Connecticut HB 5551: AN ACT CONCERNING PROCEEDINGS OF THE SITING COUNCIL AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING CERTAIN UTILITY EXPENDITURES.
Status: REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations (as of 2026-04-14)
State: Connecticut · Session: 2026 · Bill: HB 5551
Subjects: Advertising, Agricultural lands, Attorney General, Certificates and certification, Connecticut Siting Council, Consultants, Consumer Counsel, Office of, Electric distribution companies, Electric distribution company rates, Electric distribution company systems benefit charge, Electric generating facilities, Electric suppliers, Energy and Environmental Protection, Department of, Energy assistance, Ethics, Fees, Forests, Gas companies, Gifts, Hazardous waste establishments, Hearings, Internet, Lobbyists, Meetings, Municipalities, Notices, Nuclear power generating facilities, Political advertising, Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Public hearings, Public utilities, Regional councils of governments, Solar electricity work, Solar energy, Utility lines, poles and towers, Water companies
Sponsors: Jason Doucette, Saud Anwar, Kerry S. Wood, Michael D. Quinn, Jaime S. Foster, Stephen R. Meskers, Savet Constantine, Hector Arzeno, John Santanella, Christopher Poulos, Melissa Osborne
Bill Text
LCO 1 of 27 General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5551 February Session, 2026 AN ACT CONCERNING PROCEEDINGS OF THE SITING COUNCIL AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING CERTAIN UTILITY EXPENDITURES. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. Section 16-50j of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 1 is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 2 October 1, 2026): 3 (a) There is established the Connecticut Siting Council, hereinafter 4 referred to in this chapter as the "council", which shall be within the 5 Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for administrative 6 purposes only. 7 (b) (1) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the council 8 shall consist of: [(1)] (A) The Commissioner of Energy and 9 Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee; [(2)] (B) the 10 chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or the 11 chairperson's designee; [(3)] (C) one designee of the speaker of the 12 House [and] of Representatives; (D) one designee of the president pro 13 tempore of the Senate; and [(4)] (E) five public members, to be appointed 14 by the Governor, [at least] two or more of whom shall be experienced in 15 the field of ecology, and all five of whom shall, consistent with the 16 provisions of section 4-9a, have no substantial financial interest in, not 17 Substitute Bill No. 5551 LCO 2 of 27 be employed in or by, and not be professionally affiliated with any [(A)] 18 (i) utility, [(B)] (ii) facility, [(C)] (iii) hazardous waste facility, as defined 19 in section 22a-115, or [(D)] (iv) ash residue disposal area, and shall have 20 had no professional affiliation with any such utility, facility, hazardous 21 waste facility or ash residue disposal area for three or more years 22 immediately preceding such public member's appointment to the 23 council. 24 (2) The council shall commence no proceeding, including any 25 meeting or public hearing of the council, without the participation of (A) 26 the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, the 27 commissioner's designee or an alternate designee of the commissioner, 28 and (B) the chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the 29 chairperson's designee or an alternate designee of the chairperson. 30 (c) (1) For proceedings under chapter 445, the council shall consist of 31 [(1)] (A) the [Commissioners] Commissioner of Public Health, [and] or 32 the commissioner's designee, (B) the Commissioner of Emergency 33 Services and Public Protection, or [their designated representatives; (2)] 34 the commissioner's designee; (C) the designees of the speaker of the 35 House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate 36 as provided in subsection (b) of this section; [(3)] (D) the five public 37 members as provided in subsection (b) of this section; and [(4)] (E) four 38 ad hoc members, appointed by the chief elected official of the 39 municipality each such member represents, three of whom shall be 40 electors from the municipality in which the proposed facility is to be 41 located and one of whom shall be an elector from a neighboring 42 municipality likely to be most affected by the proposed facility. 43 (2) For all other proceedings, the council shall consist of one 44 additional ad hoc member appointed by the regional council of 45 governments for the planning region, as defined in section 4-124i, in 46 which the proposed facility is to be located. 47 (d) For the appointment of ad hoc members in accordance with 48 subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section, the municipality most 49 Substitute Bill No. 5551 LCO 3 of 27 affected by the proposed facility shall be determined by the permanent 50 members of the council. If any one of the five public members or of the 51 designees of the speaker of the House of Representatives or the 52 president pro tempore of the Senate resides (1) in the municipality in 53 which a hazardous waste facility is proposed to be located for a 54 proceeding concerning a hazardous waste facility or in which a low-55 level radioactive waste facility is proposed to be located for a proceeding 56 concerning a low-level radioactive waste facility, or (2) in the 57 neighboring municipality likely to be most affected by the proposed 58 facility, the appointing authority shall appoint a substitute member for 59 the proceedings on such proposal. If any [appointee] member appointed 60 to the council is unable to perform
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