Simsbury - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday announced his package of storm preparedness initiatives, including a proposal to create benchmarks for power companies to reach before and after disasters and really bad weather.

The package contains a mix of legislative proposals, executive orders and administrative changes. The initiatives follow some of the 82 recommendations that were in a final report issued Monday by the state's Two Storm Panel, which examined the response to Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm.

Malloy's legislation would authorize the state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority - formerly the Department of Public Utility Control - to establish storm performance standards for utilities such as Connecticut Light & Power.

If companies fail to make adequate preparations for a looming storm or are too slow in restoring power, there could be penalties, he said.

Another initiative calls for a real-time training exercise for storm and disaster response involving state agencies, utilities and municipal governments. Malloy said he wants this exercise to happen no later than Sept. 1. He estimated the drill could cost as much as $650,000.

The governor also called for a $1 million increase in the state Department of Transportation's tree maintenance budget, which currently is $550,000. He said his administration will release additional initiatives in the coming months.

"I hope, along with a lot of folks, that we never have a year like we just had, but we can't count on that," Malloy said at a news conference. "Preparedness was something that we now know was simply not paid enough attention to over probably the decade leading up to this past year's weather."

The announcement was held at the Town Hall of Simsbury, a Hartford suburb hard hit by both the snowstorm and Irene flooding.

CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross said the utility agrees with the governor "that we all must work together to take a collaborative, statewide approach to emergency preparedness and recovery."

"We also look forward to working with the governor and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to explore practical investments to make our energy delivery systems more weather resistant for sustained long-term energy reliability," he said.

jc.reindl@theday.com