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SB144 / File No. 47 1
General Assembly File No. 47
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 144
Senate, March 17, 2026
The Committee on Environment reported through SEN. LOPES
of the 6th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the
Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR LOCAL REPRESENTATION ON THE
CONNECTICUT SITING COUNCIL.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 16-50j of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 1
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective 2
October 1, 2026): 3
(a) There is established the Connecticut Siting Council, hereinafter 4
referred to in this chapter as the "council", which shall be within the 5
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for administrative 6
purposes only. 7
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the council 8
shall consist of: (1) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 9
Protection, or the commissioner's designee; (2) the chairperson of the 10
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or the chairperson's designee; (3) 11
one designee of the speaker of the House and one designee of the 12
president pro tempore of the Senate; and (4) five public members, to be 13
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appointed by the Governor, at least two of whom shall be experienced 14
in the field of ecology, and all five of whom shall, consistent with the 15
provisions of section 4 -9a, have no substantial financial interest in, not 16
be employed in or by, and not be professionally affiliated with any (A) 17
utility, (B) facility, (C) hazardous waste facility, as defined in section 18
22a-115, or (D) ash residue disposal area, and shall have had no 19
professional affiliation with any such utility, facility, hazardous waste 20
facility or ash residue disposal area for three years preceding such 21
public member's appointment to the council. 22
(c) For proceedings under chapter 445, the council shall consist of (1) 23
the Commissioners of Public Health and Emergency Services and Public 24
Protection or their designated representatives; (2) the designees of the 25
speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore 26
of the Senate as provided in subsection (b) of this section; (3) the five 27
public members as provided in subsection (b) of this section; and (4) four 28
ad hoc members, appointed by the chief elected official of the 29
municipality each such member represents, three of whom shall be 30
electors from the municipality in which the proposed facility is to be 31
located and one of whom shall be an elector from a neighboring 32
municipality likely to be most affected by the proposed facility. 33
(d) For any proceeding that occurs on or after the effective date of this 34
section, in addition to the membership provided for in subsection (b) or 35
(c) of this section, as applicable, the council shall consist of one elector 36
from the municipality in which such facility is proposed to be located, 37
as appointed by the chief elected official of such municipality. In the 38
event that such facility will be located in two or more municipalities, 39
one such elector shall be appointed by the applicable regional council of 40
governments for the affected municipalities. Each such member shall 41
serve as a nonvoting member for purposes of such proceeding and shall 42
abide by all applicable rules of confidentiality concerning such 43
proceeding. 44
[(d)] (e) For the appointment of ad hoc members in accordance with 45
subsection (c) of this section, the municipality most affected by the 46
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proposed facility shall be determined by the permanent members of the 47
council. If any one of the five public members or of the designees of the 48
speaker of the House of Representatives or the president pro tempore of 49
the Senate resides (1) in the municipality in which a hazardous waste 50
facility is proposed to be located for a proceeding concerning a 51
hazardous waste facility or in which a low -level radioactive waste 52
facility is proposed to be located for a proceeding concerning a low-level 53
radioactive waste facility, or (2) in the neighboring municipality likely 54
to be most affected by the proposed facility, the appointing authority 55
shall appoint a substitute member for the proceedings on such proposal. 56
If any appointee is unable to perform such appointee's duties on the 57
council due to illness, or has a substantial financial or employment 58
interest which is in conflict with the proper discharge of the appointee's 59
duties under this chapter, the appointing authority shall appoint a 60
substitute member for proceedings on such proposal. An appointee 61
shall report any substantial financial or employment interest which 62
might conflict with the proper discharge of the appointee's duties under 63
this chapter to the appointing authority who shall determine if such 64
conflict exists. If any state agency is the applicant, an appointee shall not 65
be deemed to have a substantial employment conflict of interest because 66
of employment with the state unless such appointee is directly 67
employed by the state agency making the application. Ad hoc members 68
shall continue their membership until the council issues a letter of 69
completion of the development and management plan to the applicant. 70
[(e)] (f) The chairperson of the council shall be appointed by the 71
Governor from among the five public members appointed by the 72
Governor, with the advice and consent of the House or Senate, and shall 73
serve as chairperson at the pleasure of the Governor. 74
[(f)] (g) The public members of the council, including the chairperson, 75
the members appointed by the speaker of the House and president pro 76
tempore of the Senate and the four ad hoc members specified in 77
subsection (c) of this section, shall be compensated for their attendance 78
at public hearings, executive sessions, or other council business as may 79
require their attendance at the rate of two hundred dollars, provided in 80
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no case shall the daily compensation exceed two hundred dollars. 81
[(g)] (h) The council shall employ such employees as may be 82
necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, and such 83
employees shall, in the aggregate, have sufficient expertise in 84
engineering and financial analysis to carry out the provisions of this 85
chapter. 86
[(h)] (i) The council shall, in addition to its other duties prescribed in 87
this chapter, adopt, amend, or rescind suitable regulations to carry out 88
the provisions of this chapter and the policies and practices of the 89
council in connection therewith, and appoint and prescribe the duties of 90
