BREAKING: State Senator Calls for PUC to Investigate National Grid Response
Thursday, September 01, 2011
With more than 70,000 National Grid accounts still without power, elected officials throughout the region are calling for investigations into the utilities' response. In Massachusetts, Attorney General Martha Coakley has asked the Commonwealth's four investor-owned utilities provide information (including National Grid).
Today, Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Smithfield) is calling on the Public Utilities Commission to determine whether National Grid did all it could to prepare for and respond to last weekend’s storm that lashed the region and left hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders without power.
Preparation Questioned
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It is getting near to a week since the storm passed through our area and many Rhode Islanders are still without electricity,” said Senator Tassoni said in a statement released at 12 noon today.. “I realize the magnitude of the storm and the extent of the power outages is more significant than anything we have seen in this state for a long time. Nonetheless, I think questions need to be asked about whether National Grid was adequately prepared for such a storm and whether the company is adequately staffed to handle the aftermath of such a storm.”
The storm - which when it hit Rhode Island was a tropical storm, knocked out the power to more than half of the state's population and has crippled many businesses.
“What I don’t know, and what I think the PUC has an obligation to determine, is whether National Grid was ready for the storm, whether the company had plans in place in the eventuality of such a storm,” he said. “I wonder why it took the company days to reach out-of-state for more workers to come to Rhode Island to help with the power line work and whether, when everyone knew the storm was definitely coming this way, the company should have made that call earlier.”
Senator Tasson's release stated he would also like the PUC to determine if National Grid – either because of the overall economy or because of internal economics – has enough of a workforce to immediately address problems such as those caused by the storm.
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