Beth Bye

Bye Votes for Improved Storm Response Efforts

Senate bill sets standards, penalties to hold utilities accountable, invests in infrastructure

In response to two powerful storms that struck Connecticut last year and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and telecommunications service, state Senator Terry Gerratana (D-New Britain) and the state Senate passed sweeping reforms today to better prepare Connecticut for future severe weather events and minimize utility outages.

Senate Bill 23—which passed on a bipartisan and unanimous 33-0 vote—incorporates the lessons learned through the testimony submitted to Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s Two Storm Panel to invest in critical infrastructure and hold utility companies accountable for their performance during emergencies.

“Tens of thousands of my constituents in West Hartford, Farmington, Bloomfield and Burlington were some of the last people in the state to have their power restored following October’s snow storm, and I and they never want to see that happen again,” Sen. Bye said. “The performance standards for utility companies that we are putting in place today, along with the tree-trimming and training and other policies, are going to go a long way toward ensuring that Connecticut’s utility companies are better prepared and more responsive next Mother Nature takes a swing at us.”

The bill now heads to the floor of the House of Representatives.

Some of the major benefits of the bill include:

Performance Standards in Emergencies

The bill requires the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to study and establish minimum performance standards for emergency preparation and response for each electric distribution company and gas company in Connecticut. These standards must address:

1. Minimum staffing and equipment levels for outage planning and restoration (linemen, technicians, etc)
2. Targets for recovery and restoration of service based on the proportion of affected customers
3. Mutual aid agreements with out-of-state companies to bring in surplus workers as needed
4. Communication between utilities and customers, including during non-business hours, and to notify the public of service restoration estimates and dangerous conditions
5. Communication between and amongst utilities and government officials
6. Tree trimming practices to reduce outages due to fallen limbs
7. Safety standards for employees of each utility, mutual aid crews and private contractors
8. Other standards as PURA deems fit to prevent or restore service outages

Backup Generators for Cell Phone Towers

In order to facilitate uninterrupted telecommunications services for private residents and government officials during emergencies, the bill will require all telecommunications companies to report to PURA and the Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection (DESPP) annually concerning their ability to provide backup power to any Connecticut based towers or antennas during an electric service outage.

Clearing Roads for Emergency Vehicles

In the aftermath of last year’s storms, fallen trees, limbs, and downed wire blocked passage on many roads across the state. This became life-threatening when police, fire, and ambulance vehicles could not reach people in need of assistance. Senate Bill 23 will require the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), in conjunction with the utilities, DOT, DESPP, and an association of municipalities to develop procedures to expedite the process of road-clearing for public safety personnel.

Food Spoilage Program

PURA must also study and create a mechanism through which electric distribution companies would reimburse residential customers for spoilage of food or refrigerated medicine after long power outages. The General Assembly will receive recommendations on any legislation necessary to create the program.

Locally Generated Electricity

The bill establishes a $15 million micro-grid and loan pilot program to support local distributed electricity generation at hospitals, police and fire stations, prisons, water treatment plants and other critical locations. Funds will be allocated evenly among small, medium, and large towns.