NStar was fined $4 million in responses to Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm, but already announced it plans to appeal.
The state on Tuesday ordered a total of $24.8 million in penalties to utility companies for their response to storms in 2011. Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan joined Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Chairman Ann Berwick and DPU commissioners today to announce the findings of the DPU’s investigation into responses to Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm. Provided the penalties hold up, customers should see a reduction in their bill, though it is unclear how much, officials said. National Grid faces the steepest penalty, at $18.725 million; NSTAR has been ordered to pay $4.075 million; and Western Massachusetts Electric Company to pay $2 million. Recognizing that outages are …
A year ago today, Tropical Storm Irene made landfall in New England, leaving streets flooded, trees down, wires down and hundreds in Newton without power.
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It was a storm that left hundreds in Newton without power and more than a dozen streets closed. What can Newton and New England learn from the storm?
It has been almost a year after Tropical Storm Irene hit New England, leaving trees and power lines down, homes damaged and many without power. The storm blew through New England on Aug. 28, 2011, and although much of the Boston-area dodged a bullet in terms of storm damage, Newton residents saw numerous flooded streets, downed wires and uprooted trees. More than a dozen Newton streets were closed following the storm, as trees and downed power lines blocked routes and left some residents stranded in their homes. Hundreds of Newton residents went without power for days as NStar worked to repair and restore downed wires and utility poles. Now that a year has passed since the storm, what have we learned? Share stories with us in the …
Mark Golden
11:08 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The main lesson: It is not nice to fool with Mother Nature. Or the power companies. I did not loose power during Irene. But I did live in South Florida from 2002 to 2010. In 2004 and 2005 we had many REAL Hurricanes. Including Wilma in October of '05 when I was without power for 18 days. OK, no stove or refrigeration. But I had 2 very large coolers, access to a supply of ice, and my gas grill. We… more ›