Black & Puerto Rican Caucus Public Hearing, Monday, March 10, 2025
Submitted by Gannon Long, Chief Program & Policy Officer, Operation Fuel, Inc.
Dear Chair Rep. Felipe and Vice Chair Rep. Wilson, and Honorable Members of the Black & Puerto Rican Caucus:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony on behalf of Operation Fuel. Our testimony highlights the work Operation Fuel has done for our state’s most vulnerable households and why sustainable, reliable funding for Operation Fuel is critical. During this legislative session, we have supported various pieces of legislation that would help Connecticut households with home energy costs1 and have opposed S.B. 647, An Act Concerning Protections for Consumers Access to Affordable Electricity2 , which could threaten Operation Fuel’s funding.
Operation Fuel is the emergency assistance fund for Connecticut families who have nowhere else to go.
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. For qualifying Connecticut residents who earn up to 75% of State Median Income, 3 Operation Fuel can provide 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/. For thousands of Connecticut households, Operation Fuel is the last option in an emergency.
Historically, Operation Fuel provided nearly year-round support for Connecticut families struggling to keep up with their home energy costs. As requests continue growing faster than our funding can support, our seasons have shortened to just three weeks in Fall 2024, and four weeks this Winter 2025. Our 2025 Winter season lasted only 32 days, within that time, 5,038 Connecticut households applied for emergency energy assistance. This represents the most applications Operation Fuel has received in the shortest period of time, since our founding in 1977.4 Unfortunately, due to limited funding, we won’t be able to support all 5,038 Connecticut households.
Here are quotes from a few of your constituents from across Connecticut who have reached out to us this season, explaining how impactful a $500 grant was to their families.
- “Operation Fuel has helped my family in a huge way. I was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, so I was unable to work as I was going through chemo and radiation. We ran out of fuel in one of the coldest weeks of the year and this organization was able to grant us fuel to help us out. Much gratitude for the donations and this organization.”
- “The grant from Operation Fuel impacted my family by allowing them to have electricity for their sleep apnea, asthma machine and for the refrigerator to be on for their medication. Also, they helped with gas as well so my children can shower in warm water.”
- “As a senior who has lived in my home for many years, I’ve faced numerous hardships in recent years. Living alone and on a limited fixed income, I’ve struggled to keep up with medical bills and basic necessities like food, all while dealing with the challenges of aging and mobility. The burden of not being able to afford electricity and heat weighed heavily on me, adding to my worries. When I received the notice from Operation Fuel that they could cover my entire electric bill, I broke down in tears. I cried because, in that moment, I felt hope. It gave me the chance to breathe, even just for a moment, it means so much to me.”
Vulnerable families can’t afford to wait or wonder where to go when they need immediate assistance. Connecticut households depend on Operation Fuel to keep their lights on and their homes warm. The General Assembly recognized this in February 2024 when you unanimously authorized $1.75 million in additional funds for Operation Fuel, allowing us to assist thousands of additional households and reduce uncollectible costs that get passed on to all ratepayers.
As we all recognize, Connecticut’s energy costs are too high for working families to afford. This makes it even more important that we invest in reliable, efficient programs like Operation Fuel, to help.
Operation Fuel generates economic benefits that help small CT businesses.
In addition to helping Connecticut families in financial crisis, Operation Fuel grants provide revenue and jobs for small businesses across our state. We collaborate with more than 200 delivered fuel companies, primarily small family-run businesses, to support emergency requests as quickly as possible. On a regular basis, company partners send us comments like these:
- “Thank you so much for all your hard work. Thank you for always helping. I have a lot of vulnerable households. I try always to work with you. I really appreciate it.” – Sippin Energy (Monroe)
- “Thank you so much for your help with keeping these people warm!” – DePalma Oil (West Haven)
- “Thank you for your time today and for always getting back to me so quickly” – First Fuel Oil (North Haven) • “THANK YOU! I appreciate you!!” – Casey Energy (Ridgefield)
- “Thank you guys for the update! Keep making a difference, You’re crushing it!” – Clear River Fuel (East Hartford)
- “Looking forward to the new season ahead.” – Hi Ho Energy (Bridgeport)
As Operation Fuel strives to meet the growing demand for emergency assistance, we continue building partnerships with our vendors to streamline program administration and payment times. We recognize that delivered fuel vendors provide services and jobs that can’t be outsourced from our state. We are grateful for their continued support for our vulnerable clients.
It’s important to recognize that for all ratepayers struggling to pay their energy bills, costs are directly related to consumption – the more we use, the more we pay. While Operation Fuel’s primary focus today is securing reliable support for emergency assistance clients, we also note the value of energy efficiency investments for Connecticut’s economy. According to the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board 2024 Programs and Operations Report, 5 issued March 1, 2025 by Energize CT, every $1 spent on energy efficiency programs yields $3 in lifetime benefits (page 2), and $5.20 in clean energy investments (page 6) for Connecticut’s economy. Energy efficiency contractors employ thousands of Connecticut residents, helping improve building quality and save money for households and businesses across our state. As page 16 of the report shows, these benefits impact every town in Connecticut. Again, these jobs can’t be outsourced; Operation Fuel would like to see the state expand this workforce development investment and open up more opportunities to meaningful employment for our citizens. This is why Operation Fuel was proud to submit written and provide verbal testimony in support of H.B. 6926, An Act Concerning Funding for the Residential Energy Preparation Services Program.6
We appreciate your leadership and are glad to work with you all. Please contact me at gannon@operationfuel.org or Operation Fuel’s Public Affairs & Policy Advisor, Mike Turaj, at mike@operationfuel.org to discuss more.
Sincerely,
Gannon R. Long, MBA
Chief Program & Policy Officer
Operation Fuel, Inc.
1 H.B. 6777- Op Fuel Testimony: Here
H.B. 6926- Op Fuel Testimony: Here
H.B. 7088- Op Fuel Testimony: Here
2 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/etdata/TMY/2025SB-00647-R000306-Long,%20Gannon,%20Chief%20Program%20-%20Policy%20Officer-Operation%20Fuel-Opposes-TMY.PDF
3 https://uwc.211ct.org/connecticut-state-median-income-2023/
4 https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-01-27/cts-operation-fuel-flooded-with-requests-for-assistance-as-resources-decrease
5 https://energizect.com/media/18646/download?inline
6 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/etdata/TMY/2025HB-06926-R000218-Turaj,%20Mike,%20Public%20Affairs%20-%20Policy%20Advisor-Operation%20Fuel-Supports-TMY.PDF