In regard to "Katz opposes Connecticut power plan," Luther Turmelle, May 23:
Governor Malloy's plan to raise $80 million by auctioning off the right to be the standard-issue retail electricity supplier is a clear admission that electricity market deregulation has failed. Why else would a company pay to provide the standard-issue offer if it weren't a raw deal for consumers? States that permit nonprofit organizations, including municipalities, to become energy aggregators have lowered their retail electricity rates substantially, by eliminating the profit margins and middleman expenses of Enron-like speculators. In Illinois, this approach -- known as "community choice aggregation" -- has lowered rates by more than 25 percent, without compromising clean energy standards. The Connecticut consumer counsel is right that Malloy's auction plan is bogus -- but she is dead wrong that the current bloated standard-issue offer protects ratepayers.
Aaron Goode
New Haven