Power Hungry

Connecticut consumers of electricity were shocked when they opened their July bills, as they saw a ‘public utilities charge’ cause increases of nearly 30% over typical expenses. Even the deepest blue of CT voters saw red when they noticed higher fees for the same services this summer, resulting in an average $48 increase per customer. The hike incapsulates assistance subsidies for low-income and non-paying consumers, along with energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives- all passed off to residents who can barely maintain last year’s household budget. Incentive programs for drivers of electric vehicles and users of solar power are among the most egregious charges, alongside the inflated costs of buying lower-emission energies.

The population will also see a similar- if invisible- increase in how it pays for electricity used by municipal buildings. Fire and police departments, schools, and all other administrative structures use power, and towns will either have to raise taxes or cut services to address the unpredicted rise in costs.

This is coming at a time when the Connecticut government seems to be operating- and spending- on all cylinders. The State Legislature voted along party lines this year to raise salaries for state employees by as much as 4.5%, a total increase of over $150 million. During the prolonged debate, CT Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D-New Haven) argued, “We have a huge budget reserve fund and have been putting money away… for years.” Even with the rate increases, the Nutmeg State is shockingly in the black and enjoys a more than $1 billion surplus due to tax contributions from new residents and federal COVID relief funds. Evidently, such overflow is meant to shore up Governor Lamont’s impending reelection rather than to provide relief to suffering Connecticut families.

The inept leadership of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, combined with the Non-Bypassable Federally Mandated Congestion Charge (NBFMCC) initiated by the Biden administration, is costing consumers more than can be spared. The NBFMCCS are added to electric bills to cover costs set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURA), and are required of consumers even if they opt for retail energy purchasing, rather than public utility. The Democratic Connecticut and Federal Governments have offered flashy programming designed to secure votes with little regard for very real consequences felt by American families.

The public employees enjoying enormous raises in tight economic times will undoubtedly put their work power into maintaining the Governor’s authority, and residents whose bills were covered by their neighbors will seek further transfer of their economic responsibilities, creating a closed loop of reelection and special interest that leaves the remaining population entirely unprotected. Democrats cannot be allowed to continue kick-the-can policies that make for flashy news conferences for elected officials and living nightmares for US households.

What do you think about the practice of passing off government programs and unpaid bills to upstanding citizens? How long can this sort of practice functionally continue?

Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.