June 10, 2026 Assembly of Delegates Standing Committee on Telecommunications and Energy

The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates Standing Committee on Telecommunications and Energy convened on June 10, 2026, to discuss storm resiliency and power reliability issues in the county. Representatives from Eversource provided insights on grid reliability, outage-prone areas, and the challenges of targeting specific geographic locations for resilience improvements due to the variability of weather and infrastructure. The committee explored the possibility of focusing resilience programs, such as backup generators, on vulnerable populations who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment. Eversource also discussed existing programs for life support customers and the limitations of undergrounding power lines due to cost and infrastructure constraints. Additionally, the committee reviewed a financial analysis of a proposed loan program to support resilience measures, noting that while principal repayments could cover new loans over time, administrative costs were not fully accounted for and could pose challenges. Discussions included potential partnerships with local organizations to facilitate generator installation and financing, aiming to reduce shelter needs during outages. The committee requested detailed reliability data by town and information on life support customer criteria to better target future programs.