Power companies seek more options

SPRINGFIELD — Missouri’s electric utilities should be looking for new ways to prevent outages such as the widespread blackouts that continued Thursday after a weekend ice storm, a state regulator said.

Robert Clayton, one of five members of the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, said the frequency of outages after storms means regulators and power companies should look at such options as burying more lines and using stronger materials.

“We’ve been told we had the storm of the century in 2004, then there was one in 2005, then there were three in 2006. If weather patterns have changed, and I don’t know that they have, then we have to change the way we’re thinking about utility reliability,” Clayton said. “I think all utilities in the state have room for improvement because it seems that the storm patterns we are facing are causing outages on a more frequent basis.”

Gov. Matt Blunt said he may have to call out more Missouri National Guardsmen in addition to the 527 now in southwest Missouri if a forecast of heavy, wet snow for this weekend comes true.

“We’re worried about the weather,” Blunt said during a visit to a Guard staging post at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport.

Blunt said utilities were telling him it will be “a number of days” before power is fully restored.

More than 108,000 homes and businesses, mainly in southwest Missouri, still were without power Thursday, the State Emergency Management Office said.

The storms contributed to at least 12 deaths in Missouri. State officials said seven were traffic related and five were blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning.

Last weekend’s storm left up to 2 inches of ice on trees and power lines, knocking out electricity to more than 330,000 customers from Joplin to St. Louis.

Clayton said improvements could include burying more power lines, more aggressive tree trimming along lines or building poles and lines with new, stronger materials.

Springfield Utilities General Manager John Twitty said customers will ultimately have to decide how much they are willing to pay and how much they want their trees cut back.

“People’s attitudes about tree trimming will change after this event,” Twitty said.