PURA encourages settlement talks in Yankee Gas rate case; commissioners say statute does not bar settlement

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority encouraged parties to pursue settlement talks in the Yankee Gas Services Co. rate case after oral arguments on the company’s proposed 2024–25 rate change, saying a preliminary reading of Connecticut law does not bar a settlement and that the existing record could satisfy the statutory four‑year review requirement. Vice Chairman David Arcanti delivered the authority’s instruction at the end of the hearing, noting both he and Commissioner Karen had conferred and would encourage parties to submit a settlement filing and schedule.

Why it matters: Yankee Gas, doing business as Eversource Energy, requested $193 million in additional annual revenue in its application. Counsel for the company said the draft proposed decision makes large disallowances and reflected bias, while the Office of Consumer Counsel and the attorney general defended the authority’s discretion to cut elements of Yankee’s request. The commissioners’ decision to invite settlement talks sets a process path that could resolve disputed issues without further immediate litigation, but it does not itself change the draft decision’s findings.

During two rounds of oral argument, counsel for Yankee Gas said the draft proposed decision contained numerous legal, factual and mathematical errors and was tainted by prejudgment. Vincent Pace, representing Yankee Gas, told the authority the company "fully supports any type of constructive discussions offline between the parties to achieve a consensus resolution" but said a…