Customer frustration ran high during the holiday season and there were limited daylight hours to restore power, the CRT noted.Nonetheless, the review team identified a litany of shortcomings and made more than 100 recommendations for change.Another independent report, from the Michigan Public Service Commission, compared the BWL unfavorably to DTE Electric and Consumers Energy, two privately managed utilities with customers in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. Ice storm knocks out power, downs trees in Lansing area Updated Apr 03, 2019; Posted Dec 22, 2013 Trees glisten at the entrance to East Lansing condos on Grand River at Coolidge Road. "Everything we do costs money (and is) paid for by our customers," he said. severe weather events such as this are not uncommon in Michigan.
"The havoc unleashed by the ice storm was unprecedented in recent Lansing history, BWL leaders say. Dennis Louney, then the co-chair of BWL's Board of Commissioners, said the report lacked an analysis of management's actions.In the Dec. 11 interview, the State Journal asked Lark why he hadn't demanded a more substantive internal review. “During the ice storm of 2013 we had a few incidents that people were using improper and alternate heating methods for their homes like gas stoves and ovens which is not safe,” said Tobin. "We have complete confidence that Peter and the rest of the staff ... have done what they could to make sure that this city was safe and got the service back up," Sandra Zerkle, the board's longest-serving commissioner, said last Dec. 30, before service was fully restored and before the reviews had started.Asked if some commissioners expressed hope the uproar would blow over, Louney said yes. The post- storm reckoning was painful, but, as a result, the city-owned utility won't be inclined to repeat its mistakes, said David Price, who now chairs the board that oversees the BWL. "BWL commissioners rated his annual job performance as "commendable." "This is the worst storm that Consumers Energy has had during Christmas week in its 120 year history," says Palkovich. The BWL didn't communicate enough with Lansing city officials, and it communicated even less with officials from other communities, like Delta Township, the CRT found.Customers reported being in the dark, both figuratively and literally. Before the storm, he said, "We didn't know what we didn't know. Only 30% said their cash registers were busier.The gloom created by slow sales may carry over into the rest of the year.The Lansing Board of Water and Light released the findings of an internal review of its response to the storm last night. He says the three reports will provide a “road map” for BWL to be a more reliable energy provider.BWL’s general manager issued a statement saying the utility has “already begun implementing many of the improvements recommended by the MPSC.”The brutal winter weather is taking a toll on Michigan retailers.A major ice storm just before Christmas resulted in poor overall holiday season sales for many Michigan stores.The brutally cold January that followed was just as bad, according to a new report by the Michigan Retailers Association, which says 46% of retailers report their sales were down last month, compared to January 2013. DeShambo says the severe thunderstorm that visited East Lansing on July 8 of this year produced as much vegetative debris as that other historic weather event. "Baerren, the south Lansing customer, wants more from the board. Only two commissioners,"You sort of wanted to be congenial, to get along," Price said. Those meters can be read remotely, which will make it easier for the BWL to track outages and prioritize responding to the areas of greatest need.The BWL's response to outages was hamstrung, in part, due to the "insularity" of the company's senior leadership structure, the CRT found.