Survey Questions and Candidate Responses

Cynthia Mangini | Participating Election

No-they are not sufficiently regulated. Specifically, Eversource not only charges for the electricity, but also a delivery fee. This makes the cost unbearably high for most people. I would support legislation for a committee to oversee these companies in an attempt to minimize prolonged loss of service and unfair rate increases.

Kara Rochelle | Participating Election

More regulation is needed. While the Taking Back Our Grid Act was a good step, we must work at every turn to put people before profits. I believe we need stricter benchmarks on having utilities companies harden the grid--by putting power lines underground, for example--and that these investments must be paid for by the utility to provide proper performance, without passing the cost on to customers. Further, rate increases should be considered only when performance standards are met and clear and compelling evidence is shown that the rate increase is warranted based on hard numbers. I would prefer that utilities companies have to submit a plan for how they will deliver rate decreases. This should be the goal.

Nick Gauthier | Participating Election

No, and we must move away from a private, for-profit model for providing utilities and toward more public, not-for-profit utilities at the state, regional, and/or municipal level, such as Groton and Norwich Public Utilities.

Tammy Nuccio | Participating Election

I fear there is so much regulation that we've lost track of what we're trying to do. Several of the increases in rate have to do with legislation that is passed and what that legislation does to the rates. We need to review the current rate structure, recognize the impact of legislation, review if that legislation is doing what was intended and make changes where needed to stop or minimize the increase in service delivery rates. Then, once we've established a clear picture of where we are trying to go, we should ensure rate increases are tied to service levels that can be documented and explained.

Jonathan Steinberg | Participating Election

CT is burdened with a vestigial regulatory framework which freed utilities from generation responsibilities but inadequately incentivizes smart investments and improved performance, with no relief for ratepayers. We made some headway in revising the incentive/penalty structure during the special legislative session, but the underlying issues remain. Unfortunately, we now face the urgent need for electric grid infrastructure investment so we can compete and enable the grid of the future -- with an emphasis on greater grid resiliency and reliability. These costs will be borne primarily by ratepayers in the near-term, although such investments should mitigate rate increases down the road.

Anne Hughes | Participating Election

Nope. Re-claim public utilities as public good, and regulate accordingly.

John Rasimas | Participating Election

We need to expand the membership of PURA commissioners and create an oversight board for the Office of Consumer Council. Appointees to these bodies should be made by both parties. The current system provides that all PURA commissioners and the Consumer Council are gubernatorial appointments.

Edwin Vargas | Participating Election

We have already taken some steps in that direction. I also support giving our Public Utilities Commission more authorities over these utilities.

David Michel | Participating Election

NOT AT ALL!! The two companies are certainly not friendly in how and how much they charge the rate payers. Outside of the usual complaints i have these examples that are timely as the utilities are developing their plans of expansion of the Smart Meters infrastructure (forget contesting your bills and say bye to the privacy of what you use your electricity for). Eversource had come to the state years ago asking for an opt in into smart meters..now it seems it is gonna be imposed, good luck if you do not want one. Outside of constantly reported horrible customer service, there are of course the issues of the fragility of the grid. i am a supporter of decentralizing the grid. I am also a supporter of municipal utilities all across the state. I have an elderly Lady crying because of her recognized condition (EMS) and the way they ignore her condition by shoving a smart meter on her house, another cries for his daughter with the same condition and again the utilities give despotic and dismissive answers. Their handling of emergencies has not been satisfying to consumers. PURA needs to step up and regulate those much better. When it comes to Smart Meters, stop being bullies and go back to the roots of an OPT IN, do not impose on your customers, without them being informed, do not impose these devices without acknowledging the dangers of electro magnetic radiation. The dismissal of science is staggering and should not be allowed in the name of public health. Saferemr.com and ehtrust.org are great sources of information and peer reviewed studies. It's equally alarming if not more when it comes to the development of the 5G infrastructure, but that is another story that should be addressed. I ll go at it here. In regards to Broadband access and equity, as we are getting federal funding, we should not use it to deploy 5G antennas in front of schools and people s homes, but for those with no or little access to internet, we should ensure the fiber optic cables deployed throughout the entire state during the pandemic are connected to their buildings and homes. On Telecoms and 5G, a couple of bullet points: . The public health and environmental standards are under the Federal 1996 Telecommunications Act (no state or municipal standards oversight) which took under consideration absolutely no technology we use today. It does not address long term or constant exposure to EMR. . The FCC using those standards lost in federal court against the Environmental Health Trust (lead by an actual scientist in EMR Dr Devra Davis) for not taking under consideration the 10,000 pages of peer reviewed science they were given by the scientific community. The federal court is waiting now for the FCC to review the actual science and present themselves to them with an explanation! . We are facing the biggest energy hog as the antennas might be more efficient in energy consumption per data, but the amount of data intended when the grid will actually be in place (a micro-grid as higher frequency antennas will only send data a shorter distance) is enormous. In an age when we are doing everything to reduce energy consumption, this comes as a huge and serious concern that no one is talking about. There are hundreds of peer reviewed studies pointing to harm on our public health and Environment, yet it is still discussed as a joke with people wearing tin foil hats. It s time for the legislature to get serious and face the facts and to stop enabling an industry to dictate with absolutely insufficient none-protective and weak standards. Due diligence on EMR and its impacts on people, fauna and flora is urgently needed in Hartford.

