Utility bill would impose steep fines
An Andover lawmaker’s “terrifying” family experience during the Merrimack Valley gas disaster helped him shape a new piece of legislation setting guidelines for service restorations in the event of a gas utility outage and steep fines if they’re missed.
“It was a terrifying day for our family, and the following six weeks spent without heat were a challenge,” said Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover) of the evacuation from his home and law offices following the disaster.
“What my family experienced pales in comparison to what others in our community faced. A young man lost his life. Families spent months homeless and lost all their belongings. Small businesses are still grappling with the financial losses they suffered. This bill aims to ensure none of those things ever happen again.”
Finegold’s bill would make gas utilities subject to “reasonable” deadlines set by the state Department of Public Utilities in the event of an outage and fined up to $5 million a day if restoration targets aren’t met.
“This legislation would not only better prepare us for these emergencies going forward, it would also prevent many of these problems from ever happening in the first place,” Finegold said.
If gas companies miss the established deadline, they could be fined up to $2 million per day. If the outage is caused by broken or old infrastructure, utilities could be fined up to $5 million per day.
If a public utility company is unable to provide service to a customer for a period of 24 hours or more, the bill would require the company to credit all of the customer’s charges for the monthly billing period in which the service outage occurred.
Unitil and Eversource said the companies are still reviewing the legislation but that they look forward to working with lawmakers on the issue.
Columbia Gas, which operates the system that caused a series of explosions in the Merrimack Valley towns of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence last fall, said it was prepared to work with lawmakers.
“We are aware of this bill and many others related to natural gas companies,” said Columbia Gas spokesman Scott Ferson. “We look forward to continuing constructive discussions about these proposals with legislators, industry partners, and other stakeholders as we work together to enhance pipeline safety.”