Senate Republicans State House P.O. Box 099 Trenton, NJ 08625 Phone: (609) 847-3600 Fax: (609) 984-8148 Senatenj.com

August 7, 2020 Joseph L. Fiordaliso President Board of Public Utilities 44 S Clinton Ave. Trenton, NJ 08625

Dear President Fiordaliso,

As you are well aware, New Jersey was recently hit by Tropical Storm Isaias. While the storm initially knocked out power to nearly 1.5 million residents, it is our understanding that days later, hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans are still without power. This is one of several storms over the past several years that has caused widespread power outages and wreckage throughout the state.

We commend the hardworking men and women who have come from all over to help New Jersey rebuild after this storm. We appreciate the efforts of everyone working night and day to bring power back to the hundreds of thousands of homes still without power, but we must do more. We must demand accountability from the utility companies, and ensure that plans are put in place to prevent mass power outages like this from occurring in the future.

We write to ask you and the entire Board of Public Utilities to take swift action to require utility companies in the state to create emergency response plans to ensure a fast and effective response to storms. Further, it is critical that utilities begin to take proactive actions that will help prevent any disruption in service in the first place. Finally, we ask that you require the implementation of emergency communications plans so the residents of New Jersey are informed of power outages, updates, and other critical information in a timely manner.

Again, we are extremely grateful for the hard work of those who are out on the frontline restoring power to residents. We realize we are all working toward ensuring the safety and health of our fellow residents, which is why we believe it is so important to demand accountability and responsiveness from the utilities operating in the state.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Joe Pennacchio Thomas Kean Kristin Corrado Whip Leader Conference Leader

Kip Bateman Robert Singer Chris Brown Deputy Whip Deputy Leader Deputy Conference Leader

Anthony M. Bucco Steven Oroho Senator – District 25 Budget Officer Senator – District 39

Christopher Connors Michael Doherty James Holzapfel Senator – District 9 Senator – District 23 Senator – District 10

Declan O’Scanlon Michael Testa Samuel Thompson Senator – District 13 Senator – District 1 Senator – District 12