Latest news with #MarissaGillett
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans walk out of Senate in protest of vote for top utility regulator
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Republicans walked out of the State Senate on Tuesday to protest what they call a 'blatant quid pro quo' centering around the re-confirmation of Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) Commissioner Marissa Gillett. Gillett, Arconti approved by House to serve as PURA commissioners In February, the governor's office entered into a deal to ensure that Gillett would get a favorable vote in a legislative committee. As a part of that deal, a senator on that committee, Democrat John Fonfara, would be appointed to the board of the Utility Regulator. Fonfara's new role comes with a six-figure salary. The senator, who represents Connecticut's 1st district, had been deliberating whether or not to support Gillett for another term: he ultimately voted yes. Democrats in the state senate have mostly referred questions about that deal to the governor's office, but Republicans have been speaking out against the deal for months. 'It is nothing short of corruption what has gone on here today to get Marissa Gillett's vote out of the executive nominations committee,' Senate Minority Leader Republican Sen. Steve Harding said. 'The governor's office played a significant role and a direct role in making that happen. It is wrong beyond words. And we will not allow our constituents vote to be complicit in what has gone on here.' CT's top utility regulator clears key vote in legislature The Senate Majority Leader praised Gillett's work at PURA. 'Let's talk about Marissa – her work as a change agent at PURA,' Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bob Duff said. 'How she has saved consumers millions of dollars, how she has four wins to zero losses when it comes to rate cases in court. She has done a very good job to work for consumers.' The governor has acknowledged that there was an 'arrangement' made to secure Gillett's re-confirmation and that appointing Fonfara was a part of that arrangement. His spokesperson characterized the Republican walk-out as 'political theater' and that the governor just wants to focus on getting cheaper energy in Connecticut. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gillett, Arconti approved by House to serve as PURA commissioners
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut House of Representatives approved the nominations of David Arconti, jr. and Marissa Gillett to be commissioners of the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) on Wednesday afternoon, according to a press release from the Governor's office. Republicans raise questions about vote to confirm top utility regulator 'David Arconti and Marissa Gillett have an incredible amount of knowledge and experience on energy policy and are the kind of qualified candidates we need serving on behalf of the state and its ratepayers,' Lamont said. Their nominations still need to be confirmed by the Senate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CT legislative committee gives PURA nominee a favorable vote. He's a familiar face in government.
Gov. Ned Lamont's latest appointee to the newly controversial Public Utilities Regulatory Authority sailed through the first step of the confirmation process Thursday, getting a warm reception from former colleagues on the Legislature's Executive Nominations Committee. David Arconti of Danbury, a former state representative and lobbyist for United Illuminating, won a favorable vote from the committee and his appointment, along with the reappointment of PURA Chairman Marissa Gillett, now moves to a vote of the full General Assembly, which has been tentatively scheduled for early next month. If confirmed, as expected, Arconti will join a formerly little-noticed utility regulatory agency that has figured prominently in the news recently as the result of an angry, year and one-half long standoff with the utility industry over rates. State Rep. Dave Yaccarino, a North Haven Republican, told Arconti that PURA has 'tarnished' its reputation in the dispute with the utilities. 'I think we have to mend the relationship with utilities, like it or not,' Yaccarino said. 'I think it has to be mended because we need to work together.' Arconti, United Illuminating's former vice president for government relations, said he believes the relationship remains healthy. He has been serving as an interim PURA commissioner since being appointed by Lamont in August. 'There always needs to be some tension between the PURA regulator and the utilities,' Arconti said. 'I don't necessarily need them to like me. But they need to respect me and chair Gillett and Commissioner Caron and the staff and vice versa. And I can tell you, if you were to watch one of our hearings, everyone is very respectful of one another.' Disagreement between utilities and regulators is the result of a series of rate decisions that the companies contend has unfairly prevented them from recovering what they invest in their Connecticut systems through customers rates. What credit bureaus have called the state's negative regulatory climate has led to a succession of credit downgrades across the local utility industry. The value of Eversource stock has fallen sharply against the industry average and United Illuminating disclosed this week that recent rate decisions caused its return on equity for 2024 to fall to 3.55 percent, crippling its ability to access capital markets. PURA supporters, including Lamont, endorse recent rate decisions made under the chairmanship of Lamont appointee Marissa Gillett, saying they are holding utilities to account after years worrying more about investor dividends that customer rates. PURA chief clears confirmation hurdle after 11th hour compromise to expand, restructure agency PURA's limited role in controlling consumer electric rates came into focus last summer when residential bills spiked because of power consumption linked to record heat and payments connected to a state contract to purchase power from Dominion's Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford. Arconti acknowledged during questioning Thursday that consumer electric rates are determined largely by the limited energy supply across New England, something over which state regulators and the utilities have no control. If Gillett and Arconti were confirmed next month, they would join Commissioner Michael Caron, who has not been renominated by Lamont. Lamont and the legislature's leadership reached an agreement last month to expand PURA to five members, which is the membership required by state law, but the agreement is not scheduled to take effect for more than a year.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Capitol Report: GOP wants pause on nomination of PURA chair
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — This week on Capitol Report, the GOP wants a pause on the nomination of PURA Chair Marissa Gillett. Plus, $40 million for special education faces a potential veto, and a new law would pay UConn student-athletes directly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans raise questions about vote to confirm top utility regulator
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — Republicans in the state legislature are questioning the recent vote to confirm Gov. Ned Lamont's top utility regulator for another term. The question being asked of the governor by Republicans is whether he offered a job to a state senator in exchange for a 'yes' vote on his pick to lead the state's utility regulator. At the beginning of last week, Marissa Gillett, the governor's pick to lead PURA, the utility regulator, was at the center of a political storm. The governor urged legislators to support her. Last Thursday, she easily cleared a key vote by a legislative committee. CT's top utility regulator clears key vote in legislature Here's the important part: we know the governor's office entered into a deal with top legislators to shore up support for her. As part of that deal, a state senator on that committee who voted in favor of Gillett will eventually be appointed to the board of the utility regulator. 'I'm reading reports from independent sources saying there may be a quid pro quo there, and 'maybe' is a light term,' Republican Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding said. 'There's no quid pro quo,' Democratic Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said. 'I don't know where anybody is coming up with these wild, outlandish conspiracy theories. Again, I think what we're seeing from the Senate Republican caucus is the fact that they are trying to distract from failed policies that they know are happening nationally. Duff, one of the top Democrats in the legislature, also repeatedly suggested that all these questions from Republicans might be motivated by a desire to boost one of their own in her possible bid to be governor. How could all of this affect your electric bill? Tune in to News 8 starting at 5 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
