Dive Summary:

• After a series of 2011 New Jersey storms that saw widespread power outages, Governor Chris Christie unveiled a bill that will increase penalties on utilities that respond poorly to storm events and emergencies.
• The Governor’s Reliability, Preparedness and Storm Response Act of 2012 outlines detailed service delivery and communications plans utility companies must follow.
• The civil administrative penalties, currently at a maximum daily payment of $100, will increase to $25,000 with a maximum of $2 million in penalties for any series of violations related to one event; public utilities would also be barred from passing the cost of the penalties to their customers.

From the article:

Gov. Chris Christie has unveiled a bill that will increase penalties on utility companies that respond poorly to storm events and emergencies. The action comes after storms of 2011 led to widespread power outages, with several areas of the state remaining in the dark for weeks.

The bill – dubbed the Governor’s Reliability, Preparedness and Storm Response Act of 2012 – spells out out detailed service delivery and communications plans utility companies must follow, Christie said Wednesday at press conference in Trenton. ...