HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - Amid rising bill payments for Connecticut natural gas customers, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is proposing legislation that would prevent pipeline transmission companies' attempts to overcharge and order rebates for consumers.
Blumenthal has partnered with U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R) of North Carolina to introduce the Making Pipelines Accountable to Consumers and Taxpayers (MPACT) Act.
According to Blumenthal, the bill would close a legislative loophole that does not allow consumers to recoup any excessive fees they paid.
"Billions of dollars nationwide, $4 billion between 2014 and 2018 alone, and millions of dollars here in Connecticut are paid by consumers in overcharges that increase the profits of these gas pipeline companies without any benefit to consumers," Blumenthal said.
The three natural gas pipeline transmission companies that serve Connecticut, Blumenthal explained, provide natural gas to the distributors in the state and have overcharged by millions of dollars.
The MPACT bill would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to require those companies to provide rebates for excessive charges.
It would also implement measures that would lower those excessive rates on a timely basis, Blumenthal said.
If passed, Blumenthal said consumers could see changes to their natural gas bills within the year.