CT Roundtable on Climate & Jobs Enforce the Law; Reduce the Residential Fixed Charge Comment on Docket No. 16-06-04 Application Of The United Illuminating Company To Increase Its Rates And Charges
September 2016 We are participants in a statewide roundtable on climate and jobs that includes labor unions, community organizations, religious groups, the business community, and environmental organizations. We are deeply concerned about the need to build a sustainable economy with goodpaying jobs here at home while reducing the threat of climate disruption here and around the world. We believe that Connecticut faces an important opportunity to address both the economic crisis and the climate crisis: Let’s put people to work protecting the climate. In 2015, we helped win state legislation to rein in runaway increases in monthly fixed charges for CT’s electric customers. Residential customers saw their monthly fixed charge more than double in a decade (2004-2014), resulting in the highest (Eversource; $19.25/mo) and second highest (UI; $17.25/mo) in New England for any major utility. Legislators recognized the need for change, and they passed a law clearly limiting what costs can be included in the fixed charge: “…only the fixed costs and operation and maintenance expenses directly related to metering, billing, service connections and the provision of customer service." The current rate case for United Illuminating (UI) is the first test for enforcement of this new law. The Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) has submitted expert testimony showing that UI’s monthly fixed charge under the new law should be $7.63/month, a reduction of almost $10. Electric customers in Massachusetts already pay fixed charges of less than $7/month. We strongly encourage the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to adjust UI’s residential fixed charge, as required by statute. Reducing the fixed charge to satisfy the law would also serve the public interest: it would give residential consumers greater control over their energy costs – especially efficient users, those on limited incomes, seniors, and households with rooftop solar; it would enhance the incentives for energy efficiency and rooftop solar, which are critical elements of the state’s plan for achieving its climate goals; and it would encourage the expansion of a clean energy sector that provides green jobs for workers right here in Connecticut.
Contact:
John Humphries, Organizer 14 Tremont Street Hartford, CT 06105
[email protected] 860-216-7972 www.CTClimateandJobs.org
UI Rate Case Comments by CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs
September 2016
We urge PURA to protect the public interest in affordable electricity, climate protection and clean energy jobs. Reduce UI’s residential fixed charge, as required by state law. The following people have endorsed this statement as individuals and NOT on behalf of or representing any organization or institution. (List is sorted by town.) NAME
TOWN
Monique Golden Jeanne Fish Michael Sherber John Eickel Kara Jankowski Warren Kritko Donna Landerman David Mann Carol Noyes Vikki Reski David Roones John Stewart Michael Duffy Susan Trucksess Abigail Hubbard John Skinger Ken Jones Jane Latus Christopher Henderson Todd Vachon Jeremy Brecher William Foster Michael Harris Donna Martin Kelly Jane Forbush Margarita Nieves Tim Schneider Robert Dortenzio Shawn O'Sullivan Peter McKnight Noreen Cullen Rod Zander David Desiderato Richard Ameriling Jerry Silbert
Ashford Avon Avon Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bolton Branford Branford Bristol Bristol Canton Canton Clinton Colchester Cornwall Danbury Deep River East Haddam East Hartford East Haven Ellington Fairfield Fairfield Fairfield Glastonbury Goshen Granby Guilford Guilford
AFFILIATION (for identification purposes ONLY) GEU-UAW Local 6950
C-TEC Solar C-TEC Solar Save Our Water CT Bloomfield Conservation Energy Environment Cmttee Ironwood Community Partners University of Hartford, emeritus prof
GEU-UAW Local 6950 Labor Network for Sustainability SolarCity City of Middletown/Harris Mgmt. Services People's Action for Clean Energy First Congregational Church of East Hartford People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) Sun-Wind Solutions Fairfield Earth Day Project LEAN People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE)
Watershed Partnership, Inc. Page 2 of 5
UI Rate Case Comments by CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs NAME
TOWN
