Bill Text: CT SB00023 | 2012 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Enhancing Emergency Preparedness And Response.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 47-24)
Status: (Passed) 2012-06-15 - Signed by the Governor [SB00023 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2012-SB00023-Chaptered.html
AN ACT ENHANCING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 28-5 of the 2012 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2012):
(b) The commissioner shall direct the preparation of a comprehensive plan and program for the civil preparedness of the state and integrate and coordinate that plan and program to the fullest extent possible with the civil preparedness plans of the federal government and of other states. When the plan and program has been prepared, the commissioner shall present it to the Governor for his or her approval. When the Governor approves the plan, all government agencies, state or local, [and] all civil preparedness forces in the state and all public service companies, as defined in section 16-1, shall carry out the duties and functions assigned by the plan and program as approved. The plan and program may, from time to time, be amended or modified in like manner. The commissioner shall coordinate the civil preparedness activities of the towns and cities of the state to the end that they shall be fully integrated with the state civil preparedness plan and program.
Sec. 2. Subsection (e) of section 28-5 of the 2012 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2012):
(e) The commissioner shall utilize the personnel, services, equipment, supplies and facilities of existing departments, offices and agencies of the state to the maximum extent possible. The head of each such department, office or agency, in cooperation with and under the direction of the commissioner, shall be responsible for the planning and programming of such activities in the civil preparedness programs as will involve the utilization of the facilities of his or her department, office, institution or agency and shall implement and carry out such activities whenever necessary for the welfare and safety of the state, including participation in planning, training and exercises, as directed by the commissioner.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section, "utility" means any electric distribution company or gas company, as those terms are defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, and "emergency" has the same meaning as provided in section 16-32e of the general statutes, as amended by this act.
(b) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a docket to establish industry specific standards for acceptable performance by each utility in an emergency to protect public health and safety, to ensure the reliability of such utility's services to prevent and minimize the number of service outages or disruptions and to reduce the duration of such outages and disruptions, to facilitate restoration of such services after such outages or disruptions, and to identify the most cost-effective level of tree trimming and system hardening, including undergrounding, necessary to achieve the maximum reliability of the system and to minimize service outages. On or before November 1, 2012, the authority shall submit a report identifying the standards established by the authority pursuant to such docket and any recommendations concerning legislative changes necessary to implement such standards to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The authority shall allow, in a future rate proceeding, each utility to recover the reasonable costs incurred by such utility to maintain or improve the resiliency of such utility's infrastructure necessary to meet the standards established pursuant to this section pursuant to a plan first approved by the authority.
(c) The authority shall, in the docket initiated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, review:
(1) Each such utility's current practices concerning service restoration after an emergency. Such review shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of each such utility's (A) estimates concerning potential damage and service outages prior to any emergency, (B) damage and service outage assessments after any emergency, (C) restoration management after any emergency, including access to alternate restoration resources via regional and reciprocal aid contracts, (D) planning for at-risk and vulnerable customers, (E) policies concerning communication with state and local officials and customers, including individual customer restoration estimates and the timeliness and usefulness of such estimates, and (F) need for mutual assistance during any emergency;
(2) The adequacy of each such utility's infrastructure, facilities and equipment, which shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of (A) whether such utility is following standard industry practice concerning operation and maintenance of such infrastructure, facilities and equipment, and (B) whether such utility had access to adequate replacement equipment for such infrastructure, facilities and equipment during the course of such emergency;
(3) Coordination efforts between each electric distribution company and any telecommunications company, community antenna television company, holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority or certified competitive video service provider, as those terms are defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, including coordinated planning before any emergency;
(4) Tree trimming policies of each electric distribution company and shall determine (A) the amount spent by each electric distribution company for tree trimming in each year since such company's most recent rate case, (B) each such company's system average interruption duration index, as described in section 16-245y of the general statutes, caused by falling trees and limbs, (C) the impact of expanding the area adjacent to distribution lines for tree trimming, including an analysis of the benefits and the costs of such expansion to ratepayers and the likelihood that such expansion would decrease damage to infrastructure, facilities and equipment used to distribute electricity and decrease service outage frequency or duration, (D) the percentage of service outages during Tropical Storm Irene and the October, 2011 snowstorm caused by trees and limbs outside the current trim area based on an analysis of the quantity and effectiveness of prior tree trimming, and (E) the standards appropriate for road-side tree care in the state, vegetation management practices in utility rights-of-way, right tree-right place standards, and any other tree maintenance standard recommended by the State Vegetation Management Task Force established by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and
(5) Any other policy, practice or information that the authority determines is relevant to a review of each such utility's ability to ensure the reliability of such utility's services in an emergency and to prevent, minimize and restore any long-term service outages or disruptions caused by such emergency.
