Attorney General Martha Coakley is scheduled to announce on Thursday that she will seek the penalties against the utility for violations during their response to Tropical Storm Irene and the surprise October snowstorm in Massachusetts.
02.17.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Attorney General Martha Coakley BOSTON (AP) — National Grid could be facing more than $16 million in fines connected to its response to two major power outages last year.
Attorney General Martha Coakley is scheduled to announce on Thursday that she will seek the penalties against the utility for violations during their response to Tropical Storm Irene and the surprise October snowstorm in Massachusetts.
Coakley's office said in an advisory announcing the news conference that the violations include "unacceptably low staffing levels" and the utility's failure to adequately communicate with municipal officials, first responders and customers.
Hundreds of thousands of customers of National Grid and other utilities lost power during the storms and some waited longer than a week for crews to restore their electricity.