Current Actions

We need your help now on the Climate Bill - the vote is only days away

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

The legislature will vote on the omnibus environment bill in the next several days.

This legislation in a “priority” for the Speaker of the House of Representatives and includes language that would require the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to study how to install 310,000 heat pumps.

CEMA has been working with legislators to amend the bill so that the equipment our customers use is included.

Please contact your local legislators TODAY and encourage them to include us in the bill.

The legislative session ends May 7^th so very little time remains for us to be included.

Thank you.

Chris Herb

CEMA

Climate Bill Focuses on Installation of 310,000 Heat Pumps

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

A vote may come as soon as next week on a bill that would require the state to develop a plan to install 310,000 electric heat pumps. This comes barely a decade after legislators set a goal of 300,000 natural gas conversions. The legislature was wrong then and they are wrong now!

While this proposal does not include any funding or a deadline to install the equipment, it sets in motion the potential for future action that would incentivize heat pumps over the equipment our customers use.

Please send an email to your local legislators asking that our equipment be included in the bill and our concerns about other issues contained in the bill.

Thank you.

Chris Herb

CEMA

Oppose Gouging Amendment

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Over the last four years, we have been able to defeat the Attorney General's attempt to expand the state's gouging laws specific to our industry. This year, the legislature did not introduce a bill on this topic, but today the Senate Democrats will introduce an amendment that would do just that and go even further by expanding it to every business in the state.

The amendment would prohibit you from increasing your price after July 1^st unless your costs go up. The AG will be able to investigate you based on his belief that your prices are “grossly disproportionate” compared to the price previously charged your customers. This includes business-to-business transactions.

This language would apply to all sellers of goods and services (ie. wholesalers, retailers, service, c-store, etc). Every CEMA member (including associates) will be impacted by these pricing restrictions.

If you are a member of your local chamber of commerce or other business organization we encourage you to alert them to this bill and ask them to oppose it.

Please contact your local legislators and urge them to vote against this proposal.

Oppose the Green Monster Bill NOW - Vote Wednesday

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20th the Environment Committee will vote on a bill that attempts to lay the groundwork to electrify the heating sector, including the requirement to install 310,000 heat pumps.

We need you to take action today to let legislators know that you are opposed to this bill.

Please take action now by sending an email to your state senator and state representative.

Thank you.

Acton Needed on State Mandated Installation of 310,000 Heat Pumps

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 04:00:00 GMT

We need you to take action on two bills that may be voted on this week that have identical language to install 310,000 heat pumps.

Please take a minute to send an email to your local legislators opposing this effort to force heat pump installations in Connecticut.

Special Session on CARB - Action Needed

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Over the last several months we have been working to stop the ban on diesel trucks and gas cars. We were successful in 2023 in defeating this proposal, but the new year has brought a new effort to get them approved.

Next week, legislators will meet to decide if they will go into a special legislative session to vote on the EV mandate. Leaders are working on a number of compromises to answer the many questions that legislators have raised in response to our lobbying efforts in an attempt to secure the votes needed for passage.

If successful, this raises serious legal questions about the federal requirement for Connecticut to either follow the California standards or EPA's. Despite that, it appears that the only way to move a bill forward is to make enough accommodations to convince legislators to vote yes on something that looks like the California regulations.

We need you to send an email to your State Representative, State Senator, and the Governor as soon as possible discouraging them from voting on this issue. Legislative leaders have publicly stated that they will not consider this legislation in the regular legislative session that begins in February because of the lack of time to hold public hearings. A special session excludes the public so now is the time for us to communicate our opposition to this ban.

Please take a couple of minutes to send this communication as soon as possible. You may edit the language any way you please to make it more personal and to highlight any issues that you would like.

Thank you.

Act now to stop the legislature from banning gas cars and diesel trucks

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 05:00:00 GMT

The legislature will be meeting any day now to decide if they should go into a special session to vote on banning the sale of new gasoline cars and diesel trucks through a mandate to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) starting as soon as 2027.

Legislative leaders have stated that they do not want to bring this issue forward during the regular legislative session that starts in February because of the time it will take to debate it. Rather they would like to go into a special session to avoid public hearings and public comment sometime in January.

