Thursday, April 25, 2013
Final hearing on a 4.1 percent increase for state's second largest utility.
The sixth and final hearing on a request for a rate increase by the state’s second largest utility company met with a mix of praise and criticism for Jersey Central Power & Light Wednesday at Freehold Township’s Town Hall. JCP&L, fresh off widespread criticism for its handling of superstorm Sandy and the nor’easter that followed, is seeking a 4.1 percent increase in the rates it charges its 1.1 million customers – many of whom were without power for up to two weeks after this winter’s storms. The Morristown-based company is seeking to recoup the $630 million it spent on repairs following Sandy. It has petitioned the state regulatory board — the Board of Public Utilities — which has held hearings throughout JCP&L’s coverage area since the …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Public hearings on proposed increase planned in Freehold Wednesday.
The Somerset County freeholders are unanimously opposed to JCP&L's request for a $31 million rate increase. The board approved a resolution at its Tuesday meeting that says the hike isn't justified "due to JCP&L’s failure to properly respond to outages caused by Hurricane Sandy and Irene, along with the [2011] Halloween Blizzard and other storms, resulting in Somerset County residents being frustrated and dismayed by JCP&L’s poor communication and its overall lack of leadership and supervision of repair efforts that led to unnecessary delays and long response time.” The state Board of Public Utilities will hold a pair of public hearings at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. today in Freehold, during which Assemblywomen Amy Handlin and Caroline …
Friday, April 5, 2013
They say the use of smartphones would have been a big help during the storm.
Communication was the key element missing in the days following Superstorm Sandy, residents said at a meeting with JCP&L executives Friday. Bridgewater resident Neha Limaye Pallod—who arranged the meeting and was joined by a few members of a statewide Facebook group she started to make JCP&L answer for its response to power outages in November—said the lack of information on a street level is where the system was truly flawed. Pallod and other residents met with JCP&L officials at their Morristown headquarters, and she said many made recommendations about how to fix communication for the future. Click here to read our Cover-It-Live story of live tweets from the meeting. “Calls are not getting logged correctly,” she said. “Reporting outages…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
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Thursday, April 4
Bridgewater resident Neha Pallod Limaye arranged a meeting Friday with JCP&L officials and residents around the state to discuss the power company's response to widespread power outages from Superstorm Sandy. Following the storm, and weeks waiting for power to return, Limaye created a Facebook page for those who want JCP&L to answer for their response to the outages. She later arranged a meeting with officials for residents in that group, and planned to bring questions they had raised about how the company prepared for the storm and how it will prepare in the future. The meeting is being held Friday from 10 a.m. to noon in JCP&L's headquarters in Morristown. Limaye is live tweeting the meeting, and you can follow along with her tweets in …
Monday, April 1, 2013
A meeting will be held with company executives Friday at their Morristown headquarters.
With the hope of getting answers about JCP&L's poor response in the restoration of power for customers in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Bridgewater resident Neha Pallod Limaye has scheduled a meeting with officials at the company's Morristown headquarters. The meeting will be held Friday from 10 a.m. to noon for anyone interested in speaking to JCP&L officials about their response, or lack thereof, following the hurricane, and their plans for change in the future. Limaye initially started a petition to get JCP&L out of Bridgewater about a week after the hurricane, and also created a Facebook group to bring together people from across the state who were disappointed by the performance of the power company following Superstorm Sandy. The …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Downloadable app comes after customers demand better communication following Superstorm Sandy.
The parent company of Jersey Central Power and Light is touting its new mobile phone app, which the company says could be helpful during times of power outages. The app launched by FirstEnergy Corp. is free for its customers in the five states the company's utilities serve, and offers quicker access to outage maps, simplified reporting of outages, and access to personal account information. “Our new smartphone app and mobile website make it easier for our customers to stay in touch with us and conduct every-day transactions when they’re on the go, whether it’s reporting a power outage or paying a bill,” Ronald I. Green, vice president of Customer Service, said. “The new tools also make our simple and secure online bill payment programs …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
App to launch sometime in January, according to press release.
Following several major storms in about a year—including two powerful near-hurricanes—Jersey Central Power & Light has, fairly or not, suffered some pretty harsh criticism from both customers and municipalities. On Thursday, the utility announced a series of new operational practices that, according to a press release, "will provide additional information to municipal officials about power outage restoration efforts during significant storm events." The JCP&L enhancements will include, according to the press release: Providing municipalities with maps showing electrical circuit routes in their communities; locating JCP&L municipal liaisons in company field offices to maintain contact with local officials; hosting targeted teleconference …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
In total, 223 new vehicles are being purchased for the utility, according to press release.
More than $27 million in new vehicles is being invested by JCP&L, according to a news release. The vehicles will be for line crews and "other front-line employees across its service territory," according to the release issued Dec. 20. In total, 223 new vehicles are being purchased for the utility, more than half of which will be bucket and "digger derrick" trucks that will "help employees perform their field work efficiently while also protecting workers’ safety," according to the release. The addition of the new trucks brings the total number of vehicles in the JCP&L fleet to 1,350, according to the release. “The new trucks contain advanced technology that includes enhanced hydraulics to better handle heavy materials and more robust …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Officials, residents raise concerns at third BPU hearing about utility company's storm response.
Nearly two months after Hurricane Sandy pummeled through the Northeast, the frustration about the communication from state officials and power companies in the storm aftermath is still a major discussion among members of the public. The quality and accuracy of the information flow was the key subject brought up at the Board of Public Utilities third public hearing at Hopatcong Middle School Tuesday night. More than 60 people, including local officials and residents from Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties, attended the meeting where over a dozen people commented and raised concerns to BPU and JCP&L officials about the state's preparedness and response after the storm that left millions across the state without power for days and some for …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
BPU holds hearing from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hopatcong Middle School.
Nearly two months after Superstorm Sandy, residents will have the chance to tell state officials first-hand their concerns and suggestions for the storm response and what it was like to survive without power for days. The Board of Public Utilities will hold a public hearing on Tuesday at Hopatcong Middle School from 4 to 7 p.m. to hear input from residents all over the region about what the experience in the aftermath of Sandy was like. "We hope that residents are able to give us as much information as they have," said Greg Reinert, a spokesman for BPU. "What their experiences were, what did they experience as far as the outage, whether it was a line down or what information did they get regarding the outage, what information they weren't …
sally lauren
5:29 am on Sunday, April 28, 2013
@Ed Ramirez - I can barely afford to have electricity now! I am very conservative with usage! 7 watt night lights illuminate the rooms - lights are used sparingly and turned off when leaving an area- yet my cost well outweighs my usage! JCP&L's infrastructure is obsolete! As defined in wikipedia - "infrastructure is technical structures that support a society - electrical grids, … more ›