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THE WOODLANDS COALITION

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Palm Bay, Florida 32907

*In Memoriam

Larry J. Golden, attorney, February 9, 1947- June 23, 2005

A fund has been established in his name to benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Please give generously so that no one else will have to die from brain cancer.

Send checks made to:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

127 Brigham Tavern Road

Coventry, CT 06238

Connecticut Attorney General Challenges ISO-NE Attempt To Impose Unfair Share Of New Power Line Cost On CT Ratepayers

July 14, 2006 -- Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today asked ISO-New England (ISO-NE) to reverse its ruling overcharging Connecticut ratepayers by about double for the cost of the new $355 million Bethel-to-Norwalk power line.

The cost of new power lines is normally shared by states based on the percentage of the region's electricity that they use. Connecticut consumes about

27 percent of New England's power, so its share of the line's cost should be $96 million.

ISO-NE, however, wants Connecticut to pay nearly double - $184 million - even though the entire region will benefit from the new line.

"The cost of this new line should be shared fairly according to electricity usage instead of ISO-New England's plan punishing Connecticut for acting responsibly and protecting critical environmental resources, as required by law," Blumenthal said. "The grid manager is acting as electricity dictator, not umpire, effectively taxing Connecticut ratepayers without representation. Connecticut ratepayers should pay only about half the amount that ISO-New England wants to charge them - $96 million instead of $184 million. In building this transmission line, Connecticut did the right thing for the whole region, acting responsibly. Now, the grid manager should do the same. This plan's unfair, unconscionable cost allocation is a kick in our state's stomach economically that cannot be sanctioned. We must disprove in this case the adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

"I urge ISO-New England to reconsider and reverse its unconscionable decision, which creates a powerful disincentive for states to build new energy infrastructure. I will fight this illegal and irrational attempt to punish Connecticut businesses and consumers already overburdened by out-of-control electricity rates."

Source: Connecticut Attorney General's Office

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  Governor Rell Urges Business Owners to Join the Fight Against Two-Zone Energy Pricing Sch eme

FERC Needs to Hear from the Real World

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF UTILITY CONTROL AND OFFICE OF CONSUMER COUNSEL JOINS FORCES WITH OTHER NEW ENGLAND STATES TO WORK TO STOP LICAP

DPUC and OCC Press Release

GOVERNOR  M. JODI RELL CONTINUES PRESSURE ON FERC

In her letter of September 2 , 2005, Governor Rell asked FERC to again look at their decision regarding LICAP and two-tier pricing for Connecticut rate-payers. Click here to read the letter from Governor Rell to FERC. 

GOVERNOR  M. JODI RELL REQUESTS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO DELAY FERC IMPLEMENTATION

Governor M. Jodi Rell Letter to CT Delegation

Governor Rell Urges Congressional Delegation to Pass Two-Year Delay of LICAP

             Governor M Jodi Rell announced today she has written to the Congressional delegation urging them to pass legislation that would delay for two years the disastrous two-zone pricing scheme the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plans to force on Connecticut and all of New England .

             In her letter, Governor Rell urges the delegation to pass the delay before Congress begins its August recess. She expresses concern that FERC’s plan, known as Locational Installed Capacity (LICAP), will cost Connecticut ratepayers – residential and business consumers alike – more than $3 billion in just the next five years.

             The cost to of New England could be as high as $12 billion over the same period.

             “ Connecticut customers are already facing price increases because of the spiraling price of oil,” Governor Rell said. “The last thing they need is another spike in energy costs. And the LICAP plan only adds insult to injury, since it does nothing to resolve the real problem in our state, which FERC itself admits is a lack of transmission capacity in southwestern Connecticut.”

             The Governor today congratulated Connecticut Senators Christopher Dodd and Joe Lieberman for their success in urging the House-Senate Conference Energy Committee to adopt language recognizing the opposition of New England to the LICAP plan. The Sense of the Congress Resolution asks FERC to reconsider the plan in light of that opposition.

             From the moment FERC announced its ill-advised scheme the Governor directed the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) and the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) to fight it with everything at their disposal. The Governor also enlisted the aid of other New England Governors, the Connecticut business community and the Attorney General, while the state’s members of Congress battled the plan at the federal level. So far, however, FERC has refused to be deterred.

             The Governor said in her letter to the Congressional delegation, “I would like to personally urge you to intensify your efforts in the days before the August recess to garner the support of your Congressional colleagues and find a way, if not in the omnibus energy bill then in another piece of legislation, to delay the implementation of the LICAP plan for at least two years, in order to allow the state to continue its fight in opposition to LICAP. The state feels confident it can demonstrate less costly alternatives to LICAP indeed exist and should be given due consideration by FERC.”

             Governor Rell and the other New England Governors proposed months ago that LICAP be put on hold while they formed a regional committee that would develop an alternative. But federal regulators have never responded to the proposal.

             “It is becoming increasingly – and disturbingly – clear that FERC is not listening to the grave concerns the states have about the effects LICAP will have on our ratepayers and on our economies,” Governor Rell said. “That is simply unacceptable. If FERC will not listen, we will find someone who will.”

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CONNECTICUT TO FERC:

NO LICAP AND TWO TIER PRICING!

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Governor M. Jodi Rell asks Business Owners to Speak Out to FERC: Just Say NO! to LICAP

Connecticut Business Owners: Let FERC Know What LICAP Would Do to Connecticut

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LEADERS OF ALL SOUTHWEST CONNECTICUT TOWNS SPEAK OUT AGAINST LICAP

On January 11, 2005 representatives of the 54 municipalities that make up what is called Southwest Connecticut held a press conference with the Attorney General. In this press conference these towns joined Governor M Jodi Rell and the federal delegation of Senators and Congressmen in making clear that LICAP is not an acceptable solution.

To read the statement that was signed by the Chief Elected Official of each of those 54 towns, click here:

SWCT CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS SPEAKS OUT

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Governor M. Jodi Rell Blasts FERC :

CLICK HERE:

FERC RELEASE

LETTER TO FERC CHAIRMAN WOOD

ATTORNEY GENERAL RICHARD BLUMENTHAL JOINED BY ATTORNEYS GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND:

CLICK HERE:

Opposes FERC Decision to  Impose
Huge Power Bill Increases On New England

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ELECTION RESULTS FOR CONNECTICUT

You may go to the Secretary of State website:

ELECTION RESULTS 

MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE WORKING TO REPRESENT EACH OF US IN HARTFORD FOR THE UPCOMING SESSION

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On July 15, Connecticut's new governor, M. Jodi Rell sent a letter to Siting Council Chairman Pam Katz. You will find the letter below. We thank Governor Rell for her concern and her leadership. Please take the time to thank her as well. You may read the memo the governor references in her letter at the Siting Council page. To Contact the Governor to say thank you, you may send her a letter or an email:

Copyright © 2002 Woodlands Coalition for Responsible Energy, Inc.