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LOUISVILLE, Ky– A sneak preview many found interesting and important, but probably not as much fun as at the movies. The state Public Service Commission’s official report on how it dealt with the fall 2008 windstorm and the January 2009 ice storm comes out Thursday. Lawmakers and county officials got a look at it Wednesday, at the Kentucky Association of Counties’ annual convention. 

Executive Director Jeff Derouen (right) says the 170-page document will contain at least 60 recommendations on how to avoid repeating some of the problems that cropped up from the 2 weather events.

He says they’ll include the fact it would be prohibitively expensive… about $217 billion… to bury all power, phone, and cable lines in the state, but that could be done in places that had the heaviest losses.  He adds that’s already being done in most new home construction. 

Derouen says the document will add the finding that generators seem to work better than batteries in maintaining cell phone towers… and that as crews trying to reconnect electricity found during the ice storm– antiquated connectors from power lines to houses are a problem that’ll need more study.