Utility Deserves Hard Look
If there’s one person that can put all of us in our place it’s Mother Nature.
That was certainly the case last month when the Dec. 11 ice storm ravaged Central Massachusetts, leaving thousands without power for days.
Families and children were left to scramble for 10, 12 or more days, staying in hotels or with friends. Schools shut down for an extended vacation, thrilling children, while wreaking havoc for parents and their schedules.
The most obvious lesson of the ice storm of 2008 is that we are all vulnerable to the whims of the weather. No matter how many gadgets we gather to make our lives more efficient, we are still tied to electric current. When the lights go out, we are helpless.
And that’s why it’s so important that our region’s utility companies are held accountable when they fall down on the job.
Localized Pain
Unfortunately, such is the case for Unitil, which struggled day after excruciating day to restore power to the towns in Central Massachusetts that it serves, including Townsend, Lunenburg, Ashby and Fitchburg.
And we can understand completely why about 280 frustrated residents of Lunenburg signed a petition to remove the utility as its electricity provider, echoing similar calls from other towns, including Townsend.
The biggest complaint from Unitil’s local customers is the duration of the outage, especially compared with other nearby areas that were serviced by National Grid. But beyond that, many residents complained of the complete lack of communication from the company. Unitil’s customer service, it seems, fell apart completely when faced with such an enormous disaster.
That’s why we support Gov. Deval Patrick’s call to have state regulators investigate why Unitil was incapable not only of communicating but of doing its job: restoring power to cold residents.
There’s a reason why utilities were established: to protect the interests of the public. Electricity was deemed such vital part of infrastructure that it was put under the regulation of the state. And the state’s Department of Public Utility is charged with regulating electric utilities not only to set rates but also to monitor quality. We are a society and an economy dependent on electricity. Without it, we are helpless.
The DPU and the governor’s office need to do a thorough review of Unitil’s response to the storm and analyze what went wrong. Tough questions need to be answered, including whether such a small company can provide adequate service in today’s world.
Unitil, which is based in New Hampshire, has about 9,400 electricity customers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. That’s an insignificant number compared to National Grid’s 3.4 million U.S. customers. Perhaps the issue of scale has finally caught up with Unitil, which for years has infuriated North Central customers who claim they are paying higher rates for poorer service.
The ice storm also shows that Unitil failed to have the proper disaster plans in place. By the time it brought in additional crews to restore power lines it was way too late.
If nothing else comes out of a long overdue state investigation into Unitil’s practices, it should be that Unitil is required to have a highly detailed disaster plan, complete with a communication process and proof it has the financial wherewithal to respond to disasters and complete routine and necessary maintenance.
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