Connecticut residents know their electric bills are packed with government costs. The public benefits charge is printed directly on the bill, where customers can see it.
RGGI is harder to spot.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — pronounced “Reggie” — is a multistate carbon-pricing program covering large fossil-fuel power plants. Connecticut and 10 other states limit the number of tons of carbon dioxide that power generators may emit and auction allowances, each permitting one ton of emissions.
Power plants must buy enough allowances to cover their emissions. As the states reduce the number available, the price tends to rise. Power generators pay for the allowances and build those costs into the price of electricity.
There is no separate “RGGI charge” on the bill. The cost is buried in the price of electricity.
Now the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) wants to tighten the program again, beginning in 2027. Connecticut residents have until Aug. 3 to comment.
Hellbound and Down 