such staff as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. 91
The chairperson of the council, with the consent of five or more other 92
members of the council, may appoint an executive director, who shall 93
be the chief administrative officer of the Connecticut Siting Council. The 94
executive director shall be exempt from classified service. 95
[(i)] (j) Prior to commencing any hearing pursuant to section 16-50m, 96
the council shall consult with and solicit written comments from (1) the 97
Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection, Public Health, 98
Agriculture, Economic and Community Development and 99
Transportation and the Council on Environmental Quality, the Public 100
Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Office of Policy and Management 101
and the Office of Consumer Counsel, and (2) in a hearing pursuant to 102
section 16-50m, for a facility described in subdivision (3) of subsection 103
(a) of section 16-50i, the Department of Emergency Services and Public 104
Protection, the Department of Administrative Services, the Labor 105
Department and the Office of Consumer Counsel. Copies of such 106
comments shall be made available to all parties prior to the 107
commencement of the hearing. Subsequent to the commencement of the 108
hearing, said departments, Council on Environmental Quality, 109
authority and offices may file additional written comments with the 110
Connecticut Siting Council within such period of time as the 111
Connecticut Siting Council designates. All such written comments shall 112
be made part of the record, as provided in section 16 -50o. Said 113
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departments, Council on Environmental Quality, authority and offices 114
shall not enter any contract or agreement with any party to the 115
proceedings or hearings described in this section or section 16 -50p that 116
requires said departments, Council on Environmental Quality, 117
authority or offices to withhold or retract comments, refrain from 118
participating in or withdraw from said proceedings or hearings. 119
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 16 -50l of the 2026 supplement to the 120
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 121
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 122
(b) Each application shall be accompanied by proof of service of a 123
copy of such application on: (1) Each municipality in which any portion 124
of such facility is to be located, both as primarily proposed and in the 125
alternative locations listed, and any adjoining municipality having a 126
boundary not more than two thousand five hundred feet from such 127
facility, which copy shall be served on the chief executive officer of each 128
such municipality and shall include notice of the date on or about which 129
the application is to be filed, and the zoning commissions, planning 130
commissions, planning and zoning commissions, conservation 131
commissions and inland wetlands agencies of each such municipality, 132
and the regional councils of governments which encompass each such 133
municipality; (2) the Attorney General; (3) each member of the 134
legislature in whose assembly or senate district the facility or any 135
alternative location listed in the application is to be located; (4) any 136
agency, department or instrumentality of the federal government that 137
has jurisdiction, whether concurrent with the state or otherwise, over 138
any matter that would be affected by such facility; (5) each state 139
department and agency named in subsection [(i)] (j) of section 16-50j, as 140
amended by this act ; and (6) such other state and municipal bodies as 141
the council may by regulation designate. A notice of such application 142
shall be given to the general public, in municipalities entitled to receive 143
notice under subdivision (1) of this subsection, by the publication of a 144
summary of such application and the date on or about which it will be 145
filed. Such notice shall be published under the regulations to be 146
promulgated by the council, in such form and in such newspapers as 147
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will serve substantially to inform the public of such application and to 148
afford interested persons sufficient time to prepare for and to be heard 149
at the hearing prescribed in section 16 -50m. Such notice shall be 150
published in not less than ten-point type. A notice of such an application 151
for a certificate for a facility described in subdivision (3), (4), (5) or (6) of 152
subsection (a) of section 16 -50i shall also be sent, by certified or 153
registered mail, to each person appearing of record as an owner of 154
property which abuts the proposed primary or alternative sites on 155
which the facility would be located. Such notice shall be sent at the same 156
time that notice of such application is given to the general public. Notice 157
of an application for a certificate for a facility described in subdivision 158
(1) of subsection (a) of section 16 -50i shall also be provided to each 159
electric distribution company customer in the municipality where the 160
facility is proposed to be placed. Such notice shall (A) be provided on a 161
separate enclosure with each customer's monthly bill for one or more 162
months, (B) be provided by the electric distribution company not earlier 163
than sixty days prior to filing the application with the council, but not 164
later than the date that the application is filed with the council, and (C) 165
include: A brief description of the project, including its location relative 166
to the affected municipality and adjacent streets; a brief technical 167
description of the project including its proposed length, voltage, and 168
type and range of heights of support structures or underground 169
configuration; the reason for the project; the address and a toll -free 170
telephone number of the applicant by which additional information 171
about the project can be obtained; and a statement in print no smaller 172
than twenty -four-point type size stating "NOTICE OF PROPOSED 173
CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRIC 174
TRANSMISSION LINE". 175
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 16-50j
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 16-50l(b)
ENV Joint Favorable
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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
CT Siting Council SCF1 - Cost See Below See Below
Note: SCF=Siting Council Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill results in a cost to the Connecticut Siting Council, as it
requires (on or after October 1, 2026), any Connecticut Siting Council
proceeding to include a local electorate from the municipality where a
subject facility is being proposed.
