Albany - Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster, Dutchess), Chair of the Assembly Energy Committee, announced a hearing regarding the power outages that left hundreds of thousands of people in the Hudson Valley Region without power for prolonged periods after two severe storms in February. The hearing is set for Friday, April 23rd at 10 am at Ulster County Community College.

"The February storms left too many households without power for too long. Lives were put at risk and people deserve to know what can be done to prevent similar events in the future," said Assemblymember Cahill. "Winter storms are a fact of life in our region; our electric grid has to be able to withstand the stress they bring. It is critical that the State, utilities, local governments and emergency responders remain vigilant in preparing, coordinating and executing outage prevention and response plans."

This hearing will examine several issues, including:

• investigating what factors contributed to the severity and duration of the outages;
• whether the response was timely and adequate;
• whether the investor owned utilities charged with maintaining the integrity of the electric grid had proper plans and staffing in place;
• whether recommendations stemming from previous outages were implemented and if so, were they effective; and
• recommendations to reduce the possibility of future outages.

"Extreme weather events have become an increasingly common occurrence in our region. This necessary and helpful process will allow us to hear directly from the utility workers who risked their well being to get power restored so they can identify the resources they need to help do their jobs more safely and effectively in the future," said Assemblymember Cahill.

The Committee will hear testimony from representatives of the Public Service Commission, Consolidated Edison, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Central Hudson Gas and Electric, New York State Electric and Gas and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

"We are going to take a hard look at the factors that have contributed to the severity of these outages," said Assemblymember Cahill. "The events of this past February and the December 2008 ice storm brought to light several issues surrounding communication, utility staffing and coordination of outside crews brought in to assist in the response. I am very interested in hearing how the lessons learned will be applied to mitigate the impact of future storms."

The hearing will be held at SUNY Ulster, 491 Cottekill Road in Stone Ridge on Friday, April 23, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. It will be in the Howard St. John Seminar Room (CLI 118). For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford them access and admission to the hearing. If you need assistance or have any questions, contact Assemblymember Cahill's office at (845) 338-9610 or email him at cahillk@assembly.state.ny.us.

Click here to view a copy of the hearing notice: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Energy/20100414/