SENATOR NEEDLEMAN HIGHLIGHTS STATE LAW SAVED RATEPAYERS MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN UTILITY LOBBYING FEES IN LAST TWO YEARS

HARTFORD — State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, today highlighted a CT Insider report showing that Eversource spent $901,138 and AVANGRID UIL Holdings (United Illuminating) spent $466,062 on lobbying in Hartford in 2025 and 2026, totaling more than $1.3 million in expenses in the last two years Connecticut ratepayers will not be required to cover under a 2023 state law.

Senate Bill 7, passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2023, prohibits Connecticut utilities from charging ratepayers for lobbying activity, marketing and advertising costs, and executive travel and entertainment expenses. The law also strengthened utility spending oversight by requiring greater transparency in how companies account for costs passed on to customers.

Legislative efforts in recent years have been focused on ensuring that the costs ratepayers carry reflect the actual cost of delivering power, not the cost of corporate overhead and political activity.

“That’s more than $1.3 million in lobbying funds that Connecticut ratepayers won’t be on the hook for, thanks to legislation the Senate passed in 2023,” said Sen. Needleman. “SB7 from that year prevents Connecticut companies from using ratepayer funds for expenses including lobbying activity. In past years, they’ve had to foot the bill for millions of dollars of work on behalf of these companies fighting for themselves. Our state is already seeing benefits from this legislation, which also limits spending like marketing, advertising and entertainment and travel costs for executives. Throughout this decade, legislators have fought to lower rates however we can, and we’re now seeing the results come to fruition. Here, that represents millions of dollars saved and to be saved for coming years, with more soon to come.”