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Senate hearing on performance‑based utility rates spotlights tradeoffs between affordability and incentives
Summary
Lawmakers and utility stakeholders debated a bill to add performance‑based criteria to electricity rate‑making, with the sponsor emphasizing consumer protections and utilities and the Department of Energy urging clarity on triggers, Totex, and who sets key definitions.
Sen. Rebecca Perkins Cuoco introduced SP 597 and an accompanying amendment, saying the bill would let regulators use performance‑based mechanisms and an inflation adjuster to protect ratepayers while encouraging grid modernization and demand‑response measures. "My name is senator Rebecca Perkins Cuoco. I represent District 21. I'm the prime sponsor of the of s p 5 97," she told the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Supporters and neutral witnesses framed the bill as a potentially useful tool but flagged implementation risks. Josh Elliott, director of the Division of Policy and Programs at the New Hampshire Department of Energy, said the department was neutral on the bill and identified structural ambiguities: the statute does not…
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