Avoiding electricity issues may be the only way for the energy and technology committee to get anything done this year, according to state Rep. Elizabeth Esty.
As they begin the 2010 legislative session, Esty, a Democrat from Cheshire, said committee members are frustrated. The committee was pretty unsuccessful last year because there were major philosophical differences over the regulation and deregulation of electricity, she said, noting that even co-chairmen Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, and Rep. Vickie Nardello, D-Prospect, disagree.
Fonfara, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, supports deregulation, which allows consumers to choose their electricity supplier, while Nardello says she would support stronger regulatory rule.
Connecticut deregulated the electricity industry in 1998.
Nardello acknowledged that there were philosophical differences between committee members, but said debate is healthy.
Esty’s comments came after Thursday’s committee meeting — the first of this legislative session.
At the meeting, Rep. Sean Williams, R-Watertown, urged his colleagues to work together and to put aside their differences.
“I say that without pointing fingers,” he said, referencing how few of the committee’s bills were passed last year.
It reported out nearly 70 bills, but less than 10 were signed into law by the governor.