As Maine re-ups net metering, fight over solar tariffs brews in Connecticut

As Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would eliminate the state's gross metering and reestablish net metering, another fight over solar compensation is brewing in the Northeast. Last year, Connecticut's legislature passed Senate Bill 9, which included provisions to phase out net metering in October of this year, making it the only state in the northeast to have such legislation in place. House lawmakers in the Energy and Technology Committee looked to scale back the law earlier this month, unanimously passing House Bill 7251 out of committee, which would extend the net metering program through Dec. 31, 2021. But lawmakers and developers worry about what will happen if it doesn't pass, and question why Connecticut is pursuing solar policies that are widely seen to have failed by clean energy advocates and lawmakers in Maine, Nevada and other states.