Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has had National Grid Rhode Island in her sights since an October 2017 storm that left tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders without power for days.
A state report found the utility was unprepared for that storm and slow to react to it. NatGrid responded by making improvements, as it did following a weeklong natural gas outage on Aquidneck Island in January of this year.
On Oct. 30, another government report found National Grid partly to blame for equipment failures that led to that January outage.
While the utility can’t be blamed for temporary power outages caused by fast-moving storms or other circumstances beyond its control, it is fair to question the frequency of the outages and its response. Raimondo on Nov. 5 signaled the state may be at a distinct disadvantage in regard to the latter and trying to get the utility to spend more on aging infrastructure.
That’s because, while Massachusetts and other states can fine utilities for major outages, Rhode Island’s Department of Public Utilities and Carriers oddly does not have that authority.
Raimondo says the disparity incentivizes the company to send workers to Massachusetts before Rhode Island.
National Grid denies that has happened. But its regional managers were left to make the call on where to send workers following the October 2017 storm, which also affected the Bay State.
Rhode Island needs the same leverage as its neighbor. Give the DPUC authority to fine the utility. If National Grid has made the right changes, it’s a tool the state may never need to use.
