This Was Predictable
This week, at peak, 80% of Cape Cod lost power. In some towns, it was 100%.
Not because of some unforeseeable catastrophe.
Not because of a once-in-a-century hurricane.
Because of trees.
If you look at the outage map, nearly every dark neighborhood traces back to downed limbs and overhead lines. In a forested, wind-exposed, coastal region with sandy soil, that isn’t surprising. It’s predictable.
And that’s the problem.
This will not be the worst storm we see. It may not even be the worst storm we see this decade or this year.
Yet our electric grid on Cape Cod remains overwhelmingly above ground — exposed, vulnerable, and reactive. We patch it. We trim around it. We send out crews after it fails.
We do not fundamentally fix it.
The Cape Doesn’t Cost the State — It Funds It.
Cape Cod generates $2.9 billion in annual visitor spending. Tourism alone supports more than 14,000 jobs. The region produces state tax revenue every year through occupancy taxes, meals taxes, income taxes, and sales taxes. In 2024 alone, Cape Cod generated hundreds of millions in state and local tax revenue — far more than it receives back in direct infrastructure investment.
The Cape is not asking for charity.
We are asking for infrastructure that reflects what we contribute.
When the bridges needed replacement, the state stepped up — and we are grateful for that leadership. At least half of the bridge project will be federally funded, and the Commonwealth now collects roughly $2.5 billion annually from the Fair Share surtax dedicated to transportation and education.
The bridge decision was bold, expensive, and necessary. It demonstrated that when infrastructure risk becomes undeniable, leadership can move — when there is a willingness to act at scale.
The bridges were too important to defer. So is the electric grid. But when it comes to other Cape Cod Infrastructure imperatives — including power resilience — the answer too often sounds like this:
“We will let you tax yourselves.”
We did that for wastewater.
We are absorbing rising homeowners insurance costs.
We are paying among the highest electric bills in the state — a state that consistently ranks among the three highest-priced states in the country for residential electricity — typically trailing only Hawaii and California.
We are paying premium rates for bargain-basement reliability.
What is more foundational to quality of life and economic stability than keeping the lights on? When it comes to power reliability why are we living at a lower standard of living than our parents?
Cape Codders Deserve Straight Talk
Automated text messages promising restoration “by 6:00 PM” — then 10:00 PM — then tomorrow.
Outage maps shifting by the hour with no explanation for what changed or why.
There is no shortage of updates — if your phone still has power.
What’s missing is clarity. What’s missing is accountability. What’s missing is a plan.
We are not watching a coordinated recovery effort.
We are watching a system cycle through estimates.
We are governed by response, not readiness.
By notification, not preparation.
And after a while, the frustration isn’t just about inconvenience — it’s about confidence.
Cape Codders are patient. But they are not naïve.
When 80% of a region loses power because of predictable tree damage, that is not bad luck. That is structural vulnerability.
And we should say that plainly.
Burying Lines Is Expensive. So Are Outages.
Yes, undergrounding electric lines costs money.
Yes, it cannot happen overnight.
But multi-day outages cost money too:
- Seniors relying on generators
- Small businesses forced to close
- Restaurants losing inventory
- Remote workers unable to work
- Public safety stretched thin
The question is not whether resilience is expensive.
The question is whether repeated failure is cheaper.
Strategic undergrounding of critical corridors, village centers, public safety routes, and economic hubs is achievable with a phased, disciplined plan. We do not need perfection overnight. We need a direction.
This Is A Risk Management Issue
Every modern business performs risk analysis. The electric grid is infrastructure risk. When 80% of a regional economy goes dark because of predictable tree damage, that is not weather — that is balance sheet exposure.
Wastewater once felt too big.
The bridges once felt too big.
Homeowners insurance reform feels too big.
When issues are “too big,” they tend to get deferred — until crisis forces action.
The Chamber will not sidestep this because it feels complex or politically uncomfortable.
As the region’s economic development organization, grid resilience is squarely in our lane.
- Businesses cannot operate without power.
- Tourism cannot function without reliability.
- Residents cannot live with constant uncertainty.
Resilience is not an environmental luxury. For a community that runs on small businesses and seasonal revenue, resilience is community survival.
Make no mistake: in February, Cape Cod is not an affluent resort community. It is seniors on fixed incomes. It is year-round workers. It is families relying on medical equipment and food deliveries. When the power goes out for days, vulnerability is not theoretical.
It’s Time for Action
We need a clear path forward:
- A regional grid resilience task force
- A phased undergrounding strategy for priority areas
- State partnership that reflects the Cape’s economic contribution and the geographical need.
- Transparency from utilities about long-term hardening investments
- Serious engagement from policymakers, not sidestepping
- A publicly released long-term grid hardening roadmap with measurable benchmarks.
The storms are not getting weaker.
The Cape is not shrinking.
Patience is not a resilience strategy.
When the lights go out, leadership can’t.
The Chamber intends to lead this conversation — constructively, forcefully, and with data — because waiting for the next outage is not a plan.
—Paul Niedzwiecki
CEO, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce