DELAURO ON STATE STORM REPORT

New Haven, CT— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement today in response to the report from Witt Associates on the utility companies' response to the October snowstorm.

"This report is a good first step towards understanding the response by Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating to the devastating snowstorm in late October. Nearly a million Connecticut residents were without power, and left for over a week in freezing temperatures without help. During that time, Connecticut Light & Power struggled to provide information to the public and did not meet self-imposed deadlines for power restoration.

"Residents were literally left in the dark as Connecticut Light & Power failed to fulfill their responsibilities to their customers, even as the lights were coming back on throughout the other New England states affected by this storm. That is why I, along with my Congressional colleagues, have called for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to investigate if Connecticut Light & Power and its parent company, Northeast Utilities, violated the Federal Power Act and I look forward to their findings.

"Winter storms are a fact of life in Connecticut, but we must ensure that the response to future storms and any power outages is significantly improved."