New Britain Herald
published Monday, February 8, 2010

The Rell administration, as a way of coping with the state’s budget woes, has proposed three possible sources of future revenue that the state could sell now to raise a $1.3 billion lump sum — in other words, sacrificing future budgets to meet today’s needs.

The governor’s budget office would “securitize” a portion of the charges on electric bills used to support clean energy and conservation initiatives, a move that Roger Smith, campaign director for Clean Water Action, told the Journal Inquirer, would “saddle Connecticut consumers with a future of higher electricity rates to reduce this year’s budget deficit. While the governor claims to be opposed to new taxes, this proposal turns utility bills into a tax collection vehicle for the state.”

Smith added, “There is no free lunch when it comes to electricity. If the governor succeeds in cutting the efficiency programs that are the cheapest way to meet our energy needs, ratepayers will be forced to rely on far more expensive alternatives, resulting in higher rates.”

Read the complete article at the New Britian Herald