Dangerous, Criminal Abuse of Public Service Responsibilities

PSPS last week was a massive failure of the stated goals and placed unreasonable hardship on the community and increased risk of fatalities and fires during the event.

4 days of power outages in Golden due to planned shutoff of 2 PSPS events last week was a complete failure to eliminate fire risk from power lines evidenced by the fact residents and businesses were without power in many locations while neighbors across the street were energized with power during the entire PSPS and that there was NO WIND whatsoever during the second PSPS in Golden. Each PSPS required days for Xcel to figure out how to turn the power back on. This was a completely unnecessary clown show. Any future PSPS will have the same result due to the haphazard power grid.

Despite no wind, residents and business during last week's PSPS' were left with no heat, no food, no lights, no internet, and a lack of communication and emergency communication for up to 4 consecutive days or more. As a result, the community was forced to survive through unusual methods that run significant risk of fatalities and fire during high wind and fire conditions including hundreds of thousands of homes burning candles indoor, tens of thousands of generators running outdoors, placement of questionable electric cords across active roadways, motorists speeding through dark intersections, etc. etc. etc., etc., etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Continued PSPS events by Xcel will directly result in increased fatalities and fires in our communicatees during high wind and fire conditions. These actions by Xcel amount to reckless endangerment and willful gross negligence under state law.