Politics & Government

NJ Utility Board Holds Hearings on Sandy Outages

Public utilities customers statewide will be given a direct channel to discuss their concerns about outages during the storm. The first hearings begin Monday in Basking Ridge.

Much of New Jersey was spared the storm surge from Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy that destroyed so much of the shore areas. But for those who missed that part of the hurricane, the next worst thing that happened was the loss of electric power.

In Collingswood, some folks waited an uncomfortably long amount of time for the lights to come back on. Now the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) wants to know what consumers think about how their local electric utilities handled the hurricane.

NJBPU is seeking public input in a series of public forums throughout the state. The first two hearings, which will be held in Basking Ridge Dec. 10 and 12, will focus on the performance of Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L). Another involving the Rockland Electric Company is scheduled for Dec. 18, in Ramsey.

Find out what's happening in Collingswoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

These are just the beginnings of hearings that will held statewide, according to an NJBPU press release. Other power companies, such as PSE&G, the dominant supplier in Camden County, are expected to have a turn to face the public as well, but "details on those hearing will be released when the hearing dates and locations are finalized," according to the statement.

In its wrap-up e-mail to customers last month, PSE&G provided some stats on the outages from Sandy, during which 1.7 million of its customers were without power for some portion of a two-week period.

Find out what's happening in Collingswoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We restored power to more customers than in any other storm in our history— or in the history of any utility in the country," the statement read.

(See the PDF attached to this story for details).


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here