CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The news from the Public Service Commission that New York State Electric and Gas is one of the worst-performing public utilities comes as no surprise to the customers who experienced the power outages.

NYSEG is too important of an entity for residents and businesses to be ranked as one of the worst in the state. But there are opportunities for NYSEG to improve, and the commission can have a hand in that process. During the takeover talks between NYSEG's parent company, Energy East, and Iberdrola, the commission did not mandate that NYSEG increase the number of people in its field staff. It wasn't as if the commission didn't know about the problem given that Tompkins County Legislator Frank Proto notified the state via letter about it during the winter months. There is an opportunity now for the commission to step in.

The commission has requested that NYSEG study its field crew, which has been cut by 10 percent and saw its funding decrease by 25 percent in the last five years. Most businesses are going through some type of restructuring as costs increase, but the key for a public utility such as NYSEG is to ensure its field crews are adequately staffed since they are literally on the front lines of providing power to thousands of customers in this region. It appears that the commission will have a chance after the field study is complete to mandate that NYSEG increase its field crews. That would probably help combat the main problem cited for the frequent outages: tree contact.

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