>Connecticut residents don’t need to wait for their next utility bill to know electricity is about to get more expensive. The policy framework driving higher costs has already been approved at the regional level — **even though Connecticut has not yet completed the state-level rulemaking required to implement it.** 

>Last summer, the states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) finalized what is known as the “[Third Program Review.](https://www.rggi.org/sites/default/files/Uploads/Press-Releases/Press_Release_Program_Review_Announcement.pdf)” **The changes tighten the regional carbon cap, raise the minimum price for emissions allowances, and extend the program through 2037**. The stated goal is straightforward: increase the price of carbon emissions.  

>The timing makes this especially significant. RGGI states already rank among the most expensive places in the country to buy electricity. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, **Connecticut,** New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont **consistently sit near the top national pricerankings. Connecticut residents pay roughly 27 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with a national average closer to 18 cents.**

>In effect, Connecticut ratepayers are facing **a cost increase approved by regulators and implemented by committee**. That alone should give pause.

Approved in the Shadows: Connecticut’s Next Electric Rate Hike Is Already Locked In