Connecticut AG Petitioned PURA Seeking New Rate Hearing Following Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation Earnings Report

APRIL 24, 2023

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong—along with Consumer Counsel Claire E. Coleman, Connecticut Industrial Energy Consumers, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Office of Education, Outreach, and Enforcement—submitted a joint petition asking the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for a new rate hearing for Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation (CNG). According to the petition, CNG had not had a rate hearing for over five years at the time of filing, violating a state statute that required a rate review hearing every four years at a minimum. The petition pointed to an earnings report from CNG that showed the corporation had earned 177 basis points (or $8 million) above its authorized return on equity. In a statement, AG Tong said: “CNG is profiting off the backs of Connecticut families and businesses. We pay far too much for our utilities as it is, we should not be charged a penny more than needed. CNG needs to come before PURA right away for a full rate hearing so we can scrutinize their books and get these inflated costs under control. Connecticut ratepayers should not be subsidizing CNG shareholders.”