Press Releases

Attorney General William Tong

07/21/2023

Attorney General Tong Releases Statement on Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Decision on United Illuminating Rate Hike

PURA Imposes $2 Million Annual Penalty Sought by Attorney General Tong for UI Failure to Remediate English Station Power Plant in New Haven

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding a decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority rejecting all but $2 million of a bloated and unsupported $130.7 million rate hike sought by United Illuminating. Attorney General Tong praised PURA for imposing a $2 million annual penalty he sought for the company’s ongoing failure to remediate the former English Station power plant in New Haven.

“This strong decision sends a clear message to Connecticut’s regulated utilities—failure to meet basic obligations to ratepayers will not be rewarded. United Illuminating has utterly refused to meet its commitments to remediate English Station, which remains a contaminated blight on the residents of New Haven who were promised better. This failure will now come at a significant cost to United Illuminating’s shareholders. Perhaps now United Illuminating will finally get serious about meeting their clear obligations under the law. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure UI meets those obligations to remediate the English Station site,” said Attorney General Tong. “United Illuminating sought a bloated, unsupported $130.7 million rate hike, padded with exorbitant guaranteed profits. It was always on UI to justify this rate hike, and they failed to meet that standard. I thank the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and Chairman Gillett for this comprehensive, pro-consumer decision.”

See here for Attorney General Tong’s brief in this case.
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