Con Ed, Orange & Rockland Fined $10.75M For 2018 Storm Response
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two of New York's biggest utility companies are facing a record fine.
The $10.75 million joint settlement relates to back-to-back winter storms that hammered the area in March 2018.
Nearly 300,000 customers with Con Edison and Orange & Rockland Utilities were left in the dark.
The state's Public Service Commission says both companies admitted to violating their emergency response plans.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer called Con Ed's recent handling of Tropical Storm Isaias "a repeat of March 2018."
"Con Edison's performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias was grossly deficient. The Governor, the New York State Public Service Commission, elected officials of both parties at every level and the customers themselves all recognize that failure. Con Ed was simply not ready- a repeat of March 2018 - to provide the necessary manpower to cut and clear wires and to restore power in a timely fashion. It cannot be acceptable to take a week or more to fully restore power, and in this case, from a storm that was not of the magnitude of Hurricane Irene or Superstorm Sandy. This tells us the utility is simply not staffed up to handle storms; it tells us the profitability of the company is based on carrying staff insufficient to handle any significant weather incident," he said in a statement Friday.
"Westchester residents have time and again been underserved precisely in the moment when they most need that service. They need and deserve a service provider that outs service to the public ahead of any other consideration.
"Now, it is up to the State to use its regulatory authority to right this wrong, and mandate that the utility provide sufficient manpower and equipment that can, during the next hurricane, bring speedy relief to Westchester residents."
It's unclear how the settlement could affect customer rates moving forward.
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