Unlike the Public Benefits Charge, RGGI doesn't appear as a separate line on your bill. Instead, power plants pass the cost of purchasing carbon allowances on to consumers through higher electricity prices. Connecticut has collected more than $627 million through the program since it began, funding a variety of state programs, rebates and initiatives.

Now the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is asking the Regulation Review Committee to approve regulations that would tighten RGGI further beginning in 2027 — reducing the number of available carbon allowances and potentially driving electricity costs even higher.
Connecticut residents never received a standalone public hearing or vote when the state originally joined RGGI. As the program continues to generate millions of dollars each year, lawmakers should ensure that any auction revenue not needed for required infrastructure investments is returned directly to the people who paid it: Connecticut ratepayers.

The Regulations Review Committee has an opportunity to demand greater transparency and protect consumers before approving these new regulations.