Res. No. 1421

Resolution calling upon the New York State legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to require Consolidated Edison to cover the costs of wires downed or damaged by a storm that run from private homes to utility poles.

By Council Members Vallone, Holden and Adams

Whereas, Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) provides electricity to over three million customers in New York City and Westchester County and is the primary utility serving New York City residents throughout the five boroughs; and

Whereas, Con Edison maintains over 36,000 miles of overhead electrical wires in the New York area; and

Whereas, According to Con Edison’s website, they are responsible for repairing or replacing the service wire that runs from the street to a private home, however homeowners are responsible for clearing tree limbs downed on their property; and

Whereas, Homeowners are also responsible for the service bracket and all the hardware running from the connection point of the service wire attached to the house, including the weatherhead, entrance cable and standpipe, the drip loop and the meter pan; and

Whereas, In the event of a storm where any of this equipment is damaged, homeowners must hire an electrician to repair any of these items before power can be restored to a household; and

Whereas, Certain boroughs and neighborhoods in New York City are particularly susceptible to power outages, such as Queens and Staten Island, where the majority of power lines run above-ground, making them vulnerable to downed trees and storm damage; and

                     Whereas, In fact, during the most recent tropical storm, Isaias, which devastated areas of  New York City in early August 2020, residents of Queens and Staten Island were the hardest hit by power outages, with Queens having 73,000 customers without power and Staten Island having 36,000 customers with power outages; and

                     Whereas, Although Con Edison was able to restore power, there were certain homeowners that were delayed longer than others because they were not aware of their responsibility for repairing the service brackets and all the hardware running from the connection point of the service wire attached to the house; and

                     Whereas, Depending on what utilities need to be fixed or replaced by the homeowner, repairs can take longer if new parts need to be ordered and installed and may require multiple site visits to complete repairs; and

                     Whereas, These repairs can be costly to homeowners who may be already struggling financially; and

                     Whereas, Homeowners who sought to purchase generators for their homes in the event they lose power found that average sized generators appropriate to service a residential home are between 3,000 and 8,000 watts and can also be very costly; and

                     Whereas, A whole home generator system can cost up to $12,000 or more; and

                     Whereas, New Yorker’s utility bills are already high, affecting middle- and lower-income residents, as well as small businesses that rely on Con Edison for power; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to require Consolidated Edison to cover the costs of wires downed or damaged by a storm that run from private homes to utility poles.

PM

LS# 16044

09/11/2020