Legislators demand better utility services

Date: 1/4/2012

Jan. 4, 2012

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

BOSTON — State Reps. Donald Humason Jr. of Westfield and Nicholas Boldyga of Southwick were among a group of legislators who added their reactions to the response made by utility companies during the snowstorm on Oct. 29, 2011.

The Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives sent a letter to Ann Berwick, chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU), last week.

Humason told Reminder Publications that although he lost power for six days because of the snowstorm, he knew Westfield Gas & Electric was working to repair the damage.

“[People in Westfield] were more patient because of the better communications,” he explained.

He said the larger utility companies, such as National Grid and Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), should improve their communications to customers and “need to be forthcoming about problems.”

“If I had a legislative remedy, some way to convince the big utilities to do anything, it would be to be more honest with ratepayers they serve and more honest with regulators,” Humason said.

Humason pointed out that utility companies used to operate tree maintenance programs to remove branches that had the potential of breaking power lines if they fell. He said those programs have been discontinued.

The letter to Berwick read in part:

“We write in reaction to public utilities’ repeatedly inadequate emergency preparedness and insufficient storm response, as exhibited by the sustained electric service losses that impacted more than 1 million residents following Tropical Storm Irene and over 800,000 residents after the Oct. 29, 2011 Nor’easter.

“These extended power outages not only created a significant risk to public safety but also inflicted substantial financial loss on residents and businesses in the Commonwealth. While we recognize that both Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm caused significant damage to utilities’ infrastructure within the short period of two months, in some circumstances, we believe the damage could have been prevented by adequate routine maintenance and mitigated by ample pre-storm preparedness.

“Additionally, public utilities, particularly National Grid, have repeatedly failed to communicate effectively with customers and government officials regarding estimated times of restoration (ETR). National Grid attempted to improve communications after Irene by appointing community liaisons; however, efforts during the October snowstorm were still far from exemplary.

“It is imperative that public utilities are held accountable for reliable electric service, particularly as they possess the technological capabilities to minimize extended power losses. Following Tropical Storm Irene, NSTAR restored service to 97 percent of the 500,000 Massachusetts customers within 3 days, while National Grid left customers in the dark for more than a week during both Irene and the October storm …...

“Although National Grid purports an annual expenditure of $23 [million] for vegetation management as evidence of appropriate regular maintenance, this does not prove that ratepayer dollars used for tree-trimming are being spent wisely or well …...

“In addition to infrastructure maintenance, public utilities need to implement better preparations in anticipation of Level 5 catastrophic events with a high regional impact. For example, National Grid failed to plan for the forecasted regional impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and the October Nor’easter. As a result, the utility was twice found without an adequate number of out-of-state crews when virtually all Northeastern crews were committed to restoring regional damage …...

“And while National Grid’s use of community liaisons during the October Nor’easter was definitely an improvement over the disorganization displayed following Tropical Storm Irene, utilities’ repeated struggle to convey information in a timely manner to both municipalities and customers highlights the need for improved alternative methods for post-storm information exchange …...

“Perhaps we must require National Grid and its counterparts to invest in the technology required to take precise internal readings of system-wide damage. The widespread impact of these two Level 5 storms, coupled with the forecasted dramatically changing weather patterns, highlight the need for rapid development of smart meter technology that would facilitate quicker post-storm damage assessments. The DPU should encourage and assist with the implementation of these advancements and strive to move past the pilot phase of smart meter integration ...

“The customers and municipalities served by public utilities like National Grid deserve an explanation for the sustained safety risks and financial losses resulting from these lengthy power outages. This process is essential for determining the most effective means of incentivizing utilities to uphold their commitment to provide reliable electric service.”