Politics & Government

CL&P Unlikely to Meet Sunday Night Deadline of 99 Percent Power Restoration

State officials voice their lack of confidence in the electric company; Jepson's office promises a very thorough review of their actions.

It has been eight days since the October storm knocked out power to most of the state, and despite CL&P’s promise that 99 percent of its customers would have their power restored by Sunday night, the outage map tells a very different story. As of 6:30 p.m. Sunday, West Hartford was still 60 percent without power and Farmington 53 percent in the dark. According to the map, some will fall short of CL&Ps promise by upwards of 50 percent, with 21 towns still at 20 percent or more without power. In response, CL&P is refining its statement to mean the 99 percent goal is a statewide average as opposed to each town.

The electric company released a statement today that read, “although the company expects to meet its 99 percent goal statewide, there are 31 towns in the hardest hit areas of the state where restoration may fall short of this evening’s goal.”

“We clearly understand the frustration these remaining customers feel and are doing everything we can to get their lights back on," said Jeff Butler, CL&P president and chief operating officer.  "With over 2,400 line and tree crews at work today, we remain confident that we can meet our goal at a statewide level. Even after we do, we won't let up until all of our customers have power."

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal is not buying the spin. In a statement released today, he said, “People are fed up with false reassurances that have shredded CL&P's credibility and now defy credulity.  The company's failure to adequately plan and prepare - and meet its own deadlines - has led to an historic breakdown of power and public trust.  Cascading recent failures are further evidence that a comprehensive federal investigation is urgently needed. Members of our congressional delegation are seeking such an investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  As I have traveled the state talking to public officials, emergency responders, homeowners, and business people, the consensus is clear: CL&P must be held accountable and fundamental changes made before the next storm strikes.”

Attorney General George Jepson echoed Blumenthal when he issued a statement today regarding a review of the utility’s actions following both Hurricane Irene and last week’s storm:

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“Governor Malloy and I spoke this morning and we agreed that it made sense for attorneys in my office to work with Witt Associates to assess the information as it is developed. The purpose of this joint review is to ensure that the interests of the State and the citizens of this State are adequately protected.

“It would be irresponsible of me to stand before you today and speculate as to what, if any, action my office will take as a result of this review.  Rest assured, however, the review will be thorough, thoughtful, and searching. I will vigorously pursue the evidence and consider all legal theories.

“I have already asked the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to expand its current investigation of Connecticut Light & Power Co.’s response to Hurricane Irene, to include an investigation of the response to the Oct. 29 storm. As a complement to that request, I will also work with the governor’s office and Witt Associates.

“Right now, today, the priority is to restore power to everyone in Connecticut.  Thank you.”

It is clear the governor is not optimistic.

“The closer we got to CL&P’s self-identified goal of 99 percent restoration in each city and town by midnight tonight, the more skeptical I became of their ability to meet that goal,” said Gov. Malloy in an earlier statement on Sunday. “It’s now clear they are not going to meet their goal . . . I’m releasing this information because towns and cities need to make preparations based on the reality of the situation – not what CL&P hopes to have happen -- and residents need to make individual decisions about what to do over the next few days.”

Malloy said today’s update will allow cities and towns across the state to more accurately plan for sheltering and warming centers, school schedules and give their residents more accurate restoration information.

Monday morning will shed further light on CL&P’s efforts, whether they were successful or not, when Malloy holds an 8:30 a.m. press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in the State Armory to discuss the power restoration process.

 


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