a bright light on this dirty deal.
Connecticut doesn’t have to be the state ranked #1 for the highest electric bills of all 50 states. Let’s start by cutting back these politically driven “public benefits” charges. As State Senator, I will demand a public hearing to investigate each and every “public benefits charge” to see what they are and whom they are benefiting – and expose the people who made the backroom deals. We can’t change what’s happening at the state capitol unless we change the people we send there. It’s time for ratepayers to become “electrified”, stand up for themselves, and send the political stooges packing in November.
Elain Cariati is the Republican candidate for State Senator in the 13th District, which includes Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield and Middletown
Op-Ed: Connecticut Politicians Should Keep Their Hands Off Our Gas-Powered Vehicles
Many Connecticut legislators are scheming to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles in our state. Their goal is to mandate electric vehicles and limit what kind of car, van, or truck we can own and drive. What are they thinking in Hartford?
These meddling and out of touch politicians have no business banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles in Connecticut.
High sticker price, way too few places to pull over and add a jolt, difficulties of charging electric vehicles (EVs) at failing charging stations during cold snaps, limited driving distance – these are just a few of the reasons many drivers have no interest is owning an EV. While EVs may be an expensive choice for some, they are not ready for mass use, certainly not as a government mandate. Connecticut drivers – not Hartford politicians – should have the freedom to decide for themselves what mode of transportation works best for them.
Auto companies are now backing away from prior commitments (and tax subsidies) made to build EVs. Without continued, massive taxpayer handouts to manufacturers and consumers, EVs would be unaffordable for most drivers. Hertz, struggling to emerge from bankruptcy, pledged to buy 100,000 Tesla EVs, using tax subsidies to support that pledge. Their customers have resisted renting these cars. Higher insurance and repair costs for EVs have added to the business losses for Hertz.
Naïve and extremist EV proponents who would coerce us into using unaffordable and unreliable EVs that we don’t want or need, tout them as a panacea for clean air. However, when the entire supply chain for manufacturing of EVs and their batteries is considered, there is no net environmental gain. Carbon-based fuels generate the electricity to charge the batteries. The mining and processing of lithium and cobalt generate significant pollutants. Coupled with the geopolitical aspects of the international supply chain with the real threat of embargoes of critical minerals, the negatives far outweigh the positives. If those facts aren’t enough, consider that in Connecticut, there will be no measurable impact on global emissions given that we are only one percent of the US population – and our regions electrical grid is already maxed out.
Too many state representatives and senators are stunningly uninformed, while others are aware of the facts but lack the courage to stand up to the noisy and radical Green New Deal crowd. And consider this: reckless EV mandates would put a dangerous strain on our antiquated and near capacity electrical grid. To make matters worse, electricity giant Eversource is about to hit us with another big rate hike.
It’s time for some much-needed common sense at the State Capitol.
The citizens of Connecticut should fight back against these proposed mandates before it’s too late. I have a simple, common-sense message for our state legislators: “keep your hands off our gas-powered vehicles.”
In rejecting EV mandates, we should remind our elected representatives that they work for us.
Elain Cariati is the Republican candidate for State Senator in the 13th District, which includes Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, and Middletown