WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. (EDITED) with CitizeNetReporter Background. September 14, 2006: County Executive Andy Spano has interceded on behalf of county residents who had food spoilages during the July heat wave and has persuaded Con Edison to review previously rejected spoilage claims for cause. Previously the County Executive had not intervened or promised aid when Con Edison refused to pay food spoilage claims on wind storm related food losses, saving itself an estimated $8.7 Million when  Con Ed's Mark Drexel, Acting Director of Emergency Management said the company would reimburse food spoilage from tornados before the Board of Legislators in a public hearing. 

          The official county announcement released today reports:  Executive Spano  has contacted Con Edison on behalf of utility customers who filed what would seem to be legitimate claims for reimbursement from food spoilage caused by the utility’s outages due to heat July 17 and 18. In response to Spano, the utility has agreed to revisit all the rejected claims. Customers should resubmit their claims for heat-related outages only.

          Spano has also sent a letter to the Public Service Commission demanding public hearings locally to be held on Con Edison performance during the three power crises in the last two months.

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The PSC does not require Con Edison to reimburse customers for food losses when the event was caused by an “act of God,” such as the tornado, the micro burst or the tropical storm. (Editor's note: However, a Con Edison executive promised just such reimbursement  to Westchester residents during a public meeting of the County Board of Legislators right after the July 18 events. The next day, WPCNR discovered and reported that Con Edison had quietly reneged on this promise that was being broadcast on WCBS Radio. )

In contrast, Con Ed says it will reimburse for food spoilage for residents for outages (lasting at least 12 hours) caused by equipment problems, such as when feeder cables failed during the July 17 and 18 heat wave. Originally, Con Ed said it would only reimburse for up to $150 without receipts, but at Spano’s insistence, it agreed to reimburse for up to $350 without receipts to document these losses.

Nonetheless, Spano has been contacted by email and phone by many constituents who are complaining that their food claims have been summarily rejected by Con Ed without explanation and without an appeal process.

"Unacceptable."

“I called Con Ed and told them their procedures are unacceptable,” said Spano. “Yes, some of these claims are rejected because they were outages caused by the storms. But others of these claims appear to be heat-related and should be honored. As part of our conversations with Con Ed, the utility is now re-examining  the claims it previously rejected. Again, it is only the losses due to the extreme heat outages of July 17 and 18 that lasted for at least 12 hours that are involved.”

The County Executive’s Office has forwarded to Con Ed all the specific rejections brought to Spano’s attention. Others who had their claims rejected should resubmit their claims. Go to http://www.coned.com/customercentral/lawclaims.asp

PSC Hearings on Ernesto Con Ed performance  Should Be Local. Spano Says.

            County Executive Andy Spano has followed up on his calls for an independent performance review of Con Edison, and called on the state Public Service Commission to hold a hearing in Westchester and meet with Westchester officials as it proceeds with its independent evaluation of Con Edison’s preparedness and response to Tropical Storm Ernesto, which left tens of thousands of people and businesses without power for days.

            “This has been a horrible summer in terms of electric power for Westchester residents and businesses,” said Spano. “We had four major weather events, causing major outages.  I want answers. I  want the PSC to make sure its outside consultant gets input from us as it proceeds with its planned audit of Con Edison’s response to Ernesto. I want to make sure that those Con Ed customers who are entitled to reimbursement get their money.”

Tropical Storm Ernesto was the 4^th major weather event causing outages this summer in Westchester. The others were a tornado July 12,  a heat wave July 17 and 18 and a “micro burst” (electric storm) July 21. 

Letter to PSC Chairman William M. Flynn

Approximately 90,000 Westchester residents and businesses lost power during Tropical Storm Ernesto, beginning Sept. 3 and in many cases lasting five days. Following the storm, Spano wrote to Gov. Pataki asking

for an “independent performance assessment” of Con Edison’s preparedness and response. The PSC announced last week it would conduct such an audit to look at Con Ed’s emergency response planning, the adequacy of its resources, its use of mutual aid with other utilities and its outreach to customers.

In a letter Wednesday to PSC chairman William M. Flynn, Spano asks that the PSC consultant meet directly with him and his staff “in order to learn firsthand what the county experienced during the extensive outage,” and that the consultant conduct a public meeting in Westchester “to listen to the concerns of our residents as they pertain to Con Ed’s emergency preparedness, response and restoration of power.”

In addition, Spano asked the PSC to expand the scope of its inquiry to look into the following:

·        How does Con Ed’s infrastructure, specifically in Westchester, compare to that of other utilities that have overhead wiring and poles when it comes to redundancy and strength?

·        What are the “best practices” utilized by utilities throughout the nation to prevent weather-related power outages and to restore power in a more timely manner? Is Con Edison  incorporating any of them into its own operating and management systems?

·        What are the “best practices” used by utilities to communicate with customers before, during and after power outages, and once again, which, if any, of these practices are being used by Con Edison?