Utility Companies Facing More Accountability After Fall Outages

It started on Aug. 27 when area causing power outages that lasted several days for some. Then, just two months later,, canceling school and .

But now, nearly a year after it all started, the about their "lack of response" will be facing the consequences.

Last week, Attorney General Martha Coakley's office filed a brief with the Department of Public Utilities, and made a recommendation for the DPU to impose a fine of $16 million on National Grid according to the Worcester Business Journal.

Yesterday, on the last day of their session, the legislature passed a bill that would increase the responsibility of the electric companies to the ratepayers.

“We all understand that storms can knock out power, but this bill holds utility companies accountable for restoring this vital infrastructure which is so critical to our safety, quality of life and economy,” Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) said in a statement.

The bipartisan bill requires public utility companies to provide three-times-daily estimates to customers about when electricity will be restored following a 24-hour damage assessment period and requires companies to set up a call center that has sufficient staffing to handle calls during major storms.

It also specifies that that any fines imposed by the DPU would be distributed to the ratepayers as opposed to becoming part of the state's general fund as they are now.

The bill has been passed on to Governor Deval Patrick and the fines are being reviewed by the DPU.