Following a disastrous two months for the state’s top electric utility, Jeffrey Butler has resigned as president and chief operating officer of Connecticut Light & Power.
Butler’s resignation is effective immediately. CL&P’s parent company – Hartford-based Northeast Utilities – will start a national search for his successor.
Butler was the lightning rod for much of the state’s frustrations following widespread, week-long power outages in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene in August and an early season snowstorm in October.
In a statement issued through NU on Friday, Butler asked the media to respect his privacy.
“In just two months the state of Connecticut has faced two historic storms and the most challenging restoration in CL&P’s history,” his statement said. “The employees responded to each event with dedication and resilience performing well under very difficult conditions. Â It is a performance I am proud of. Â And yet, from both storms, there are lessons to be learned.
“I believe CL&P will emerge even stronger from the review processes that are underway. Â However, I did not want my presence to be a distraction to that effort. I ask for the media to please respect my and my family’s privacy as we all move forward.”
James Muntz, NU president of transmission, will take over as interim CL&P president and chief operating officer. Muntz will answer directly to Lee Oliver, CL&P chief executive officer.
More than 750,000 CL&P customers lost power following Irene’s landfall on Aug. 28, and full restoration took nine days. More than 830,000 CL&P customers lost power following the Oct. 29 snowstorm, and full restoration took 12 days.
In both instances, CL&P seemed to have trouble getting enough work crews from other areas of the country to help with restoration. Meanwhile, Butler was left to address an angry public’s concerns in daily press conferences.
Northeast Utilities, meanwhile, continues the damage control from the storm. The Hartford utility giant, which has four electric and natural gas subsidiaries, is trying to convince Massachusetts officials to approve a $4.6 billion merger with Boston utility parent NStar.
NU already established a $10 million fund to cover customers’ losses during the storm.
CL&P on Thursday created a new position to lead emergency preparedness, which will be filled by William Quinlan, now the CL&P senior vice president for emergency preparedness. Quinlan previously had been appointed to a similar temporary position following Irene.
The company had moved its current vice president of asset strategy — Dana Louth — to the role of vice president of infrastructure hardening. In this role, Louth will answer directly to Quinlan and be responsible for making the utility’s infrastructure more resistant to weather-related events.
Following Butler’s resignation on Thursday, Charles Shivery — NU president and chief executive officer — announced the company has retained a consulting firm to evaluate CL&P’s preparedness and response to the storms. The findings will be presented by the first week of January.
The state of Connecticut is conducting an evaluation of its own into the storm response.
“Gov. Malloy made clear that he thought Northeast Utilities needed to address CL&P’s management issues, and it’s clear that process has begun. It’s also likely that there will be other changes on other fronts as a result of CL&P’s performance in the lead-up to and aftermath of the storm,” said Roy Ochiogrosso, senior advisor to Malloy, in a released statement.
Attorney General George Jepsen asked that this evaluation include an audit of CL&P’s management performance.
“I am pleased that the company has acted quickly with a reorganization of senior management and the hiring of a consulting firm to evaluate CL&P’s preparedness and response to these storms,” Jepsen said in a release statement. “These decisions by the company, however, do not eliminate the need for independent reviews of the company’s performance, currently underway by Witt Associates and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.”