(d) The authority shall, in the docket initiated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, establish standards for acceptable performance in an emergency in which more than ten per cent of any utility's customers are without service for more than forty-eight consecutive hours. The standards established by the authority shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for:
(1) Minimum staffing and equipment levels for each utility, based on the number of customers served by such utility and the nature of the infrastructure deployed to serve such utility's customers, in such emergency;
(2) Targets for recovery and restoration of service in emergencies for service outages affecting more than ten per cent, thirty per cent, fifty per cent and seventy per cent of such utility's customers;
(3) A communication plan between each utility and its customers, including, but not limited to, communication during other than normal business hours;
(4) Safety standards for employees of each utility, mutual aid crews and private contractors;
(5) Filing mutual aid agreements by utilities and assessing each utility's ability to rely on mutual storm restoration assistance from other utilities in the region;
(6) Communication and coordination protocols defining interactions between each utility and the appropriate state, municipal or emergency operations center official concerning emergency preparation, road clearing and the establishment of restoration priorities;
(7) Tree trimming, cutting and removal by each electric company and electric distribution company to reduce service outages caused by trees and limbs;
(8) Communication and coordination, in consultation with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, between each utility and the public including, but not limited to, standards concerning the use of any emergency notification system to notify the public of service restoration estimates and any dangerous conditions;
(9) Timely notification by each utility to any relevant state or municipal agency or official including, but not limited to, any public safety agency or official, of any emergency and standards for coordination and communication between such utility and such agency or official;
(10) Communication and coordination between any appropriate electric distribution, gas, telephone or telecommunications company or voice over Internet protocol service provider, as defined in section 28-30b of the general statutes; and
(11) The operation of the call center of each utility.
(e) The authority shall establish as it deems fit any other standards for acceptable performance by any utility to ensure the reliability of such utility's services in any emergency, to prevent and minimize any service outages or disruptions lasting more than forty-eight consecutive hours and affecting more than ten per cent of any utility's customers and to facilitate restoration of such services after such outages or disruptions.
(f) Any mutual aid agreement filed with the authority pursuant to this section shall not be considered a public record or file subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes.
(g) The authority may initiate any additional docket to establish standards for acceptable performance by each utility in an emergency, in accordance with this section, upon determination by the authority that the changed circumstances of any utility necessitates such docket.
(h) Not later than April 15, 2013, and annually thereafter, each utility shall provide an emergency response report to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Such report shall include information and analysis concerning such utility's ability during the preceding year to meet the emergency preparedness and response standards established by the authority pursuant to this section. In addition to the annual report required in this subsection, the authority may require any utility to submit a supplemental emergency response report after any storm, emergency or event causing significant service outages.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall review the performance of each electric distribution company and gas company, as those terms are defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, after any emergency, as defined in section 16-32e of the general statutes, as amended by this act, (1) in which more than ten per cent of any such company's customers were without service for more than forty-eight consecutive hours, or (2) at the authority's discretion. The authority, upon a finding that any such company failed to comply with any standard of acceptable performance in emergency preparation or restoration of service in an emergency, adopted pursuant to section 3 of this act, or with any order of the authority, shall make orders, after a hearing that is conducted as a contested case in accordance with chapter 54 of the general statutes, to enforce such standards or orders and may levy civil penalties against such company, pursuant to section 16-41 of the general statutes, not to exceed a total of two and one-half per cent of such electric distribution or gas company's annual distribution revenue, for noncompliance in any such emergency. In determining the amount of any penalty, the authority shall consider whether such company received approval and reasonable funding allowances, as determined by the authority, from the authority to meet infrastructure resiliency efforts to improve such company's performance. Any such penalty shall be assessed in the form of a credit to ratepayers of such electric distribution or gas company. Any such penalty shall not be included as an operating expense of such company for purposes of ratemaking.
