Energy and Technology Committee Public Hearing Thursday, March 6, 2025
Submitted by Mike Turaj, Public Affairs & Policy Advisor, Operation Fuel, Inc.
Dear Co-Chairs Rep. Steinberg, Sen. Needleman, Ranking Members Rep. Marra, Sen. Fazio, Vice-Chairs Rep. Sanchez and Sen. Maroney, and Honorable Members of the Energy and Technology Committee:
Operation Fuel Supports Section 6 of H.B. 7088- An Act Requiring the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to Study Alternate Energy Delivery Methods, Develop a Capital Investment Funding Mechanism and Increase the Frequency of Rate Adjustment Proceedings
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony in support of Section 6 (with one modification) in H.B. 7088- An Act Requiring the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to Study Alternate Energy Delivery Methods, Develop a Capital Investment Funding Mechanism and Increase the Frequency of Rate Adjustment Proceedings1 . We appreciate the committee’s commitment to seeking alternative methods for protecting our most vulnerable Connecticut households.
Operation Fuel is a 501(c)3 private nonprofit founded in 1977 during the oil embargo, when energy price shocks destabilized household budgets and the national economy. Today, we continue to provide emergency energy and utility assistance to eligible Connecticut households experiencing financial crisis. We provide direct bill assistance for qualifying Connecticut residents who earn up to 75% of State Median Income (SMI)2 . Each program season offers struggling Connecticut households a one-time assistance grant up to $500 towards a utility bill or one-time fuel delivery. More information can be found at https://operationfuel.org/gethelp/. Again, for thousands of households, Operation Fuel is the last option in an emergency.
We would like to share quotes from just a few of your constituents, who have reached out to Operation Fuel for assistance, dealing with health and medical issues:
- “Karen & I, just wanted to write and thank you for the grant you made toward our utility bill. We never thought we would be in this position, but we are. The medical bills and hardships we have gone through have led us to such a grave financial situation. I had three brain tumor surgeries. My wife also had brain surgery last December. I worked hard most of my life and put three kids through college. That was our goal, and we succeeded. Karen and I never expected what awaited us. But we both thank you for your help and we hope we can someday pay it forward and back.”
- “I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer July of 2023. Then, underwent surgical lumpectomy, and then 8 months of chemotherapy. I ended up in the hospital from February to March of 2024 from a bad reaction to one of the drugs they gave me. When I recovered from that, I went through vigorous radiation that took a toll on my body. I just need a little help keeping the house warm and the pipes from freezing.”
- “My husband has pancreatic cancer and is currently receiving chemotherapy. Even if this is successful, the prognosis is grim. I could use all the help I can get. Thank you for your consideration.”
Section 6 of H.B. 7088 focuses on customers like these, instructing the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to “open an uncontested proceeding, or amend the notice of proceeding in an active proceeding, to evaluate the criteria and standards related to appropriate protections from service termination for customers of a regulated gas company or electric distribution company…with a serious illness or life-threatening medical condition.” 3 The bill includes several evaluation points for PURA to consider during the proceeding.
Operation Fuel requests the committee modify line 105 in Section 6 to remove the language “or amend the notice of proceeding in an active proceeding.” Operation Fuel believes that instead of modifying a docket in the middle of a proceeding, that might lead to confusion for docket participants and crowd the pre-planned schedule, a new docket would allow more stakeholders to adequately prepare time to engage in the proceeding. Additionally, Operation Fuel notes that the Authority has examined medical protections and costs extensively over the past few years. A new docket could provide a more detailed review and more robust stakeholder participation, from parties most affected by medical protection policies – with a serious illness or life-threatening medical condition. Creating a new docket to specifically examine this issue would best give PURA, stakeholders and the legislature proper attention to a delicate and vital area of the vulnerable population, whose utility arrearages can also drive up costs to the ratepayers as uncollectible charges.
Medical protections is a health issue, not a payment collections issue.
We agree that PURA would be the best area to explore this issue, building on careful work throughout the past several years. In 2019, when Chair Marissa Gillett joined PURA, the Authority initiated an eleven-part docket focused on grid modernization. The first part focused on energy affordability that explored medical protections.4
The investor-owned utility companies have taken different approaches to reduce medical protections for customers. Current law allows the companies to pursue payment plans with rate payers. They are within their rights as creditors to seek payment from ill customers – not to terminate their service. Operation Fuel believes that the investor-owned utility companies should develop customer service teams for different segments of customers, to address specific challenges, based on their direct experience. One unit should work specifically with medically fragile customers. Having a special unit of CSRs that focuses on the best approach to help this group of ratepayers with specific challenges is an effort worth exploring. We feel that a more customer service-based collections strategy is needed. We look forward to participating in the PURA docket.
Operation Fuel engages with many PURA dockets related to energy affordability, equity and accessibility. If this section were to pass in the underlying bill, members of this committee and throughout the General Assembly will be able to educate their constituents about this issue, as well as to participate in this docket.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony. We appreciate your leadership for the residents of Connecticut. We are glad to work with the committee on this and other issues before you.
Sincerely,
Mike Turaj Public Affairs & Policy Advisor
Operation Fuel, Inc.
mike@operationfuel.org
1 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/TOB/H/PDF/2025HB-07088-R00-HB.PDF
2 https://uwc.211ct.org/connecticut-state-median-income-2023/
3 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/TOB/H/PDF/2025HB-07088-R00-HB.PDF
4 Pro Track 3 Report final.pdf