Today, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, issued a statement as Governor Lamont announced the nominations of four individuals to the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. These individuals include Tom Wiehl, who would leave his position as legal and regulatory director for the Office of Consumer Counsel to serve as PURA’s Chair. Additional nominees have experience in energy policy, state government and utility finance:
“I would like to wish all four nominees to join PURA well in their future work. I would also like to wish outgoing PURA Commissioner Matt Caron a wonderful retirement. Connecticut, in the last several years, has worked to provide state regulators with sufficient tools to do their jobs well. I hope that in their work, these nominees remember to consider the stability of Connecticut and New England’s energy grid and the companies that manage it alongside the necessary efforts to keep state utilities accountable for their work, ensuring ratepayers get good value for their rateholder funds. In the last half-decade, the state legislature has advanced several significant pieces of energy legislation – including the Take Back Our Grid Act in 2020, Senate Bill 7 in 2023 to reform and improve oversight of utilities and Senate Bill 4 in 2025 to reduce costs and provide a stronger regulatory environment – and I hope our work provides a roadmap for PURA to succeed in serving Connecticut.”
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