Within a week of its posting, thousands of Connecticut residents signed a petition hosted on the Town of Vernon website in protest of Eversource’s proposed 19 percent rate increase. The petition will be forwarded to Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the agency which will ultimately decide whether or not the increase is approved.

Although the petition was hosted on the Town of Vernon website, citizens from all over the state made their voices heard. A release by the town of Vernon said signees ranged from towns such as Vernon, Southington, Waterbury, Southbury, Prospect, West Hartford, Ellington, Newtown, Avon and more.

“People are angry, people are frustrated, people are struggling to make ends meet to pay their bills, and this 19 percent rate increase is exorbitant,” said Michael Purcaro, Vernon’s Town Administrator in an interview with Inside Investigator. “In local government, our main job here is to represent the best interests of the people we serve, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Purcaro said the Town decided to host its own petition after receiving an outpouring of concern from residents surrounding the proposed rate increase. Besides its availability on the Town website, Purcaro said the Town has also printed out hard copies of the petition and distributed them to the town’s senior center, clerk’s office and library so that, “even if people don’t have computer access they still have a voice, because every voice matters.”

Purcaro also noted that another petition against the rate hike hosted by Connecticut’s American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) chapter, has received thousands of signatures. Purcaro estimated that 15,000 residents have signed off between the two petitions.

Eversource, which is the state’s largest provider of gas and electricity, has given numerous reasons for its proposed hike, such as higher numbers of unpaid bills during COVID, increased natural gas prices, and changes in PURA’s biannual rate adjustment assessment process. The proposed rate increase would raise an additional $784 million for Eversource, and account for an estimated $38 per month increase in costs for ratepayers. 

“We agree that this rate increase is shocking, especially as it stems from PURA policies leading to one of the largest rate increases ever reflected in the Public Benefits portion of the bill, showing how pushed off costs of state policies are being passed on to customers,” said Jamie Ratliff, an Eversource Senior Media Relations Specialist. “This rate increase is almost entirely driven by state-mandated and approved programs which we are required to administer on behalf of the state and earn no profit on.”

Eversource, which claimed record profits in 2022, has stated that they don’t stand to profit off the rate increases, as they are a result of an increase in the “public benefits” portion of ratepayers’ electric bills. Per Eversource’s site, public benefits are described as “costs mandated by the state and federal government for financial assistance and energy efficiency programs, purchasing renewable and carbon-free electricity, and funding solar and electric vehicle incentives.” Regardless, Purcaro wondered whether or not Eversource has truly taken into account all possible cost-savings measures.

“I hear what Eversource is saying, that a lot of this is driven by policy, regulation and legislation, that they’re not making profits on it, but what I’m seeing is record profits,” said Purcaro. “Their executives are being compensated very well, multimillion dollar packages and bonuses. My question to Eversource is; what sacrifices have their CEOs or their executives made?”

Ratliff pushed back against Purcaro’s implication stating: “Our CEO’s salary, which included a significant reduction to incentive pay for last year, is benchmarked to peer utilities around the country and has nothing to do with this increase.”

Purcaro described the possibility of a rate increase as a “double whammy,” as heightened costs on municipal utility bills could lead municipalities to adjust their mill rates, increasing property taxes for residents. While Purcaro couldn’t give an accurate estimate as to what Vernon’s projected increase would be if the hike goes through, he admitted that town officials have been taking it into consideration.

“This is really in everyone’s best interests,” said Purcaro. “Even if you’re not a ratepayer, if you’re a taxpayer, it’s in your best interest to not see this go through because one way or the other, you’re going to be paying for it.”

Regardless of any proposed rate hikes, Connecticut residents are already paying the highest electric rates of any state in the Continental U.S.

“I already have to skip medications and food to keep our electricity on,” wrote one petitioner. “I’m disabled and I’d have been disconnected a long time ago. I guess I’ll cancel my oxygen too. Why don’t you just take us all out back and shoot us rather than letting us continue to suffer.”

“I’m sick of living in the dark to avoid high utility bills,” wrote another petitioner from Southington. “Higher rates will most likely cause me to stop using air conditioning, which will put me at risk for heat stroke or death.”

Purcaro said that while petitioners of all age groups and demographics have made their voices heard, “it’s the vulnerable populations in our state,” such as seniors on fixed income, that would be most impacted by the increase. 

“Food, gas and utilities leave me short every month,” wrote one senior petitioner from Vernon. “Please don’t raise it. Pretty soon I’ll be homeless at 74 years old.”

Purcaro described the comments left by petitioners as “heartbreaking.” 

“These are real stories from real people and we’re providing them with an opportunity to be heard,” said Purcaro.

Purcaro also noted the aggravation of residents who have taken measures to be more sustainable, by using LED bulbs or switching to lower electricity appliances, who feel that the savings benefits of these lower-energy devices are being offset by their increasing electric bills.

“People are making these investments hoping that they’re going to see their money back,” said Purcaro. “The problem that we’re hearing from a lot of people is that they’ve done all this and as their demand for electricity has gone down, their rates have gone up, so they’re not really seeing any savings.”

Purcaro said that Eversource had reached out to discuss the proposal with him, but decided to turn down their offer after they admitted to him that regardless of what happened during the conversation, they would not change their proposal. 

“We did offer to sit down with Vernon’s town leaders to discuss the drivers of this increase and our proposed solutions but they declined, preferring instead to use misinformation and redirection to create outrage instead of focusing on solutions that will actually benefit their constituents,” said Ratliff. “We encourage anyone concerned about rate volatility to contact their legislator of the governor’s office to tell PURA to employ policies that make rates predictable.”

Per PURA’s own website, it is “statutorily-charged with ensuring that Connecticut’s investor-owned utilities, including the state’s electric, natural gas, water, and telecommunications companies, provide safe, clean, reliable, and affordable utility service and infrastructure.”

PURA is slated to make its decision on April 17, at 10 a.m. said Joe Cooper, PURA’s Deputy Director of Communications.

“Through a rigorous public process, PURA and its stakeholders continue to thoroughly vet the requests,” said Cooper. “For all proceedings the Authority is committed to ensuring as many voices are included in the process as possible.” 

PURA released draft decisions on March 28 which would “conditionally agree” to the proposed rate hikes. Purcaro advised residents who worry about their own inability to pay their bills if the hike goes through, to reach out to their state legislators and the governor’s office, as well as to look into their town or city’s local social services or senior services departments.

4.12.24 Correction: Following publication, quotes from Eversource were added to this article and clarifications were made based on that information.

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