Who Made Xcel Energy the Authority on Public Safety?

My girlfriend and I were coming back from a week-long vacation in Las Vegas when we got the notification about the pre-emptive shutoff. I turned off the heat/AC in our apartment while we were out of town, and returning without power meant we would have no heat with temperatures in the mid-40s overnight. We were inconvenienced, but we got a hotel by the airport. The power would be restored by noon Sunday, so we thought one night would not be a problem.

Instead, our power was not restored until after 9 a.m. Monday, some 40 hours after it was turned off FOR NO REASON. Our area had high winds but no downed power lines or trees. Cutting off power was WORTHLESS. The only benefit was to Xcel, which could not be held liable for any potential damages, while thousands of people were left with spoiled food, hotel stays and other major inconveniences.

All of this was done for the "public safety." Yet, to date, no public agency said they told Xcel to pre-emptively cut power. Not PUC, not DORA, not Boulder County officials. Xcel is regulated by DORA/PUC - agencies tasked with protecting public safety. Who made Xcel the sole authority about public safety? Their decision CLEARLY put thousands of residents in public DANGER, and did not ensure their safety.

Xcel also lied from the start about the length of time the power would be off. They KNEW they needed to "visually inspect" 600 miles of power lines they turned off for no reason. They also knew there was no way their staff could inspect all 600 miles by noon Saturday. All of the homes affected, included mine, were left without power for more than twice as long as we were told, Xcel Energy KNEW this was the case and lied about it.

Again, lying about how long the company shut off power for no reason seems to fly in the face of caring for the "public safety."

Now we are told this is the first of what will become an expected pattern. I would hope the state authorities charged with overseeing this company do their jobs and do not simply "trust" Xcel to do what is best for public safety. Clearly, Xcel is only concerned with protecting its company from potential liability.