LPSC commissioner gives update on power restoration efforts
Foster Campbell said that majority of power for AEP-SWEPCO customers should be restored this weekend. Power outages (Source: KSLA) By Alex Onken | February 18, 2021 at 12:26 PM CST - Updated February 18 at 8:20 PM
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA (KSLA) - Linemen and other crews from across the country have traveled to Northwest Louisiana in an effort to restore power. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell
Breaking down the outage numbers as of 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, 4,000 businesses and homes are powerless in Shreveport. South of the city, in the valley electric area (Natchitoches, Red River) there are 19,000 without power.
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell has asked the LPSC to investigate the HomeServe home-warranty program promoted to thousands of SWEPCO and CenterPoint Energy customers as insurance against failure of customer-owned electric and gas equipment. The monopoly SWEPCO electric and CenterPoint natural-gas utilities serving much of North Louisiana began marketing HomeServe warranty service to their customers earlier this year.
“We owe it to the people we serve to look at this,” Campbell said during the LPSC’s monthly meeting, held Wednesday by teleconference because of the Coronavirus. I think SWEPCO and CenterPoint should be in the utility business, not the insurance business.” In his argument Campbell cited a 1991 LPSC order prohibiting utilities from “directly engaging in the sale, installation or service of any type of residential equipment or appliance.”