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a docket to establish standards for restoration of intrastate telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-247a of the general statutes, by any telephone company, certified telecommunications provider, certified competitive video service provider, community antenna television company, holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority or holder of a certificate of video franchise authority, as those terms are defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, after any emergency, as defined in section 16-32e of the general statutes, as amended by this act. The standards established by the authority shall be limited to any portion of an emergency in which (1) the intrastate telecommunications service outage affects more than ten per cent of any such company's, provider's or holder's access lines, (2) such outage lasts more than forty-eight consecutive hours, and (3) such outage was not caused by the equipment, negligence or wilful act of the subscriber of such service or any other third party.
(b) In establishing such emergency restoration standards, the authority shall consider:
(1) The severity, extent and duration of the emergency;
(2) Communication and coordination by each such company, provider or holder with the state, municipalities and any relevant electric distribution company;
(3) The operations of any call center operated by each such company, provider or holder during an emergency;
(4) Requirements concerning the assignment of a representative of each such company, provider or holder to staff the emergency operations center of any relevant electric distribution company during an emergency;
(5) Service restoration;
(6) The safety of the subscribers of any such company, provider or holder; and
(7) That restoration of such intrastate telecommunications service cannot be completed until after commercial power is restored.
(c) If the authority determines that any such company, provider or holder has failed to comply with the standards established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, the authority may submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy, recommending legislation establishing penalties for future noncompliance with such standards. Any penalty for noncompliance with the standards established pursuant to this section shall be limited to any penalty established pursuant to this section.
(d) Each telephone company and certified telecommunications provider, shall, to the extent permitted under federal law, provide a bill credit to any subscriber of such company or provider for any service outage of intrastate telecommunications service, in an emergency, provided (1) such service outage lasts for more than twenty-four consecutive hours, (2) the subscriber notifies such company or provider of such service outage not later than thirty days after the end of any such emergency, (3) such service outage was not caused by the equipment, negligence or wilful act of the subscriber or any other third party, (4) such service outage affects more than ten per cent of any such company's or provider's access lines, and (5) such service outage was not caused by the failure of commercial power used to provide such intrastate telecommunications service. The amount of any such credit shall equal the proportionate share of such service not received during the billing period during which such outage occurred. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any certified competitive video service provider, community antenna television company, holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority or holder of a certificate of video franchise authority that already provides credits pursuant to section 16-331l or 16-331w of the general statutes.
Sec. 6. Section 16-32e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) As used in this section, "emergency" means any (1) hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, drought or fire explosion, or (2) attack or series of attacks by an enemy of the United States causing, or which may cause, substantial damage or injury to civilian property or persons in the United States in any manner by sabotage or by the use of bombs, shellfire or atomic, radiological, chemical, bacteriological or biological means or other weapons or processes.
(b) Not later than [June 1, 1996] July 1, 2012, and every [five] two years thereafter, each public service company, as defined in section 16-1, each telecommunications company, as defined in [said] section 16-1, that installs, maintains, operates or controls poles, wires, conduits or other fixtures under or over any public highway for the provision of telecommunications service authorized by section 16-247c, each voice over Internet protocol service provider, as defined in section 28-30b, and each municipal utility furnishing electric, gas or water service shall file with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and each municipality located within the service area of the public service company, telecommunications company, voice over Internet protocol service provider or municipal utility an updated plan for restoring service which is interrupted as a result of an emergency, except no such plan shall be required of a public service company or municipal utility that submits a water supply plan pursuant to section 25-32d. Plans filed by public service companies and municipal utilities furnishing water shall be prepared in accordance with the memorandum of understanding entered into pursuant to section 4-67e. Each such plan for restoring service which is interrupted as a result of an emergency shall include measures for (1) communication and coordination with state officials, municipalities and other public service companies and telecommunications companies during a major disaster, as defined in section 28-1, or an emergency; and (2) participation in training exercises as directed by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Each such plan shall include such company's, provider's or municipal utility's response for service outages affecting more than ten per cent, thirty per cent, fifty per cent and seventy per cent of such company's, provider's or municipal utility's customers. On or before September 1, 2012, and biannually thereafter, the authority shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public utilities summarizing such plans. Not later than September 15, [1996] 2012, and every [five] two years thereafter, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may conduct public hearings on such plans and, in consultation with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Department of Public Health and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public utilities, revise such plans to the extent necessary to provide properly for the public convenience, necessity and welfare. If the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority revises the emergency plan of a public service company, telecommunications company, voice over Internet protocol service provider or municipal utility, such company, provider or municipal utility shall file a copy of the revised plan with each municipality located within the service area of the company, provider or municipal utility. Any information provided in any such plan shall be considered confidential, not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200, and any such information shall not be transmitted to any person except as needed to comply with this section.
