From the Queens Courier:If a Sandy-esque storm were to come in the future, power company Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) wants to be prepared.
The electric company recently submitted plans that detail major investments to protect “critical equipment and customers from devastating storms” like Sandy, according to a Con Ed statement.
Long-term projects such as putting flood-proof equipment in low-lying areas, building higher flood walls around facilities, reinforcing overhead equipment and putting overhead lines underground to limit outages were proposed so that in the case that the Greater New York area is struck by another storm, Con Ed customers will be that much more protected.
However, the plans do not come without a price, and Con Ed estimates that price to be about $1 billion, which could be acquired through 2016, partly through federal funding. Also, Con Ed itself has committed $250 million to spend this year and next year on storm protection measures.
To provide the remaining initial funding for this storm-protection effort, Con Ed proposed one-year delivery rates for electric, gas and steam services. This would raise a Con Ed customer’s electric bill only by 3.3 percent and gas by 1.3 percent. Due to fuel cost saving efforts, steam bills would decrease.
7 comments:
There go our utility bills climbing up to the sky!
let me get this all straight in my head.
Con-job Edison is going to have to waterproof utilities in flood zones, and I'm going to have to pay for these yuppies' power grid safeguards.
FU IN SPADES! Tax the NYC flood zone residents!
Let the hipsters pay for their own folly of living along the waterfront.
Why should we subsidize them?
I read this crap, after reading that ConEd had been planning a rate increase request before Sandy, but held off due to concerns about the storm. Concern? No, they recognized an opportunity to re-package the increase as "looking out for the consumer. We were without power for weeks - yet my last "level payment" (at $133/mo) bill for the year showed a $600+ deficiency - one that was not showing in September. I've spoken to several people, and they were also hit with larger than normal charges for a month when they mostly had no power at all. WTF?!?! THEN I found out that people who have solar power systems and live entirely off the grid are still charged a monthyl fee... there is something very, very wrong here. Oh well. At least it's not LIPA.
The flood zones are not only inhabited by yuppies and hipsters. Businesses, schools, government buildings, family homes, and public housing are also affected. These were in place long before the more recent waterfront development.
Every one is frustrated with the devastation of Sandy. This was an unprecedented storm that the city, unfortunately, was ill-prepared for. And frankly, there weren't many (if any) pols who were pushing for reinforced and protected infrastructure.
The question is: how do we prevent future damage without crippling our residents with higher taxes and utility fees? Unfortunately most of us will feel the pain of costs passed along to us. Do we do nothing? Just taxing the people and businesses who live in flood zones may not produce enough revenue.
There's no easy answer.
Con Ed is short circuiting us again!
Let's release Brian Mc Laughlin from prison .
Ain't he a 'lectrician? He might have some good ideas.
Let's release Brian Mc Laughlin from prison .
Ain't he a 'lectrician? He might have some good ideas.
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