Congressman Courtney visits NPU to discuss federal investment opportunities

Congressman Joe Courtney visited Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) in November to discuss a variety of infrastructure and economic development projects that could be suitable for federal investment in light of the bill recently signed into law by President Biden. The NPU projects span all four utility services – natural gas, electric, water, and wastewater, in addition to projects that could support economic development in Norwich in the years ahead.

The meeting with Congressman Courtney also included a tour and overview of NPU’s wastewater plant, which will undergo a major upgrade beginning in 2022, with construction expected to begin next summer.

NPU also highlighted for the Congressman its commitment to ‘human infrastructure’ and provided a summary of the support that has been provided to customers who have had difficulty in paying their bills as a result of the pandemic. This support includes:

• More than $750,000 in support facilitated through the Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA); NPU pays the salary of a TVCCA employee to work from our Customer Service Center to process applications for utility assistance.
• More than $150,000 in support through the State’s UniteCT program, with the possibility of additional funding being available in the months ahead.
• $110,000 in support through the Community Development Block Grant program; Congressman Courtney’s advocacy for this funding was critical.
• NPU’s Special Payment Arrangement (SPA) program, which allows eligible customers to pay a portion of their past-due utility bills penalty and interest-free, over 20 months. This program has helped more than 1,200 customers (residential and commercial) with collective balances of more than $1.4 million.