Latest news with #EnergyandTechnologyCommittee
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Connecticut State Senate advances legislation aimed at lowering electricity bills
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — After a brief debate and a nearly unanimous vote, the Connecticut State Senate advanced a major piece of energy legislation that proponents say will deliver a modest reduction of electric bills for ratepayers across the state. The legislation came after months of delicate, closed-door negotiations between legislators and members of the Lamont administration who were faced with a tangled web of competing interests within Connecticut's energy ecosystem. Gov. Lamont: Budget on the '1-yard line' 'We tried to thread the needle very, very carefully,' State Sen. Norm Needleman, the Democratic co-chair of the legislature's Energy and Technology Committee, said. In threading that needle, policymakers said they'd opted for changes that could deliver as much as $200 worth of annual reductions to ratepayers — depending on the size of their bill and other factors. That reduction will be delivered by shifting certain costs of the public benefits portion of ratepayer bills. Revenue from the public benefits charge is used to fund a range of government-directed energy programs, including the procurement of renewable energy. The charge was at the epicenter of ratepayer outrage last summer when a confluence of factors, including historically hot weather and costs associated with the operation of Millstone Nuclear Power Station, caused bills to spike. The Millstone-related costs were the primary driver of last summer's spike in the public benefits charge and have since come off of ratepayer bills as planned, but the flood of attention paid to the public benefits portion of the bill spurred lawmakers to scrutinize other programs funded by the charge. 'Some of the public benefits charges have already fallen off the bill,' Needleman said, referencing the Millstone costs. 'I've argued for a long time that there was a one time spike that happened quickly but is coming down at a slower rate. So, we're just sort of adding to how fast it's coming down.' Instead of placing the costs of certain programs on the backs of ratepayers, lawmakers will utilize bonding — essentially swiping the state's credit card — and cuts in certain areas. For Republicans, those cuts are welcome but not as expansive as they would've liked to see. State Sen. Ryan Fazio, the leading Republican senator on the Energy and Technology Committee, has long argued that the whole sum of programs funded by the public benefits charge off of ratepayer bills. Under that proposal, the programs would be neither covered by ratepayers or the state's credit card. Rather, those programs would be subject to the legislature's biannual budgetary process — a process that would in all likelihood mean the outright elimination of some programs. 'Senate Republicans and I have argued for years that we should be eliminating the public benefits charge,' Fazio said. 'But we're at least glad that we're able to find a compromise with our Democratic Party and pass legislation that delivers the first cut of any significance in public benefits programs.' The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Connecticut GOP-backed bill aims to eliminate public benefits charge on electric bill
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A public hearing in Hartford on a bill designed to lower electric rates. It's backed by republicans who want to get rid of the 'public benefits charge' on your power bill. Democrats also say they want to lower rates but say it's a long-term problem. This idea has a lot of people talking. A big chunk of your electric bill consists of this public benefits charge. Republicans say get rid of that, and everybody's bill gets a lot cheaper. Connecticut lawmakers prepare to tackle energy costs in 2025 legislative session Most Democrats are fighting that because of what the charge funds. It supports energy efficiency initiatives, renewable energy, Operation Fuel, which helps keep the lights and heat on for low-income families. It also funds low-income loan programs and assistance for customers struggling to pay their electric bills. Republicans say it funds over 40 different discretionary government programs and is equivalent to a 'hidden tax' on electric bills. They want to get rid of that hidden tax. They tried to do this last year, as well. Democrats say high electric rates are a long-term problem they are working on. Right now, democratic Representative Mary Mushinsky has a press conference planned for 10 here at the Legislative Office Building. It says she is supporting the public benefits charge. Then, the Energy and Technology Committee is scheduled to begin its hearing at 10:30. I looked up the list of people who have signed up to speak at that hearing. There are close to a thousand people on that list, so this could be a very long day for the people in that hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative committee focused on plotting Utah's nuclear path
The effort to form the Utah Energy Council, create energy development zones and create a nuclear energy consortium passed on a unanimous vote from the Senate Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee on Thursday. HB249 by Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, is a measure with a lot of moving parts with areas that will likely need to be tweaked in the years to come. Albrecht has insisted, however, it is a solid start to give Utah's energy portfolio a more diverse and solid future. It is a bill that to position the state to meet growing residential. industrial and commercial demand. The Legislature this session is flush with energy bills, with leadership identifying energy as a top priority and one of the most pressing issues in Utah. The bill by Albrecht does not mean advanced nuclear technology will pop up immediately in the state, but the consortium is tasked with making decisions based on science and what is most appropriate in Utah. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, spoke favorably about the bill during a recent media availability. 'Nuclear is so much safer now. We are running into energy crisis in our nation. It's seen as most efficient and clean for our future,' he said. 'If we're not going to go to nuclear, what are we going to go to?' He added: 'We have more requests for data centers in Utah than energy we use as a state. Whoever controls AI controls the world. We need more energy. We have an energy shortage. I'm glad the rest of the nation has come on board where Utah has been.' Utah has been identified as a 'first mover' state — only one of a handful — by the Idaho National Laboratory's Frontier Project. That designation means Utah is positioned well to embrace nuclear, not only from a carbon free standpoint but as a way to stimulate economic development. Utah was on the cusp of bringing a small modular reactor to life to serve independent power systems run by municipalities. Named the Carbon Free Power Project, the reactors would have been manufactured off-site and then trucked to the Idaho National Laboratory. The project pushed by the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems went through a laborious permitting process through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was the first small modular reactor in the country to receive a stamp of approval on its design. But the delays and the escalating costs associated with the energy production eventually led to shelving the project, but UAMPS officials have said it is not totally off the table if costs come down. Congress is in the midst of tackling the permitting process and passed the ADVANCE Act to streamline the licensing process by the NRC. At a conference last year in Park City, the dedication for the transformation to nuclear energy was clear among top political leaders in Utah. The Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, and state Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, both said that the state has to aggressively pursue next generation nuclear technology if it is going to cut carbon emissions and meet energy demands. 'We want this to come to Utah,' Curtis, now Utah's junior senator, said at the time. 'We want to be a big part of this. We're ready for nuclear facilities here in our state, and we have communities who would welcome that. We have a lot of people in traditional energy sources that this would be very beneficial to them, and we're excited about that.'
