Posted by Dennis Herrick on May 14, 2009 at 06:44:27:
In Reply to: Worcester Telegram and Gazette posted by Dennis Herrick on May 12, 2009 at 12:57:00:
State hears detailed testimony of Unitil’s failures
By Matthew Bruun TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Either they didn’t know through their own ignorance or were maybe being deceptive.
-- glenn c. fossa, FITCHBURG POLICE SERGEANT
BOSTON — Poor communications and inaccurate information from Unitil hampered efforts to recover from the Dec. 11-12 ice storm, Fitchburg and Lunenburg officials testified yesterday before the state Department of Public Utilities at the department’s headquarters at South Station.
The agency also heard testimony from consultants summoned by Attorney General Martha D. Coakley’s office who were critical of the utility’s storm preparedness, damage assessment efforts, and ability to summon additional help.
Unitil, which serves customers in Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Townsend and Ashby, has vowed to learn lessons from its response to the ice storm. Widespread damage to the distribution system left many of its customers without power for nearly two weeks.
The company has already adopted some of the 28 recommendations called for in a comprehensive self-assessment commissioned after the storm, including improvements to its communications and mutual aid programs. The company has also named an emergency response director.
The evidentiary hearing continues today at South Station, with former DPU Chairman Robert Yardley expected to testify about his detailed review of Unitil’s storm response. Unitil hired Mr. Yardley to perform the assessment.
The DPU’s final report on the storm is expected to take several weeks to compile.
Several of the speakers testifying yesterday said Unitil did not follow its own storm response plan, failing to embed personnel at local emergency operations centers and thereby hindering communications.
Frustrations mounted as days went by with little or no reliable information from the company, which appeared overwhelmed by the storm, the local officials testified.
“Either they didn’t know through their own ignorance or were maybe being deceptive,” Fitchburg Police Sgt. Glenn C. Fossa testified.
Sgt. Fossa also said it was “mind-boggling” to several local officials that Unitil, a comparatively small utility company, was unable to muster accurate information during the storm.
Fitchburg Public Works Commissioner Lenny R. Laakso and Fire Chief Kevin D. Roy both said Unitil was slow in sending personnel who could identify live wires, which slowed street-clearing efforts.
Without reliable information on when service would be restored, officials said, it was difficult to determine how long emergency shelters would be needed.
“In order for us to coordinate, we would need to know what each other was doing,” said Sgt. Fossa, who was stationed at the Fitchburg fire station during the storm aftermath.
Lunenburg Selectman Thomas A. Alonzo and Fire Chief Scott F. Glenny both said information that came from company officials was transient and inaccurate, with false timelines for restoration of service.
Utility consultant Richard E. Brown of North Carolina testified that Unitil should have done emergency drills for circumstances as extreme as were encountered in December. It took days to get even a preliminary assessment of damage, he said, and that information was vital in securing necessary outside resources.
“Look at a hurricane,” Mr. Brown said. “Look at an event that can affect this size an area. Maybe it hasn’t happened to Unitil, but it’s certainly happened across the country.”
It took a week before a major infusion of outside utility crews arrived in Unitil’s territory and only then was major progress made in the restoration of power, he said.
Mr. Alonzo testified earlier yesterday that many Lunenburg residents decided to “stick it out” in their homes because of false hopes from Unitil that power was days away from restoration. Others had damage to their homes because they did not drain their pipes as they would have if they had known how long the outage would last, he said.
Mr. Alonzo told DPU staffers that he wanted stronger regulation of utility companies to come from the inquiry into Unitil’s performance.
“The public is who needs to be protected here,” Mr. Alonzo said.
He said serious teeth need to be attached to regulations governing the companies for such things as their emergency response plans, line maintenance and staffing levels. He said the towns affected should be compensated, as should the customers who sustained more damage than necessary because they relied on overly optimistic repair estimates.
“If the penalty isn’t serious enough, a lot of times it’s easier just to pay the fine,” Mr. Alonzo said.
Fitchburg Mayor Lisa A. Wong, state Rep. Stephen L. DiNatale, D-Fitchburg, and state Rep. Jennifer E. Benson, D-Lunenburg, were among the officials in the audience yesterday. Several Unitil officials also observed the session.
The local Statehouse delegation has filed several pieces of legislation seeking to give the DPU more oversight over utilities, including the ability to levy daily six-figure fines during outages. There is also civil litigation pending against the company from outraged customers.
The DPU will review the performance of all four investor-owned utilities in response to the storm.