2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 16a - Planning and Energy Policy
Chapter 295 - Energy Planning
Section 16a-3 - Connecticut Energy Advisory Board.

(a) There is established a Connecticut Energy Advisory Board consisting of nine members, including the Office of Consumer Counsel. The president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint a representative of an environmental organization knowledgeable in energy efficiency programs, a representative of a consumer advocacy organization and a representative of a state-wide business association. The speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint a representative of low-income ratepayers, a representative of academia who has knowledge of energy-related issues and a member of the public considered to be an expert in electricity, generation, renewable energy, procurement or conservation programs. The minority leader of the Senate shall appoint a representative of a municipality. The minority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint a member of the public considered to be an expert in electricity, generation, renewable energy, procurement or conservation. All appointed members shall serve in accordance with section 4-1a. No appointee may be employed by, or a consultant of, a public service company, as defined in section 16-1, or an electric supplier, as defined in section 16-1, or an affiliate or subsidiary of such company or supplier.

(b) The board shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its members and shall adopt such rules of procedure as are necessary to carry out its functions.

(c) The board shall convene its first meeting not later than September 1, 2011. A quorum of the board shall consist of two-thirds of the members currently serving on the board.

(d) The board shall employ such staff as is required for the proper discharge of its duties. The board shall annually submit to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection a proposal regarding the level of funding required for the discharge of its duties, which proposal shall be approved by the department either as submitted or as modified by the department, provided the total funding for the board, including, but not limited to, staff and third-party consultants, shall not exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars in any fiscal year.

(e) The Connecticut Energy Advisory Board shall be within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for administrative purposes only.

(P.A. 74-285, S. 3, 4, 20; P.A. 76-337; P.A. 77-614, S. 56, 162, 284, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 83-487, S. 8, 33; P.A. 86-187, S. 8, 10; P.A. 87-496, S. 73, 110; P.A. 95-250, S. 20, 42; 95-309, S. 11, 12; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 03-140, S. 16; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(h); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 07-242, S. 53; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 37; P.A. 13-298, S. 19.)

History: P.A. 76-337 increased members from 13 to 14, replaced “chairman” with “chairperson”, added chairperson of power facility evaluation council as fourteenth member, replaced public utilities commission with public utilities control authority as called for in P.A. 75-486 and required that one gubernatorial appointee be representative of organized labor; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced public utilities control authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation and commissioner of commerce with commissioner of economic development, effective January 1, 1979, and added Subsec. (c) placing board within office of policy and management for administrative purposes; P.A. 83-487 added commissioners of housing, administrative services and transportation to board and specified duties of board in new Subsec. (b), relettering previous Subsecs. (b) and (c) accordingly; P.A. 86-187 replaced power facility evaluation council with Connecticut siting council in Subsec. (a); P.A. 87-496 substituted “public works” for “administrative services” commissioner in Subsec. (a); P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 amended Subsec. (a) to reduce the number of board members from 17 to 16 and to replace the Commissioners of Economic Development and Housing with the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 95-309 changed effective date of P.A. 95-250 but did not affect this section; P.A. 03-140 amended Subsec. (a) to decrease membership from 16 to 9, to remove the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, the chairperson of the Connecticut Siting Council and the Commissioner of Public Works from the board, to add the Consumer Counsel, the Commissioner of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to the board, to reduce the Governor’s appointments from four members to one member, to reduce the president pro tempore’s and the speaker’s appointments from three members to one member, to make a technical change and to add prohibition re appointees who are employed by or consultants of public service companies or electric suppliers or their affiliates or subsidiaries, amended Subsec. (b) to replace former provisions re board’s duties with Subdivs. (1) to (7), inclusive, re board’s duties, amended Subsec. (c) to delete provision re compensation for performance of official duties, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (f), added new Subsec. (d) re convening the board’s first meeting, and added new Subsec. (e) re employment of staff, effective July 1, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 07-242 amended Subsec. (a) to increase board membership from 9 to 15 members by adding representatives of an environmental organization knowledgeable in energy efficiency programs, a consumer advocacy organization, a state-wide business association, a chamber of commerce, a state-wide manufacturing association, low-income ratepayers, state residents with expertise in energy issues, and the public considered to be expert in electricity, generation, procurement or conservation programs, amended Subsec. (b) to delete former Subdivs. (1) re preparing annual report, (4) re issuing request for proposals and (5) re evaluating proposals, redesignate existing Subdivs. (2), (3), (6) and (7) as Subdivs. (1) to (4) and add new Subdiv. (5) re reviewing procurement plan and amended Subsec. (e) to allow board to retain third-party consultants, effective June 4, 2007; P.A. 11-80 amended Subsec. (a) by changing number of board members from 15 to 9, by removing from board the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority, Commissioner of Transportation, Commissioner of Agriculture and Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, by replacing Governor with president pro tempore of Senate as appointing authority for a representative of an environmental organization, by deleting president pro tempore’s appointments of representatives of a chamber of commerce, a manufacturing association and a member of the public, by replacing speaker’s appointment of a representative of state residents with a representative of academia and adding “renewable energy” to list of qualifications for speaker’s other appointment, and by adding appointments for minority leaders of the House and Senate, amended Subsec. (b) by deleting former Subdivs. (1) to (5) and adding new Subdivs. (1) to (3) re responsibilities of board, amended Subsec. (d) by changing date of first meeting from not later than September 1, 2003, to not later than September 1, 2011, amended Subsec. (e) by replacing “Department of Public Utility Control” with “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection” and by adding requirement that board funding not exceed $1.5 million in any fiscal year and amended Subsec. (f) to place board within Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, rather than Office of Policy and Management, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-298 deleted former Subsec. (b) re board responsibilities to report, consult and review requests, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) to (f) as Subsecs. (b) to (e), and amended redesignated Subsec. (d) to delete provision re retention of third-party consultants, effective July 8, 2013.