This is a critical meeting and legislators need to hear from you now so they understand how overwhelming the opposition is to this proposal.

Legislators who are pushing this issue are ignoring the limited ability of the grid to handle increased electric demand, the increase in electric costs to ratepayers, the inability of transformers to handle the increased supply of electricity, the cost to homeowners to install charging equipment, the lack of public charging infrastructure, eliminating consumer choice by mandating EVs, the increased cost of EVs compared to gas cars, the lack of range that EVs have compared to gas cars, etc.

Please take a couple of minutes to send this email to your state Representative, State Senator, and the Governor to voice your opposition. You may edit the email anyway you like to make it more personal or to add or delete and language you would like.

Backdoor Attempt to Ban Gasoline Powered Cars & Diesel Trucks

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 05:00:00 GMT

After Governor Lamont withdrew the regulations that would have banned gasoline-powered cars and diesel trucks, legislators have now decided to meet on Monday Dec. 4th at 7:00pm to determine if they should go into a special session to approve the ban.

Please send a quick note opposing the EV mandate that limits consumer choice, drives up costs, and threatens the reliability of our electric grid by sending them a quick email.

You are able to edit the pre-written message if you would like to voice your opposition in your own words or you can just send it as is.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Backdoor Attempt to Ban Gasoline Powered Cars & Trucks

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 05:00:00 GMT

After Governor Lamont withdrew the regulations that would have banned gasoline-powered cars and diesel trucks, legislators have decided to meet on Monday Dec. 4th at 7:00pm to determine if they should go into a special session to approve the ban.

Please send a quick note opposing the EV mandate that limits consumer choice, drives up costs, and threatens the reliability of our electric grid by sending them a quick email

You are able to edit the pre-written message if you would like to voice your opposition in your own words or you can just send it as is.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Oppose the Ban on Gasoline Cars and Diesel Trucks

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 04:00:00 GMT

The legislatures Regulation Review Committee will vote at the end of November to consider a ban on gasoline-powered cars.

If passed, this regulation will limit consumer choice, require you to buy more expensive electric cars, require you to pay to upgrade the electric service at your home, and potentially jeopardize our electric grid’s stability.

Please take a moment to email your local State Representative and State Senator and ask for their help to prevent these regulations from passing.

The message is prewritten, but you may edit it in any way you like so it is more personal and unique.

Thank you.

Oppose Banning Diesel Trucks and Gasoline Powered Cars

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT

The Regulations Review Committee will vote on the California's air regulations that will ban the sale of new diesel trucks and gasoline-powered cars.

Unlike most issues we deal with the full legislature does not need to approve these regulations - it is up to this committee.

Please contact your local legislator to make them aware of your opposition to banning the vehicles we rely on to serve our customers.

Thank you.

Chris Herb

CEMA

Energy Assistance Program/LIHEAP Alert

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT

CEMA met with the Department of Social Services (DSS) after they informed energy assistance/LIHEAP vendors that they would not be implementing two laws that require regional pricing and same day pricing.

DSS simply said that they have a different interpretation of the law and will be proceeding as outlined in the vendor agreement.

We have several meetings set up with legislators and have already communicated with the Human Services Committee leaders about the failure of the department to follow the law.

We ask that you contact your local legislators to communicate your concerns about this issue before the program starts on November 1st.

Thank you.

Climate Emergency Bill Passes in House - Action NEEDED TODAY!

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 04:00:00 GMT

On Friday the House of Representatives passed a bill that would declare a climate emergency and require the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to come up with a decarbonization roadmap to address the crisis.

With three days left in the legislative session we still have an opportunity to kill the bill in the State Senate.

Please try to send this e-mail this weekend so we can follow up with your Senator on Monday.

Thank you.

Action Need on Debit Card Gasoline Bill

Tue, 09 May 2023 04:00:00 GMT

In February we stripped language from a bill that would have required sellers of gasoline who offer discounts when customers pay with cash to offer those same discounts to debit card purchases.

The language has been brought back and we need you to contact your local legislators to oppose this misguided effort by some legislators to “help” lower the price of gas.

Please take action now.

Thank you

Chris Herb
President
CEMA