Attorney General Criticizes Rate Increase for Yankee Gas

CT Attorney General Press Releases

Published March 11th, 2026

Detected March 12th, 2026

Summary

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong criticized the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for approving an additional $4 million rate increase for Eversource-owned Yankee Gas. This decision follows previous rate hikes and penalty eliminations for other utility companies, drawing strong condemnation from the AG regarding the impact on consumers.

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What changed

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has issued a statement criticizing the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for approving a further $4 million rate increase for Eversource-owned Yankee Gas. This decision comes after PURA had already approved an $82 million rate hike in November and now eliminates penalties previously imposed on the company for management and compliance issues. The AG highlights this as the third recent decision where PURA has reversed prior stances and favored utility demands over consumer interests, citing similar actions concerning United Illuminating and Aquarion.

This action by PURA, as criticized by the Attorney General, signifies a continued trend of utility rate increases and a perceived rollback of consumer protections and penalties for non-compliance. While this document is a statement of criticism and not a regulatory filing itself, it signals ongoing advocacy by the state's top legal officer against utility rate hikes. Consumers and energy companies operating in Connecticut should be aware of the Attorney General's strong opposition to these decisions and the potential for continued legal or public challenges to PURA's rulings.

What to do next

Review recent PURA decisions impacting utility rates and penalties.
Assess the impact of the Yankee Gas rate increase on consumer costs.
Monitor further actions or statements from the Connecticut Attorney General regarding utility regulation.

Penalties

The document mentions the elimination of penalties on the company's return on equity that had been imposed for management and compliance issues, but does not specify a dollar amount for these eliminated penalties or any new penalties.

Source document (simplified)

The Office of the Attorney General William Tong

Press Releases

03/11/2026

Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding PURA Decision Further Increasing Yankee Gas Rates

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding a new decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority further increasing Eversource-owned Yankee Gas rates by another $4 million.

In November, PURA approved a final decision increasing Yankee Gas rates by $82 million, or about $15 per month for the average residential customer. The company had sought a $193 million rate hike. Eversource was not satisfied and sought reconsideration before PURA. Today, PURA caved to Eversource’s demand and gave Yankee Gas another $4 million, eliminating penalties on the company’s return on equity that had been imposed for management and compliance issues.
Today’s disappointing decision follows a string of bad news for Connecticut ratepayers this month. On March 3, reconsidering a prior decision, PURA increased profits for United Illuminating by $2 million and fully erased the penalty for the company’s repeated failures to remediate contamination at English Station in New Haven. Then, on March 6, PURA issued a draft decision reversing itself and preliminarily approving the sale of Aquarion Company to a new nonprofit that is projected to double household bills and will gut public oversight of water utility rates and consumer protections.

“It’s Christmas for utility executives in Connecticut. This is now the third consecutive decision this month alone where PURA has inexplicably reversed itself and caved to utility demands. First, they gave United Illuminating an extra $2 million and eliminated the penalty for the company’s failures at English Station. Next, they flip-flopped on Aquarion and gave draft approval to a terrible deal that will double water rates. Now, they’re giving Eversource-owned Yankee Gas another $4 million. Connecticut families cannot afford another multi-million-dollar utility rate hike. I’m going to keep fighting at every single step of these proceedings because someone has to stand up for Connecticut families and say no to these runaway costs,” said Attorney General Tong.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General