ENGEL: MAKE FIRM PAY N.Y. FOR BLACKOUT
NY Post - November 20, 2003
The Ohio utility blamed in a government investigation for the gigantic August blackout should pay New Yorkers for their trouble, a Bronx congressman said yesterday.
The blackout - the nation's worst ever - began with three power-line failures in Ohio that should have been contained by operators at FirstEnergy Corp., said a report by a U.S.-Canadian task force.
It said the company's failure to properly trim trees along the lines "was the common cause" for the lines tripping.
The Aug. 14 outage hit 50 million people in eight states and Canada.
"FirstEnergy needs to be held accountable," said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The company should pay New York and other East Coast utilities "so those companies can reimburse their customers who sustained heavy losses," said Engel.
FirstEnergy had no immediate comment.
|
