Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said Thursday morning it reached a deal with lawmakers to confirm the reappointment of Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Chair Marissa Gillett, while moving the regulatory body outside of the executive branch.
Lamont’s spokesman, Rob Blanchard, said the final deal was brokered “late last night,” smoothing the path for Gillett ahead of a hearing Thursday in which she is expected to face questions from lawmakers about the state’s chronically high cost of electricity.
That hearing is still expected to take place, with a vote later Thursday.
As part of the deal, Lamont will agree to legislation removing PURA from under the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, instead making it a quasi-public agency. That move will also clear the path for Lamont to appoint a sitting legislator, state Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, to a vacant seat on PURA’s board.
A second vacancy on the board will be filled by Lamont’s appointment of former state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R- East Lyme, Blanchard said.
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, confirmed the outlines of the deal, adding “Do I think she’ll get confirmed today? I do.”
Gillett had faced skepticism from both Republicans and some Democrats during her tenure at PURA, which began in 2019 and has seen mounting tensions between the authority and Connecticut’s two largest utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating.
Last month, the utilities filed a lawsuit accusing Gillett of bypassing the authority of her fellow commissioners and issuing hundreds of unilateral decisions in cases before regulators.
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said Thursday’s agreement did not erase many of Republicans’ concerns, though he declined to say whether party members would vote in a bloc against her nomination.
“It doesn’t change the fact that Connecticut has gone from the third highest state in the country for electric rates, to second highest,” he said.
A positive vote on Thursday before the Legislative and Executive Nominations Committee would send Gillett’s nomination to the General Assembly for a final confirmation vote at a later date.
The nomination is for another four-year term as one of five commissioners on PURA. Separately, Gillett’s two-year term as chair is due to expire in July.