Rebecca Andreucci Robert Dubrow Mary Emerson Rod Groff Diane Hoffman Amanda Kallenbach Fathima H Dorothy Lovett Buckley Mary Lee Morrison Michael Harder Eszter Samodai Lynn Fulkerson Elaina Robitaille James Schwartz Eugene DeJoannis Ben Lai Jody Wynn Rodiger Edward Guimont Christopher Kueffner Mike and Miriam Kurland Charles Wasserman Patrick McKenna Jon Morris Diane Lentakis Peter Hornat Michael Moffatt Mary Beth Mordecai Christina Andersen Nancy Brockett Karen Hanson Peter Hanson David Henri Jan Cunningham Stephen V. Kobasa Henry Lowendorf Marie Moore Paula Panzarella Geremy Schulick Chris Schweitzer Martha Smith Rachel Ziesk
Hamden Hamden Hamden Hamden Hamden Hamden Hartford Hartford Hartford Hebron Hebron Litchfield Longmeadow Lyme Manchester Manchester Manchester Mansfield Mansfield Mansfield Center Mansfield Center Middletown Middletown Milford Montville Moodus Moodus Morris New Britain New Canaan New Canaan New Hartford New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven New Haven
September 2016
AFFILIATION (for identification purposes ONLY) South Central Regional Council of Governments Laudato Si Ministry Team - Archdiocese of Hartford
Hamden Alliance for Trees Sierra Club Hebron Citizens Green Committee Hebron Citizens Green Committee Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN) C-TEC Solar Solar Energy Assoc of CT GEU-UAW Local 6950 GEU-UAW Local 6950 People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) GEU-UAW Local 6950 Jonah Center for Earth and Art Sierra Club-CT Chapter & 350 CT Laurel Lock Campground
Solar Energy Association of CT
Fight the Hike New Haven Climate Movement New Haven Leon Sister City Project
Page 3 of 5
UI Rate Case Comments by CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs NAME
TOWN
Nancy Thomas Ron French Gary Fink Starling Childs Lindsay Suter Kevin Riggott Kenny Foscue Peter Libre Paul Retter Rose Mary Sullivan John Donnelly Torrance Downes Patricia O'Brien Mike Berman Pam McDonald Roland Therrien John Rooney Tina Franco Bonnie Vachon Joseph Rizzo Nevin Christensen Herb Davidson Carina Bies Raymond Parr Jonathan Schulz Josh Caley Cathy Klein Lois Happe Adam Jacobs Michael Wallace Charles Emerson Donna Caporaso Leo Smith Philip Dooley John Robinson Michael Morrison Lee & Dorothy Paquette Benjamin Martin Joshua Angelus Evelyn Lush Joshua Angelus
Newington Newtown Niantic Norfolk North Branford North Granby North Haven Norwalk Norwalk Norwalk Old Saybrook Old Saybrook Old Saybrook Orange Pawcatuck Plainville Portland Prospect Salem Shelton Simsbury Somers South Windsor South Windsor Stamford Stonington Stonington Storrs Storrs Storrs Stratford Stratford Suffield Tolland Tolland Torrington Vernon Wallingford Waterbury Waterbury Waterbury
September 2016
AFFILIATION (for identification purposes ONLY)
Berkshire Litchfield Environmental Council
North Haven Clean Energy Task Force
CND Justice and Peace Claadagh Financial Group
ECrent People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE)
People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) C-TEC Solar C-TEC Solar C-TEC Solar Eastern CT Green Action GEU-UAW Local 6950
International Dark Sky Association
350 CT Naugatuck Valley Project Page 4 of 5
UI Rate Case Comments by CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs NAME
TOWN
Ken Owen Judy Allen Jeffrey Daniels Patricia Gaupp Jeff Howard Kevin Lynch Nancy Mason Kate Miller Jean Peterson Virchow David Schonfeld Elizabeth Vitale Stefanie Wnuck Robert Marra James Pandaru Jeff Pipeling Mark Scully Royal Graves Girard Hayes Tharindu Kankanam Steven Manicastri Elizabeth Craig Grace Adams Jean de Smet Corey Krohn Kathleen Ragon Siavash Samei Charles Button Leticia Colon Jorge Jimenez LouAnne McDonald Jeff Schwartz William Corcoran Carole Osborn Lydia Straus-Edwards
West Granby West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Hartford West Haven West Haven West Haven West Simsbury Wethersfield Wethersfield Willimantic Willimantic Wilton Windham Windham Windham Windham Windham Windsor Windsor Windsor Windsor Windsor Windsor Winsted Woodbury
September 2016
AFFILIATION (for identification purposes ONLY) People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE)
Sierra Club Unitarian Society Hartford CT Alliance for Retired Americans Hartford Friends Meeting
Greater New Haven Peace Council People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) Sierra Club UCONN Student GEU-UAW Local 6950 Norwalk River Watershed Association
People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) GEU-UAW Local 6950
C-TEC Solar
Page 5 of 5