(c) At the discretion of the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection or after an emergency or major disaster is declared in the state by the Governor under the laws of this state or by the President of the United States under federal law, each telephone company, certified telecommunications provider, holder of a certificate of video franchise authority or holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority, as those terms are defined in section 16-1, with more than twenty-five thousand subscribers, shall provide a representative to staff the emergency operations center of an affected electric distribution company, as defined in section 16-1, as needed to ensure communication and coordination during emergency response and restoration efforts.
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Municipality" has the same meaning as provided in section 7-233b of the general statutes;
(2) "Critical facility" means any hospital, police station, fire station, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, public shelter or correctional facility, any commercial area of a municipality, a municipal center, as identified by the chief elected official of any municipality, or any other facility or area identified by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as critical;
(3) "Distributed energy generation" means the generation of electricity from a unit with a rating of not more than sixty-five megawatts on the premises of a retail end user within the transmission and distribution system;
(4) "Electric distribution company" and "participating municipal electric utility" have the same meanings as provided in section 16-1 of the general statutes; and
(5) "Microgrid" means a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid and that connects and disconnects from such grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island mode.
(b) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish a microgrid grant and loan pilot program to support local distributed energy generation for critical facilities. The department shall develop and issue a request for proposals from municipalities, electric distribution companies, participating municipal electric utilities, energy improvement districts and private entities seeking to develop microgrid distributed energy generation, or to repurpose existing distributed energy generation for use with microgrids, to support critical facilities. Any entity eligible to submit a proposal pursuant to this section may collaborate with any other such entity in submitting such proposal.
(c) The department shall award grants or loans under the microgrid grant and loan pilot program to any number of recipients, provided the total amount of grants and loans awarded under the program shall not exceed fifteen million dollars. To the extent possible, the amount of loans and grants awarded under the program shall be evenly distributed between small, medium and large municipalities. Such grants and loans shall only be used to provide assistance to recipients for the cost of design, engineering services and interconnection infrastructure for any such microgrid. The department may establish any financing mechanism to provide or leverage additional funding to support the development of distributed energy generation and microgrids that is not limited to the cost of interconnection infrastructure.
(d) Not later than January first, annually, for a period of five years after receiving a grant or loan under the microgrid grant and loan pilot program, the recipient of such grant or loan shall submit a report to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and energy. Such report shall include information concerning the status of such recipient's microgrid project.
(e) On or before January 1, 2013, the department shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy, identifying other funding sources necessary to expand the microgrid grant and loan pilot program established pursuant to this section and any legislative changes necessary to access such funding.
(f) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, shall study the methods of providing reliable electric services to critical facilities, taking into consideration the location of such critical facilities. Such study shall evaluate the costs and benefits of such methods, including, but not limited to, the use of microgrids, undergrounding and portable turbine generation, and shall make recommendations identifying the most cost-effective and reliable of such methods. Not later than January 1, 2013, the department shall submit the findings of such study, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology.
Sec. 8. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) On or before October 1, 2012, and annually thereafter, each provider of mobile radio service, as defined in 47 CFR 20. 3, shall submit a report to the Connecticut Siting Council and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection concerning each such provider's ability to provide backup power during an electric service outage for any telecommunications tower or antenna owned, leased or operated by such provider and each such provider's plans concerning such backup power. Any information provided in the report submitted pursuant to this section shall be considered confidential, not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes, and such information shall not be transmitted to any person except as needed to comply with this section.
(b) As the reliability of such mobile radio service is considered to be in the public interest and necessary for public health and safety, after such initial report is submitted, the Connecticut Siting Council, in consultation and in coordination with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, shall study the feasibility of requiring backup power for telecommunications towers and antennas.
(c) Such study shall consider (1) the federal, state and local jurisdictional issues of such backup power requirements, including, but not limited to, siting issues, (2) similar laws or initiatives in other states, (3) the technical and legal feasibility of such backup power requirements, (4) the environmental issues concerning such backup power, and (5) any other issue concerning backup power that the authority deems relevant to such study.
