With the legislative session ending on June 6th, you would think that the House and Senate would be on the same page regarding an energy bill that would do something. Instead there are two bills with no compromise in sight. None of the recent newspaper articles ahve delved into why, other than personality clash, that this is the case. Perhaps a run down of the differences in the bills would be helpful. Instead:
But with energy prices continuing to spike, many in the General Assembly have deemed deregulation a failure. Others say the state did not go far enough and must open the market further to begin saving consumers money.
The result is competing bills being introduced by the committee’s co-chairmen.
State Rep. Steve Fontana, D-North Haven, said he wants to back away from deregulation and allow utilities to return to the game. State Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, said he believes deregulation was the right way to go.
In interviews last week, Amann and Senate President Pro Tem Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, pledged to reach a consensus so a comprehensive energy package could be passed before the session ends June 6.
But yesterday, Williams and Fonfara held a 10:45 a.m. news conference and Fontana a 1 p.m. news conference to make the cases for their respective bills.
Patrick Scully, spokesman for Senate Democrats, said Williams and Fonfara’s main goal was to point out that the two sides agree on 95 percent of the energy issues and that the bills are not that far apart.
Scully said both bills would modify deregulation by allowing utilities to get back into electricity generation.
“But the Senate bill insists it be on a level playing field. I think the House bill leans a little bit more toward guaranteeing utilities a certain amount” of the energy market, Scully said.
source: Norwalk Advocate, State lawmakers seek to fuse competing energy packages, By Brian Lockhart, Published May 25 2007
