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Hearings To Examine Tropical Storm Irene Power Response

BOSTON (CBS/AP) - Massachusetts residents who were left in the dark for days after Tropical Storm Irene will have a chance to voice their opinions on the performances of the state's two largest utilities.

The Department of Public Utilities announced Wednesday it will hold public hearings around the state to examine how National Grid and NSTAR prepared for the arrival of Irene and how they went about restoring power to hundreds of thousands of customers after the Aug. 28 storm. It took about a week before all customers were back on line, and some communities complained about receiving little or no information about restoration efforts.

The companies have defended their response, saying crews worked around the clock.

The first hearing will be Oct. 25 in Quincy, with others scheduled in Southborough, Attleboro, Brockton, Plymouth, Barnstable, New Bedford and Framingham.

Full schedule of hearings:

National Grid

  • Tuesday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. - Quincy High School, 100 Coddington St., Quincy
  • Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. - Trottier Middle School, 49 Parkerville Road, Southborough
  • Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m. - Attleboro High School, 100 Rathbun Willard Drive, Attleboro
  • Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. - Massasoit Community College, Conference Center, Route 27, Crescent St., Brockton

NStar

  • Thursday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. - Plymouth South High School, 490 Long Pond Road, Plymouth
  • Thursday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. - Barnstable High School, Performing Arts Center, Barnstable
  • Monday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. - Keith Middle School, 225 Hathaway Blvd., New Bedford
  • Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. - Walsh Middle School, 301 Brook Street, Auditorium, Framingham

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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