Llodra Plans PURA Press Conference

On Utility Issues, Meeting With Malloy

By John Voket

Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra told The Bee this week that she plans to stand with community leaders from Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton at a press conference on the steps of the state’s utility regulatory agency November 23, calling for agency commissioners to consider returning to a regulated environment for utilities, including Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P).

Mrs Llodra will also join these and possibly other regional town officials for a promised meeting with Governor Dannel Malloy to address storm preparedness along with addressing specific concerns she plans on presenting to the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA).

“I joined with colleagues from Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton in a direct request to PURA that the authority use its power and execute its responsibility to provide more effective controls and oversight for CL&P,” Mrs Llodra said. “We appreciate and support the efforts of the governor to conduct hearings and special investigations of CL&P’s performance in the recent two major storms. However, we are pressed by a sense of urgency that demands quick action and are calling upon the regulatory agency to ramp up its role and exercise its power to move the needed improvements as soon as possible.”

Mrs Llodra said the meeting with the governor will be set in the coming days, and that she will specifically seek Gov Malloy’s support so Newtown “will be poised to deal with events” like the tropical storm in early September and the more recent October snow event.

The back-to-back weather emergencies put local government services, residents, and businesses under tremendous strain, causing some to be without power for well over two weeks combined between the two storms, which hit almost exactly two months apart.

Mrs Llodra said the plan to seek an audience with the Gov Malloy is being supported by Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi and other Fairfield County leaders. The group of officials also plan to appeal to the legislature through the governor to address initiating new regulatory powers over state utilities.

“We’re hoping for changes to help us control the work of CL&P,” Mrs Llodra said. “We cannot and should not delay.”

Leaders from several other Connecticut cities and towns began relating how recent utility outages caused by the snowstorm and the remnants of Hurricane Irene affected their municipalities this week to Gov Malloy’s so-called “Two Storm Committee” that met November 15 to continue its review of the preparedness, response, and recovery efforts following those two weather-related emergencies.

Officials from CL&P and The United Illuminating Co. were among speakers at Tuesday’s meeting. Representatives from AT&T and Verizon Wireless were also expected, along with mayors and first selectmen, according to an Associated Press bulletin.

At its peak, more than 830,000 CL&P businesses and homes were out of power following the freak October snowstorm. It took more than a week to restore electricity to some communities, including thousands who lost power in Newtown.

An outline of the concerns and ideas scheduled to be presented to PURA commissioners was dispatched to the utility authority by courier November 16. Mrs Llodra said the press conference is set for November 23 at the PURA headquarters at 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, prior to a 9:30 am PURA hearing.