Legislators Should Set Policy, Not Intervene In Rate Cases

Sometimes bad ideas are well-intentioned, and sometimes, they are just bad ideas that fly in the face of evidence, experience and common sense.

With energy affordability becoming a hot-button national issue, bad ideas are rapidly floating to the surface. Many are coming from states where one party has dominated for years and introduced restrictive energy policies that directly caused prices to rise. That leaves plenty of motive, means and opportunity to put the blame for bad ideas elsewhere.

Clearly falling under this category is the core idea of disgraced former Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Chairman Marissa Gillett’s Dec. 23, 2025, opinion in which she argues that elected officials can, and should, use their official capacity to intervene in utility rate cases.

Take notice that Gillett does not mention that she resigned under threat of impeachment. It will be very important to pay attention to the messenger as much as the message in the coming year. Perhaps taking advice from someone whose actions and questionable engagements with legislators contributed to a scandal-ridden tenure isn’t the best idea.