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Utahns might need to show ID in order to download apps
Lawmakers on Utah's Capitol Hill advanced a bill that would require digital app stores to verify the ages of users in an effort to protect underage Utahns from accessing potentially harmful content and having personal data collected by apps. The bill is similar to the state's previous attempts to require age verification on social media platforms, though several opponents said the bill opens kids and families to even more invasive data collection while potentially violating constitutional free speech protections. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, presented his proposal to the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee Tuesday, comparing app privacy agreements to car rental agreements — saying most parents would never allow their children to sign agreements with a car rental company. "You would never let your child or your grandchild enter into a legally binding contract, and yet, we parents are doing this every day by allowing our children to carry around smartphones with apps that can be easily downloaded," he said. Weiler's SB142 — also known as the App Store Accountability Act — is similar to a federal piece of legislation introduced last year by Utah Sen. Mike Lee. It requires app stores, such as the Apple's iTunes or Google's Play, to verify the ages of users and sort them into one of several categories: children under age 13, younger teenagers between ages 13-15, older teenagers aged 16 and 17, and adults. If a minor in Utah tries to create an account with an app store, Weiler's bill would require that they associate with a parent account before being allowed to download apps or make in-app purchases. The bill prevents app store providers from entering contracts with minors without parental consent and requires app developers to enforce any age restrictions on their apps. The proposal requires the state Division of Consumer Protection to create standards for age verification and allows parents of harmed minors to sue over violations of the bill. Several members of the public spoke for and against the proposal — including three teenage girls who shared personal experiences with social media use. Rachel Williams, 16, spoke in favor of the bill, saying her parents closely monitor her phone. "Unlike other kids, I don't mind. It keeps me safe," she said. Some opponents, however, said the bill could prompt lawsuits over freedom of speech rights. David McGarry, with the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said requiring age verification "would create acute privacy-related dangers for children," adding that he believes the measure is unconstitutional. He said it violates the First Amendment, particularly the "rights of adult users forced to submit sensitive personal data as a precondition to accessing constitutionally protected speech online." Amaya Mueller, with the Utah-based Sutherland Institute, disagreed, sayingt the bill "empowers parents" without restricting free speech. "This bill does not prohibit app developers from creating content," she said. "This bill would simply prohibit app stores from giving children free reign access to potentially harmful app downloads," Mueller said. Weiler said he doesn't believe his bill is "any less constitutional than asking for an ID at a 7-Eleven when you buy a six-pack of bear." None of the app stores or social media platforms directly impacted by the bill addressed the committee, but several tech industry groups weighed in, including NetChoice, a trade association that has sued Utah over its social media regulations. Justin Hill, a representative of NetChoice, argued against SB142, saying there are already other tools for parents to monitor and regulate their children's app usage. Caleb Williamson, with the App Association, also spoke against the bill, saying it would potentially harm small businesses that develop apps because they will have to navigate the new regulations imposed by the state. The App Association receives a majority of its funds from Apple, which operates one of the two most popular app stores, per Bloomberg. State lawmakers have been focused on mitigating the alleged harms of social media platforms on minors for several years, and have made efforts to require that social media platforms check the ages of users and turn on parental controls for underage users. Large social media platforms have largely been resistant to Utah's efforts, but Meta — the owner of Facebook and Instagram — has lobbied to shift age verification responsibilities to the app stores themselves, according to the Washington Post. Supporters of app store verification argue it evens the playing field for all apps that might have age-restricted material and the approach is thought to be a way around free speech issues raised by other social media laws. In a Deseret News op-ed published Monday, Weiler and several co-authors alleged that app stores "routinely treat kids like adults, steering them into accepting exploitative terms of service with billion-dollar corporations," which they said can potentially "give apps sweeping access to personal data — photos, contact lists, exact locations, even microphones and cameras — all without meaningful consent or oversight." SB142 cleared the committee with unanimous support and now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.
