February 1, 2012

STATEMENT BY GOVERNOR MALLOY ON CL&P'S CONSUMER REIMBURSEMENTS

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released the following statement on Connecticut Light and Power's (CL&P) consumer reimbursements following the long-term outages that occurred as a result of the October Nor'easter:

"These reimbursements are a good first step in compensating our residents for the long-term outages that occurred as a result of the October Nor'easter. But the real task at hand is making sure that our utility companies are better prepared to handle an event like this the next time it comes around.

"We've learned much since the two storms hit Connecticut last year, both from the Witt Report and the recommendations from the Two Storm Panel. Earlier this month, I announced a set of proposals that will help to put our utility companies and state and local governments in a better position to plan for and respond to an emergency.

"In the coming days, we're going to introduce a bill that will raise the standards and benchmarks that PURA will implement for utility companies, regulations that will provide a clear incentive for proper preparation and timely repairs.

"And later this year, our Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will conduct the largest state-wide emergency preparedness drill in recent history, so that we know what to do when a real time situation comes our way.

"These are concrete steps that will improve our emergency response, but they by no means represent the totality of our actions. Effective emergency management demands that we constantly evolve and improve, and my administration will do just that in the weeks and months ahead."

CL&P today announced that approximately 192,000 Connecticut residents will receive a credit for $140 as a result of the long-term power outages following the October Nor'easter. Initially, the utility offered to set up a fund of $10 million, but they increased that contribution to $30 million after the Governor told them he thought it was inadequate given the extent of hardship many residents faced.

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For Immediate Release: February 1, 2012

Contact: Andrew Doba

Andrew.Doba@ct.gov

860-524-7308 (office)
860-770-8090 (cell)

Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy