Today, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, led the Senate in approving bills that will spur studies of the resilience of Connecticut’s power grid and of solutions to aid the state’s disposal of trash and waste. These two studies are aimed to meet important needs in Connecticut in coming years regarding potential emergencies impacting the distribution of electricity and other fuels and how the state can dispose of garbage upon the closing of a major trash-to-energy conversion plant.
“These studies will play key roles in better informing us regarding important issues that could cause frustration in coming years,” said Sen. Needleman. “By studying the power grid now, determining potential vulnerabilities that could arise and learning what we will need to prepare for in future years, we can better prepare our state for the future and ensure that we avoid future outages. And by studying solutions to meet the state’s short- and long-term trash disposal needs, we can work ahead of growing needs in our state for waste management.”
Senate Bill 177, “An Act Concerning Grid Resilience,” would require PURA chair Melissa Gillette to conduct a study of grid resilience in Connecticut, specifically regarding resilience to emergencies of distribution-level substations and infrastructure owned or operated by any electric distribution company, with a report due by September 2024.
Groups including the Conservation Law Foundation said this bill represents a step forward for Connecticut to understand current and future risks facing state infrastructure and what steps may be needed to ensure future grid reliability.
Senate Bill 277, “An Act Establishing A Trash-To-Energy Working Group,” would create a group to make recommendations for short-term and long-term disposal and management of trash and garbage in Connecticut, with members including General Assembly leaders, municipal leaders and farming, waste, and energy industry members. They will be tasked with making recommendations which will be submitted to the General Assembly no later than the beginning of 2023.