In FY 25, the Connecticut Siting Council held 25 regular meetings and
22 public hearings. It is estimated that at each regularly held meeting
there could be an additional five to ten local representatives in
attendance, resulting in an additional cost of approximately $1,000 -
$2,000 per meeting2 ($25,000 - $50,000 annually). Additional costs may
occur if local representatives also attend the public hearings. The total
cost to the fund would be dependent upon the total number of regular
meetings and public hearings held, and the total number of local
representatives in attendance.
1Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) §16 -50r and §16-50v, the Council’s
budget is financed by fees and assessments paid to the Siting Council Fund.
2Public members of the council are compensated for their attendance at public
hearings, executive sessions, or other council business at a rate of $200 per activity,
capped at $200 a day.
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The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of meetings and hearings
held and the number of compensated representatives in attendance.
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OLR Bill Analysis
SB 144
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR LOCAL REPRESENTATION ON THE
CONNECTICUT SITING COUNCIL.
SUMMARY
For any Connecticut Siting Council proceeding on or after October 1,
2026, this bill requires the council’s membership to include an elector
from the municipality where the proposed facility would be located, in
addition to the existing membership (see BACKGROUND). Under the
bill, the municipality’s chief elected official generally must appoint the
elector. However, if the proposed facility would be in more than one
municipality, the applicable regional council of governments for the
affected municipalities must appoint the elector.
The bill requires the elector to serve as a nonvoting member and
abide by all applicable confidentiality rules. By law, public members of
the council must be paid for their attendance at public hearings,
executive sessions, or other council business at a rate of $200 per activity,
capped at $200 a day.
The bill also makes technical and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
Siting Council Membership – Energy and Telecommunications
For energy and telecommunications facility proceedings, the existing
council membership includes the following nine members:
1. the energy and environmental protection commissioner or her
designee,
2. the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority chairperson or his
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designee,
3. one designee each from the House speaker and Senate president
pro tempore, and
4. five public members appointed by the governor.
By law, at least two of the public members must have ecology
experience. Additionally, all five public members must have no
substantial financial interest in, not be employed in or by, and not be
professionally affiliated with any utility or facility under the council’s
jurisdiction, including hazardous waste facilities and ash residue
disposal areas. The law further prohibits the public members from
having had a professional affiliation with any utility or these facilities
for three years before their appointment.
Siting Council Membership – Hazardous Waste
For hazardous waste facility proceedings, the existing council
membership consists of the following 13 members:
1. the public health and emergency services and public protection
commissioners or their designees;
2. the designees of the House speaker and Senate president pro
tempore as described above;
3. the five members of the public appointed by the governor as
described above; and
4. four ad hoc members, three of whom must be electors from the
municipality where the facility is being proposed and one who
must be from a neighboring municipality likely to be most
affected by the facility, appointed by their municipality’s chief
elected officer.
By law, if any of the governor’s appointed public members or the
House speaker’s or Senate president pro tempore’s designees live in the
1) municipality where a hazardous or low -level radioactive waste
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facility is proposed or 2) neighboring municipality most likely to be
affected by it, the appointing authority must appoint a substitute
member for the proceedings on that facility.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Environment Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 29 Nay 5 (03/04/2026)