Attorney General Fining National Grid $16 Million for Mishandling Tropical Storm Irene
Coakley's office has filed a recommendation to impose a fine.
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Attorney General Martha Coakley's office is fining National Grid with a $16 million fine because of its handling, or mishandling, of the tropical storm Irene in August and the snowstorm last October, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
Northborough joins other communities in its frustration with power outages during storms, with many alleging it happens "way too often" and the response to bring it back has not been swift enough.
During Hurricane Irene, more than 6,000 Northborough customers lost power along with the 500,000 throughout the state. Some waited nearly four days for it to return.
Thousands, too, lost power for days during the storm that "canceled Halloween" last year. Dubbed "snowtober," the out-of-season snowstorm clobbered the area and left many scrambling for generators.
There are 6,473 National Grid customers in Northborough.
In a poll presented after the October snowstorm, 73 percent of Northborough Patch readers felt the response was inadequate.
According to the Worcester Business Journal, Coakley's office filed a brief with the Department of Public Utilities, and made a recommendation for the DPU to impose the fine. It is the largest penalty recommended against a utility company in the state, according to the article.
The Troll of Northborough
2:07 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012
and he's going to do what with the 16 million? pass it to the customers? or eat 97% with administrative fee's from his office and then send the remaining 3% to National Grid customers?
Why not demand they spend that amount in improvements? or issue refunds / credits in that amount to NG customers.
Robin A. Moreira
10:52 am on Monday, July 30, 2012
That's what I was going to ask. Where does this 16 million go??