Senator Stewart-Cousins Submits Comments to Moreland Commission on Con Edison’s Response to Sandy

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins submitted comments to Governor Cuomo’s Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response. Her comments cited the company’s lack of communication with its customers, elected officials and internally between employees and the need for Con Ed to rethink its priorities with regard to vulnerable populations (such as senior citizens and the disabled), residents of Westchester and it’s smaller villages and towns.

The Senator based her comments on her direct experience serving Westchester residents after the storm, touring impacted areas and responding to countless phone calls, emails and direct correspondence from constituents outlining their specific concerns about Con Edison’s response to the storm.

The Senator wrote in her comments, “Hurricane Sandy was an extraordinary event, and we are all cognizant of the magnitude of the damage and the significant pressure that Con Edison faced at the time. However, given the recent abundance of extraordinary weather events over the last few years, it seems more and more likely that such an event will happen again. That is why it is so important for this commission to meticulously investigate what went wrong, what went right and how we can do better the next time.”

The Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation is tasked with investigating New York’s power utilities’ preparation and response to the major storms that have devastated communities in the State of New York over the past two years, including Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee.

The Commission is undertaking a thorough review of all actions made by the utilities before and after these emergencies, and will make specific recommendations to Governor Cuomo for reforming and modernizing the oversight, regulation and management of New York's power delivery services.

The Senator’s full statement to the Moreland Commission is below.