Tassoni requests National Grid probe

BROKEN TREE LIMBS atop power lines were a common sight in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Here a branch rests on wires on Shaw Avenue in Cranston on Sunday, Aug. 28. / PBN FILE PHOTO / BRIAN McDONALD
BROKEN TREE LIMBS atop power lines were a common sight in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Here a branch rests on wires on Shaw Avenue in Cranston on Sunday, Aug. 28. / PBN FILE PHOTO / BRIAN McDONALD

PROVIDENCE – Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield, said he would like the Public Utilities Commission to review National Grid’s preparation and response to Tropical Storm Irene.

In a news release, Tassoni said that he, like many other elected officials, has been inundated with complaints from constituents about how long it is taking to have their power restored.

On Friday morning, 28,825 of National Grid’s 480,281 customers were without power. During the storm, a peak of 65 percent of the state was without power, according to a situation report by the U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 29 at 3 p.m.

“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,” said Tassoni in the release.

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Tassoni said he thinks the PUC has an obligation to determine whether the utility was ready for the storm. He noted that while he thinks the utility is “doing [nothing] less than working tirelessly to correct the problems caused by the storm … the state needs to know whether National Grid is going to be better prepared to handle them than it seems to have been this time.”

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