The Connecticut General Assembly should give serious consideration to the concerns raised by utility regulators, something the governor appears unwilling to do.

In 2011, in an effort to improve efficiency and better coordinate policy, the Malloy administration worked with the General Assembly to create a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The move essentially merged the Department of Public Utility Control with the Department of Environmental Protection.

On one level, the move made sense, since energy and environmental policies are inextricably linked. Under the leadership of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the state has developed a sensible energy policy that seeks to balance environmental priorities with efforts to meet Connecticut's energy needs more affordably. Centerpieces include expanding the use of natural gas in the state and boosting the amount of electricity coming from renewable energy sources.

However, the merger from the start raised concerns of conflict of interest because energy priorities and environmental protection mandates can also conflict.

And in a recent memo to the governor, the three-member Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (the former DPUC) contends that its merger into DEEP has presented "an insurmountable conflict of interest." The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is responsible for approving, modifying or denying utility rate increases, as well as acting on other regulatory matters. DEEP, "its parent authority," notes the PURA commissioners' memo, "is a statutory party to every proceeding before it.”

The commissioners want PURA to regain its independence, avoiding any speculation that its decisions are based on DEEP's positions, rather than on an independent assessment of the facts.

Gov. Malloy's reaction to the request last week was to flippantly dismiss it and suggest that the three PURA commissioners - Chairman Arthur House, Jack Betkoski and Michael Caron - resign if they cannot work within the existing format. The commissioners plan to stay.

The governor's response was inappropriate. It could discourage leaders in other state agencies from speaking up if they think something is not working right in government. People in key positions must feel free to share their perceptions of how government is functioning without facing the options of quit or live with it.

The General Assembly should explore the conflict-of-interest contention.