Officials Want Military to Take Over Power Restoration on Long Island

NBC 4 New York ^ | Nov 9, 2012 | Greg Cergol

[george76]

Some officials are calling for the U.S. military to take over the managerial structure of the Long Island Power Authority until power is restored on Long Island, where more than a quarter million homes and businesses are still in the dark after Sandy and a snowstorm.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and U.S. Rep. Peter King will ask the federal government for help, a spokesman for King tells NBC 4 New York.

...

LIPA was warned as long ago as 2006 that it was not prepared to handle a major storm, that it badly needed to replace outdated technology and did not keep up with critical maintenance.

Among the issues the utility was warned about include a 25-year-old computer system not capable of tracking outages, and failures to keep up with basic tasks like replacing rotting poles and trimming trees near power lines, the paper said.

Newsday said a reporter on Thursday visited the Hicksville headquarters of National Grid, which is the company contracted by LIPA to oversee operations, and found engineers tracking outages with highlighters and paper maps.

[skeeter]

US News media: Katrina? Whats a Katrina?

[USNBandit]

So local government and the levy boards failed in Katrina. Here we have the public utilities falling on there face. Must be Bush’s fault.

[George from New England]

Official to soldier:

Here, give me your gun and take this ladder ... now go to work.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I’m sure our Army Reserve can swing into action with what equipment ? Knowledge of power lines ?

[dfwgator]

But it’s now a “Global Force for Good” don’cha know.

[Teacher317]

The officials simply want a scapegoat to blame

[Ingtar]

Will the military have to join the union as well?

[TurboZamboni]

Bloomberg would have to disarm them first and store their weapons at the UN.

[Above My Pay Grade]

>>>Will the military have to join the union as well?<<<

Nah, they’ll just have to pay union dues.

[upstatenyrepublican]

Let them call MSNBC Chris Matthews and have him go on TV and call Obama for help.....maybe Valerie Jarrett will answer the phone. Maybe Cher or the Pimp with a Limp will intervene for them.

[ravenwolf]

Some officials are calling for the U.S. military to take over the managerial structure of the Long Island Power Authority until power is restored on Long Island, where more than a quarter million homes and businesses are still in the dark after Sandy and a snowstorm.

---

I can see that those people have a problem, but there is a bigger problem and it is in washington, what we need is for the military to take charge there.

[LRoggy]

All NY Obama Voters:

Sing after me,

Katrina my Lord, Katrina . . .

Still turning away the non-union electrical crews??

[DManA]

The unions would raise hell.

[cbvanb]

My attitude these days is, they voted for Obama, let Obama save them. There is nothing the military can do about outdated infrastructure anyway. What fools!

[SargeK]

"LIPA was warned as long ago as 2006 that it was not prepared to handle a major storm, that it badly needed to replace outdated technology and did not keep up with critical maintenance."

What happened to 'shovel ready'? What happened to the trillion dollars of Porkulus? What, this project wasn't ripe for stimu-cash?

I'd love to cast Obama in the role of The Dude. "Where's the money, Lebowski?" Now there's a remake I could get into.

[FightforFreedomCA]

My attitude these days is, they voted for Obama, let Obama save them. There is nothing the military can do about outdated infrastructure anyway. What fools!

Yup! +1

[duckman]

Military needed to fight off IBEW, that are fighting ‘scabs’ from other states?

[T-Bird45]

My attitude these days is, they voted for Obama, let Obama save them. There is nothing the military can do about outdated infrastructure anyway. What fools!

The 2012 version of 80s classic "Let the bastards freeze to death in the dark!"

[WVKayaker]