August 1, 2012

Attorney General George Jepsen today issued the following statement on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s final decision in its investigation of public service companies’ response to the 2011 storms:

“The two major storms that hit Connecticut in 2011 revealed significant deficiencies in CL&P’s major storm preparedness and response. Today’s final decision, like the draft issued two weeks ago, substantially adopts the findings and recommendations that my office presented in this proceeding and is a positive step toward improving CL&P’s storm response.

“The intent of this review was not just to point out the obvious – that CL&P failed to meet its public service obligations in the wake of these storms – but also to hold the company accountable for its failings and lay the foundation for future improvement so that these failures never happen again. This decision provides strong incentives for CL&P to make the management changes necessary to improve its storm preparedness and response the next time that Connecticut endures a major storm and to take steps to address issues like tree trimming, communication and securing mutual assistance.  It also lays groundwork to seek additional rate benefits in the future in light of the inadequate response and its consequences.

“This decision moves closer to ensuring better quality of service and emergency response for residents, ratepayers and municipalities. I appreciate the Authority’s work and review on this matter.”

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