Rep. Maloney Reacts to East Side Manhole Fires, Power Woes

For Immediate Release                           Contact: Joe Soldevere, (212) 860-0606

August 3, 2006

Rep. Maloney Reacts to Manhole Fires,

Possible Blackouts on East Side

New York, NY - After learning of three manhole fires in east Midtown this morning, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) asked Con Ed CEO Kevin Burke what his company is doing to prevent a large-scale blackout on the East Side of Manhattan.  Maloney, who represents the East Side in Congress, expressed her concern that this situation has yet again exposed the vulnerability of New York's power grid.

"Hopefully, Con Ed will be able to prevent widespread outages on the East Side and head off another catastrophe," Maloney said.  "I'm sure Con Ed's workers are doing everything they can to avoid a disaster, but I want to make sure that Con Ed's management can locate the weak spots in the power grid and marshal the manpower, resources and generators necessary to deal with this situation.  Con Ed needs to be taking long-range steps to avoid future outages instead of simply reacting to problems as they occur. "

The full text of Maloney's letter follows.

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Joe Soldevere

Press Secretary

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)

Office:  (212) 860-0606

Mobile: (646) 831-1649

August 3, 2006

Mr. Kevin Burke

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Con Edison

4 Irving Place

New York, New York 10003

Dear Mr. Burke,

        I am troubled to learn that there is yet another risk of widespread power outage as a result of a fire in a manhole at 30th and 1st Avenue that knocked out three feeders that serve Manhattan from 14th through 40th Streets, from 5th Avenue eastward.  While I am pleased to have received an immediate call from your office to let me know of the trouble - certainly an improvement from the debacle last month in Western Queens, when my office was alerted to the problem by affected residents rather than by Con Edison - this situation makes clear the vulnerabilities in Con Edison's distribution system.

        My constituents are growing increasingly troubled by the obvious problems Con Edison is having in maintaining reliable power during this exceptionally hot summer.  Hundreds of businesses in my district have lost thousands of dollars that they will never recoup because of the power outage in Western Queens.  I am concerned that this latest incident indicates a broader problem throughout the distribution system.  Accordingly, I would like to know 1) Has Con Edison determined where its areas of greatest vulnerability are? If so, where are they and what is Con Edison doing to remedy the situation in the short and long term? If not, why not? 2) Does Con Edison have enough manpower and other resources to deal with the problem? If not, is Con Edison bringing in the people and equipment from the outside to address the problems both preventive and remedial?  3) Is Con Edison providing a sufficient number of generators to buildings and institutions that need assistance?

         As demand for energy increases, it is clear that Con Edison needs to be investing more in its distribution system so that a few hot summer days do not lead to chaos.  I look forward to your prompt attention to these concerns. 

                                         Very truly yours,

                                        CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                                        Member of Congress