U.S. Rep. Van Epps demands answers from NES
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U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps demanded answers from the Nashville Electric Service about the agency's preparedness and immediate response to January's devastating ice storm.
Why it matters: Van Epps, who was elected to Congress in December, represents a large swath of Nashville, including the hard-hit western portion of the city.
- He joins a bipartisan sweep of elected officials calling for information.
Driving the news: Van Epps sent separate letters to NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin and Mayor Freddie O'Connell on Friday.
What he's saying: "There is no question about it, the Nashville Electric Service (NES) failed during Winter Storm Fern," Van Epps wrote to Broyles-Aplin. "To regain the trust and confidence of 420,000 residents who depend on NES, clear accountability and transparency are essential."
Zoom in: His letter to Broyles-Aplin included 10 questions, with a Feb. 27 deadline for a response.
- He questioned the agency's power restoration estimates, asking if they were "based on verified field data or leadership assumptions."
- Van Epps asked NES to make its vegetation management audits public.
- He also encouraged NES to publish a "Storm Fern Improvement Plan" within 45 days.
Zoom out: In his letter to the mayor, Van Epps asked O'Connell to work with him in holding NES accountable. O'Connell created the nine-person commission after expressing disappointment with NES's communication and slow rate of restoring power.
- Van Epps requested the commission conduct an "after-action review of NES," including areas such as its system performance, its restoration strategy and its public communications during the storm's aftermath.
- Van Epps asked for a briefing with O'Connell and the city's storm response leadership team in the next two weeks "to walk through the timeline of decisions, current restoration status, and immediate corrective actions."