From the Foxborough Board of Selectmen:
We the undersigned are National Grid customers, have experienced two recent and significant power outages lasting up to five days each, and are extremely frustrated with National Grid’s lack of responsibility for ongoing maintenance of their infrastructure (mechanics as well as tree maintenance) and their inadequate and dismal customer service during the power outages.
As these outages were not experienced in major cities or other areas outside southeastern Massachusetts, we want you to know what we experienced and how you can help hold National Grid accountable. We have provided a link to a short Foxborough public hearing video (put in here) which describes the hardship caused by these outages and the general lack of responsibility from National Grid.
As members of the Massachusetts Legislature, we seek your help. We have the support of our State Representative F. Jay Barrows and our State Senator James Timility. We ask you to do the following:
1. Watch the brief video link and contact Representative Barrows or Senator Timility with any questions or your commitment for support.
2. Notify the Department of Utilities that you do not accept the excuses by National Grid and want them held accountable, fined, and requirement to reimburse owners for their losses in food and other costs.
3. Require the Department of Utilities solicit an independent study of the National Grid’s Union Loop as to its effectiveness to provide electricity to a vast number of customers without a redundant feed allowing massive outages rather than isolated outages during emergencies.
4. Require the Department of Utilities to immediately undertake a review of National Grids ongoing maintenance programs, including tree trimming and require them to fund them appropriately. A complete review of their customer service should also be conducted as they never returned calls to the disabled or critical I’ll on life support who were promised call backs.
5. Support legislation ( Specifically Bill 869) that would allow communities to elect a municipal electric company at a fair and independent price.
National Grid is a monopoly, owned by a corporation based outside the United States, and must be held to a higher standard. That will never happen without your help.
Thank you for your support.
Foxborough Board of Selectmen
Why hasn’t the entire BOS signed?