Matt Knickerbocker Offers Bethel Community Report: COVID Status, Schools Open on Tuesday, Eversource Storm Recovery

Bethel's First Selectman's Report 

1. COVID-19 Status:  Recently reported in local press coverage, the City of Danbury is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 infections. As a result, city officials have curtailed all youth sports activities and will open school on "distance learning" mode until further notice. The Bethel Health Department is watching the rate of infections here for any early warning of a similar spike. So far, none is seen.

2. Bethel Public Schools will begin their 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, September 8th in "hybrid" mode, which combines in-person and distance learning modes. Classes will be divided into two primary groups, with Group A attending in person Monday and Tuesday, and Group B attending in person Thursday and Friday. When not attending class in school, each group will receive remote instruction via computer technology. Wednesdays will be conducted remotely for all students to allow cleaning in school buildings.

Eversource Storm Recovery

3. On Thursday, August 27th I was invited to speak on behalf of Bethel and the Council of Small Towns at a special hearing of the state legislature's Energy and Technology Committee concerning Eversource's recovery operations following Tropical Storm Isaias (August 4th).  I relayed the following information to the committee:

a. Eversource failed to properly preposition assets to aid timely storm recovery.

b. Following the storm, 67% of Bethel was without power.

c. Full recovery in Bethel took 10 days, nearly as long as the far more destructive 2012 October storm, which blacked out 94% of Bethel.

d. Eversource's storm management liaison system was ineffective in deploying line and tree crews to high priority, critical locations. The Bethel Police Department was left without power into day #7 following the storm, as were most of Bethel's water and waste water pumping facilities.

e. The core of Bethel's downtown business district, including Caraluzzi's market and many smaller retailers, were without power for 6.5 days.

f. During the hearing, Eversource executives dismissed the concerns of municipalities and stated that they would follow their own priorities. As stated by Mr. Craig Hallstrom, Vice President of Electrical Operations: "Municipal priorities may not be the same as ours."

4. The Energy & Technology Committee will hold a special "listening session" on Tuesday, September 8th to hear comments on legislation being proposed to address the problems in the most recent storm recovery, as detailed in the following COST announcement:
Lawmakers to Hold Listening Session on Bill to Address Emergency Response Efforts

The legislature's Energy & Technology Committee is holding a "Listening Session" on a draft bill to address issues arising from the preparedness and response efforts of the state's Electric Distribution Companies, Eversource and United Illuminating.

The Listening Session, which will be held virtually, is scheduled for September 8, 10:30 a.m. The draft bill, An Act Concerning Emergency Response of Electric Distribution Companies and Revising the Regulation of Other Public Utilities, may be viewed here.

The bill includes numerous provisions, including:

1. Requires Electric Distribution Companies (EDC) to open, operate and staff Regional Service Centers staffed with CT based grid and power line service workers directly employed by the EDC and supervised by a permanent CT based incident command management team;

2. Requires EDCs to provide residential customers with a $125 credit to their account for each day a power outage exceeds 72 hours;

3. Requires EDCs to reimburse customers up to $500 for any food or prescription drug that spoiled due to power outages lasting more than 72 hours;

4. Requires PURA to initiate a proceeding to investigate, develop, and adopt a framework for implementing performance-based regulation of EDCs and other utilities;

5. Requires PURA to consider the implementation of penalties in addition to incentives based on performance;

6. Prohibits PURA from allowing EDCs to recover executive compensation packages in rates which exceed comparable compensation packages in other states; and

7. Requires PURA to initiate a proceeding to consider the implementation of an interim rate decrease, low-income rate and economic development rates.

Details regarding how to submit testimony will be available soon.

 

 

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Submitted by Bethel, CT

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