LIPA HEARING REPORT

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations I convened a public hearing on September 22 to look at the strategies and policies that manage Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) storm preparation and restoration efforts.

LIPA and National Grid need to seriously review all of their operating procedures to ensure the appropriate systems and plans are in place to restore electricity so that future storms do not cripple Long Island for a longer period of time than is necessary.

Tropical Storm Irene knocked out power to 48% or 523,000 of LIPA’s 1.2 million customers. The systems that LIPA and National Grid instituted to restore power were overwhelmed by this level of destruction. What happens when a Category 1 Hurricane hits Long Island? We must be prepared for larger storms with increased outages and more catastrophic damage.

The report on the hearing which includes testimony and recommendations can be read below