From the Office of Congressman Eliot L. Engel: Con Ed Should Give Refunds
From the Office of Congressman Eliot L. Engel
Editor's note: Representative Eliot L. Engel represents the 16th Congressional District, which comprises the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including Bronxville.
Mar. 21, 2018: Congressman Eliot L. Engel is calling on Con Edison to do right by the thousands of customers who were “literally left in the dark” for days following the March 2-3 nor'easter known by some as Winter Storm Riley.
In a letter to ConEd Chairman John McAvoy several days after the storm, Engel called the utility company’s response “completely inadequate” and said refunds should be given to those who had been left without power for a prolonged period of time in the wake of the storm.
“I have participated in a number of ConEd conference calls over the last few days that have sounded remarkably similar to the ones that followed SuperStorm Sandy,” Engel wrote. “In both instances, ConEd provided little information and even less action.
“Hundreds of thousands of residents have been negatively impacted by the storm, and many are still without power nearly one week after the storm hit. After investing one billion dollars in upgrading, strengthening, and creating a more resilient system following Sandy, I am uncertain why ConEd has once again fallen short. This failure suggests that ConEd either did not follow the plan that was supposed to be put in place, or the plan itself, including upgrades to ConEd’s system, was woefully insufficient.”
The Congressman went on to write that in addition to poor power restoration, customers were also saddled with a flawed update system that often provided misleading or incorrect information. The Congressman is therefore calling on ConEd to provide customers who had been without power for more than 24 hours with a refund on their next utility bill.
“In addition, it is imperative that ConEd reevaluate and improve upon its response plan before the next major weather event, and I request that you report back to me when you have an updated plan,” Engel concluded.
Pictured here: Congressman Eliot L. Engel.
Photo courtesy Office of Congressman Eliot L. Engel
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