Don Mastronardi | Participating Election

The state of CT has the second highest energy costs in the entire country. There are numerous factors that are contributing to these costs. First I would eliminate all government fees and taxes in our energy bills. 20% of your energy bills goes towards subsidizing low income households, "green energy" subsidies and other government spending initiatives. These programs should be stand alone so the taxpayer can see how much money our government spends on them. Your energy bill should be the cost of the energy itself, not all these other charges the government mandates. Our citizens are paying enough, they need relief.

Christine Palm | Participating Election

Not even close to being well enough regulated. As a company that holds the public safety in its hands, excessive executive compensation is sinful. Cap it. And make the company pay for hardening the grid, and allow the homeowner with alternate energy sources like solar panels have the option of donating that energy to someone else, rather than allowing the company to re-sell it.

MD Masudur Rahman | Participating Election

Especially after the failures we saw during Tropical Storm Isaias, I believe both Eversource and United Illuminating need additional regulations. While the increased efforts at oversight and local control like we have seen with the settlement between Eversource and the state of Connecticut are promising, I think further steps are needed to protect consumers.

Julie Kushner | Participating Election

Especially at this time when inflation and energy prices are squeezing middle and working class residents, I support efforts to increase transparency and regulation of Eversource and United Illuminating to ensure that utilities aren’t passing costs on to consumers just to increase profits for investors.

Robert Hotaling | Participating Election

Yes, they are sufficiently regulated but the parameters they are judged by are inappropriate. They should be prioritizing resiliency, lower cost and customer service. We’ve had multiple extended power outages in the past decade and with climate change, we’ll see even more yet we still have major lines on poles with overhanging trees nearby when we could bury electric lines more affordably compared to a town being out of electricity for days on end. Our transmission rates are more expensive than many states’ entire power rate (generation and transmission). PURA needs to narrow the gap in our costs and answer why our power is more expensive than other states when most utilities buy on the open market. Strategic state investments in micro-grids and encouraging private investment in distributed power generation, energy efficiency and energy storage should address costs, resiliency and environmental improvement. This requires leadership that deeply understands both technology and financials so we can make regulations that both fit the cost structures of utility companies, while significantly reducing consumer costs.

Kimberly Becker | Participating Election

PURA, our state regulatory agency, has not been effective in keeping prices down to rate payers. Connecticut is overly reliant on natural gas to generate electricity. In addition, our regulators have been too close to the corporations they are regulating. I would end the revolving door between regulators and the regulated industry. We also need a stronger consumer advocate to make sure profits are returned to rate payers, not outside investors.

Christopher Green | Participating Election

Connecticut continues to have some of the highest costs for energy in the country. The Take Back Our Grid Act was a step in the right direction, but I would want to continue to ensure we closely scrutinize any proposed rate increases while continuing to make sure the proper investments are made to update the resiliency and efficiency of our grid. To protect our citizens and help our businesses, we need to ensure we have a grid that is reliable, affordable and green.

Jillian Gilchrest | Participating Election

The legislature has enacted some policies to address these issues but should continue to improve upon that legislation. I think that we needs to remain vigilant, meeting with and questioning the state's two electric utilities, to ensure that there are not prolonged loss of services and unfair rate increases.

Frank Smith | Participating Election

Our electric utilities must remember that their top priority is their customers… not their shareholders. The state has already taken several actions to better hold our electric utilities more accountable, but I am in favor of instituting more oversight especially if their performance is not substantially improved. Prolonged power outages are exceptionally dangerous, especially for our elderly and otherwise medically compromised residents. Their safety should NEVER take a back seat to interest in protecting profits.

Bob Godfrey | Participating Election

PURA works hard to mitigate rates, and keep them fair. But like everything else, costs for maintenance of the wires (remember, these two companies are not generators anymore) are increasing. I'm supporting more wind. solar, and fuel cell generation to, I hope, bring down prices.