LANSING – State Representative Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) released the following statement regarding the publication of the Community Review Team’s findings for the Lansing Board of Water and Light response to the December 2013 ice storm and power outage:
“I would like to thank the members of the community who volunteered their time to complete this thorough investigation. I believe their diverse backgrounds, both professionally and in the communities they represent, played an important role in the production of this report. I agree with the findings of the CRT that we should see geographical diversity reflected on the BWL Board of Commissioners. The communities who rely on BWL for utility service need to have their voice represented in the decision making process.
“One of the more troubling aspects revealed in the report is the discrepancy between what BWL management claims took place and what the records show occurred with their communication with the Emergency Operations Center. With an outage of this scale, the threat to public safety is very clear. Ensuring the wellbeing of the general public has to be the top priority. I will continue to monitor the BWL’s implementation of the recommendations found in this report. The final review to be completed by the Michigan Public Service Commission will be taken into consideration as legislators consider possible action.”