Kucinich: FirstEnergy Has A Long History Of Mismanagement
The following is a press release from August 18, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress
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Kucinich: FirstEnergy Has A Long History Of Mismanagement
If press accounts are accurate and FirstEnergy transmission lines are to blame for the worst blackout in North American history, it would not be the first example of mismanagement at the company, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) stated today.
"FirstEnergy has a long history of mismanagement, and if press accounts are accurate and last week's massive blackout was triggered by a failure of FirstEnergy's power lines, serious questions have to be raised about FirstEnergy’s ability to effectively serve the residents of Northeast Ohio.
"It is because of mismanagement and multiple violations of federal regulations that in February I filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to revoke FirstEnergy’s operating license for the Davis Besse Nuclear Power plant.
"The petition pointed to several problems that could serve as valuable clues into what led to last week’s blackout. For example, the petition highlighted a motivation at FirstEnergy to put profit above public safety. The nuclear plant suffered from reduced oversight by the plant management and the NRC and a lack of proper maintenance. FirstEnergy allowed conditions at the plant to deteriorate to the point that a football size hole was found in the reactor head. These conditions, which put the public at grave risk, were due to a desire to increase profits by cutting costs.
"These systemic problems with FirstEnergy are common in many electrical companies post deregulation. While FirstEnergy may not be alone, its past history, combined with what appears to be another management failure, makes it a prime example of the complete failure of deregulation.
"It is clear that FirstEnergy's past failures provided early warning signs of the problems that could have attributed to last week's disaster. In the weeks to come many questions will have to be answered. I call on FirstEnergy to be honest, open and forthcoming with federal investigators. To do otherwise would violate their commitment to serve the public."
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