National Grid Agrees to $1.2 Million Settlement for 2010 Winter Storm

Residents of Massachusetts expect harsh weather conditions during the wintermonths. Most simply think of it as part of living in the chilly northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, on December 26, 2010, one of the largest power companies in the Northeast, National Grid, did not expect to receive - and was not prepared to receive - a truly significant winter storm in their service area.

One such storm did occur, however, and left more than 110,000 Massachusetts residents without power for an extended period of time. The storm also resulted in hundreds of downed wires, threatening public safety. Due to National Grid's initial miscalculation of the storm's expected impact, the company's response to the storm's aftermath and to its millions of powerless customers was significantly delayed.

As a result of this severe winter storm, which crippled much of Massachusetts on December 26 and several days afterwards, National Grid has agreed to a $1.2 million

settlement for its customers. This is in addition to $1 million National Grid allocated in June 2011 for training and service improvements, as well as for charitable contributions.

Much of the training funds have been set aside for police and firefighters in the affected Massachusetts towns, preparing these community leaders for a variety of emergency responses, including the necessary knowledge and safety precautions required for dealing with downed wires. According to the settlement, consumers will not be responsible for the costs to National Grid Massachusetts that resulted from the 2010 winter storm.

National Grid provides electric and gas service to millions of Americans in the Northeast, including residents and business-owners throughout New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. The company's leaders hope this settlement will benefit their customers, restore a positive public image, lead to improvements in National Grid's internal and external communications, improve storm response and public safety, and prevent similar mishaps in the future.