Public Hearing On JCP&L's Storm Response Coming Up In Byram

BYRAM, NJ — The first two of five promised hearings on how JCP&L handed the March nor'easters have been scheduled, and one is set to take place in Byram.

On Thursday, April 5 residents can voice their concerns at a meeting held by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to address the widespread outages following two back-to-back nor'easter in the first week of March. The series of meetings comes after Gov. Phil Murphy promised an investigation into utility companies' handing of the outages.

“We are moving aggressively forward with our investigation into the utilities’ storm response to the major storms we experienced earlier this month,” said BPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “Public input is an integral part of this investigation and I invite New Jersey residents affected by the recent outages to attend a hearing in their area.”

The Byram meeting will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Byram Intermediate School on April 5. A second meeting is scheduled for April 12 in Parsippany, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Parsippany Town Hall. Three other meetings will be held in Bergen County and in southern New Jersey at a later date.

For those who can't attend, writtten comments can be sent via email to board.secretary@bpu.nj.gov or in writing to Aida Camacho-Welch, Secretary of the Board, Board of Public Utilities, 44 South Clinton, Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 314, Post Office Box 350, Trenton, New Jersey, 08625-0350.

Thousands of residents in the Morris, Warren and Sussex County area were without power for over a week as two storms dumped nearly two feet of snow on the county. Many homes never regained power from the first storm before the second storm hit.

Murphy ordered a state review of the utility companies' handling of the back-to-back storms, and to see if they adhered to post-Sandy changes.

"We are going to examine what went wrong, and whether the plans for protecting and strengthening our grid devised post-Sandy have been followed statewide," he said at the time.

Murphy was also the subject of criticism for how he handled the first storm, with several North Jersey lawmakers calling on him to declare a state of emergency after the first storm. He eventually declared one in anticipation of the second storm.

JCP&L defended their handling of the storms, however, saying the intensity of the winds and amount of snow make it impossible to move any faster.

"These back-to-back nor'easters packed a devastating punch to the electric system that far surpassed a normal snowstorm, particularly in the heavily forested area of [northern New Jersey]. The high winds and large accumulations of heavy, wet snow created road closures, treacherous conditions and extensive tree and equipment damage," the company said.

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