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Jul 25, 2006 1:26 am US/Eastern
Crisis In Queens: Spitzer Puts Blame On Con Ed
Power Commission Report In 2000 Outlined Dangers
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on Monday said that Con Edison didn't learn from the 1999 blackout that left Washington Heights without power during a summer heat wave.
Spitzer, a Democrat who's running for governor, in a release said clearly Con Ed didn't heed the warnings from the 1999 blackout -- or recommendations from the Attorney General's report the next year. Spitzer also called the Public Service Commission's oversight of Con Ed inadequate.
Spitzer said that once power is restored to residents of northwest Queens, the Public Service Commission should compel Con Ed to take the actions outlined in the 2000 report, which include:
-- Developing a test for detecting equipment vulnerable to heat stress, overload or other sudden failure;
-- Establishing a protocol for power grid management that includes mandatory reporting to local and state officials;
-- Improving crisis communications with customers, government and the public, including more accurate reporting of customer power loss and the time needed to bring customers back on line;
-- And increasing the amount Con Ed pays customers for food and perishables ruined by lack of refrigeration, and compensate customers for appliances damaged by power outages.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
