Energy & Utilities

Ryan has been Connecticut’s leading advocate for lowering electricity and utilities costs over the last
two years. As soon as he was appointed the Ranking Senator of the legislature’s Energy and
Technology Committee, he went to work co-authoring a 6-point plan to reduce energy costs by

hundreds of dollars annually for the average family. He co-authored and passed bipartisan reforms to strengthen utilities oversight in 2023 but continues to fight for energy reforms that will reduce costs.

 

Ryan’s six-point plan for energy reform will reduce the average family’s electric bills by hundreds of
dollars per year. It includes:

 

-Cutting “public benefits” charges from our electric bills, which constitute a “hidden tax” to pay for 41 different discretionary government programs through our electric bills

 

-Capping state-directed electricity purchases at no more than 150% above the competitive wholesale market price for electricity

 

-An all-of-the-above clean energy strategy that treats all types of clean energy the same, including
nuclear and hydropower

 

-Secure the state’s natural gas supply to ensure an affordable and reliable source of energy with roughly half the emissions of coal and oil-based energy, apply leverage to New York to expand existing pipeline capacity

 

-Use one-time federal ARPA funds to pay down part of the socialized unpaid bills portion of the public benefits charges

 

-Restructure the state’s energy regulators to ensure that PURA, the adjudicators, are separate from
DEEP, the policymakers

 

Ryan is widely regarded by people on both sides of the aisle for his knowledge on energy issues. While fighting for the best reforms possible, he has always been willing to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He co-authored a major utilities reform law (SB7, 2023) that strengthened oversight of the utilities by PURA for consumers, ensured more transparency in the rate-setting process, and also reduced the price of clean energy programs for the state in the future by including some nuclear and hydropower in the state’s existing Renewable Portfolio Standard.

 

But much more needs to be done and Ryan continues to call for immediate action to reduce rates. Ryan is confident that with the right reforms we can make Connecticut’s energy prices more affordable, ensure grid reliability, while protecting our environment as well.