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Posted: Friday, 08 August 2008 10:47AM

Con Ed Won't Charge for Steam Explosion



NEW YORK (AP)  -- Consolidated Edison has agreed not to charge ratepayers for the cost of last summer's steam explosion in midtown Manhattan.

The utility says it will foot the nearly $24 million in repair costs from the blast near Grand Central Terminal last July. It also has agreed to credit customers for the period they were unable to enter their homes.

A woman died of a heart attack and dozens of people were injured when the pipe ruptured, spewing a geyser of steam and mud.

Regulators and the state Consumer Protection Board have signed off on the agreement, which would settle a state probe into whether Con Ed improperly managed its Manhattan steam network. It must still be approved by the Public Service Commission after a public hearing this month.

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