The Long Island Power Authority – LIPA - was established in 1986 to replace the the failed private Long Island Lighting Company. LIPA is nominally a public utility, but it has always contracted out its operations to third parties.
In 2014 LIPA hired a branch of PSEG - Public Service Electric and Gas, a New Jersey private utility – to operate the Long Island utility grid.
Recently,
widespread power outages during Tropical Storm Isaias left hundreds of
thousands of ratepayers without power. The debacle led to a call for a
re-organization of the Long Island utility.
New
York Assemblyman Fred Thiele represents the first district on eastern
Long Island. He’s has long been vocal in his support of establishing a
new fully public utility to operate the Long Island grid. To that end,
he sponsored several bills that were enacted in the previous legislative
session, including one establishing a Legislative commission on the
future of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which he chairs.
Its
goal, according to the commission’s website, is “to develop and present
to the legislature an action plan for implementing a true public power
model for residents of Long Island and the Rockaways. This means LIPA
would directly provide electric service to the more than three million
residents and thousands of businesses in its service area without
contracting out that responsibility to an investor-owned, for-profit
utility.”
The
bipartisan commission is currently holding public hearings and has
formed an advisory committee of resident stakeholders. It hopes to be
ready to transition LIPA to a true public utility when the current
contract with PSEG-LI is up in 2025. Reimagine LIPA, A coalition of
grassroots groups, is supporting that transition.
Host Francesca Rheannon talked with Mr. Thiele last
week.
Listen here
Here is more information about Reimagine LIPA
Newsday looks at pros and con's of public power
Commision must take a fair look at future of LIPA