(d) On or before January 1, 2013, the authority shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations and a proposed plan for deploying backup power, if such backup power is determined to be feasible, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy, public safety and planning and development.
Sec. 9. Subsection (a) of section 16-2a of the 2012 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There shall be an independent Office of Consumer Counsel, within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, for administrative purposes only, to act as the advocate for consumer interests in all matters which may affect Connecticut consumers with respect to public service companies, electric suppliers and certified telecommunications providers, including, but not limited to, rates and related issues, ratepayer-funded programs and matters concerning the reliability, maintenance, operations, infrastructure and quality of service of such companies, suppliers and providers. The Office of Consumer Counsel is authorized to appear in and participate in any regulatory or judicial proceedings, federal or state, in which such interests of Connecticut consumers may be involved, or in which matters affecting utility services rendered or to be rendered in this state may be involved. The Office of Consumer Counsel shall be a party to each contested case before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and shall participate in such proceedings to the extent it deems necessary. Said Office of Consumer Counsel may appeal from a decision, order or authorization in any such state regulatory proceeding notwithstanding its failure to appear or participate in said proceeding.
Sec. 10. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Department of Transportation and any municipality shall notify the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority of any pending project involving the construction, alteration, reconstruction, improvement, relocation, widening or changing of the grade of a section of any state highway or any other public highway, that is greater than five miles long or located in a commercial area. The authority, upon determination that such project may provide an opportunity for any public service company, as defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, to install, replace, upgrade or bury any water, sewer or gas line, electric wire or cable or fiber optics, shall notify such company of such project.
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On or before January 1, 2013, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in coordination and consultation with each public service company, as defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and an association of municipalities, shall develop procedures to expedite the process of road-clearing for public safety personnel after an emergency, as defined in section 16-32e of the general statutes, as amended by this act.
Sec. 12. Section 22a-6k of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may issue an emergency authorization for any activity regulated by the commissioner under section 22a-32, subsection (h) of section 22a-39, 22a-54, 22a-66, 22a-174, 22a-208a, 22a-342, 22a-368, 22a-403, 22a-430, 22a-449 or 22a-454 provided he finds that (1) such authorization is necessary to prevent, abate or mitigate an imminent threat to human health or the environment; and (2) such authorization is not inconsistent with the federal Water Pollution Control Act, the federal Rivers and Harbors Act, the federal Clean Air Act or the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Such emergency authorization shall be limited by any conditions the commissioner deems necessary to adequately protect human health and the environment. Summary suspension of an emergency authorization may be ordered in accordance with subsection (c) of section 4-182. The commissioner may assess a fee for an emergency authorization issued pursuant to this subsection. Such fee shall be of an amount equal to the equivalent existing permit fee for the activity authorized. The commissioner may reduce or waive the fee required pursuant to this subsection if good cause is shown. The fee required pursuant to this subsection shall be paid no later than ten days after the issuance of the emergency authorization.
(b) The commissioner may issue a temporary authorization for any activity for which the commissioner has authority to issue a general permit under section 22a-45a, 22a-174, 22a-208a, 22a-349a, 22a-361, 22a-378a, 22a-411, 22a-430b or 22a-454 provided the commissioner finds that (1) such activity will not continue for more than [thirty] ninety days, whether consecutive or not; (2) such activity does not pose a significant threat to human health or the environment; (3) such authorization is necessary to protect human health or the environment or is otherwise necessary to protect the public interest; and (4) such authorization is not inconsistent with the federal Water Pollution Control Act, the federal Rivers and Harbors Act, the federal Clean Air Act or the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. No temporary authorization shall be renewed [more than once, and no such authorization shall be] or issued for an activity which has been authorized by a temporary authorization during the previous twelve calendar months. Any person seeking a temporary authorization shall submit to the commissioner sufficient information to allow the commissioner to make the determination set forth herein. A temporary authorization shall be limited by any conditions the commissioner deems necessary to adequately protect human health and the environment. Summary suspension of a temporary authorization may be ordered in accordance with subsection (c) of section 4-182. The commissioner may assess a fee for a temporary authorization issued pursuant to this subsection. Such fee shall be of an amount equal to the equivalent existing permit fee for the activity authorized. The commissioner may reduce the fee required pursuant to this subsection if good cause is shown. The fee required pursuant to this subsection shall be paid before the issuance of the temporary authorization. The commissioner may, if good cause is shown, allow late payment of the fee required by this subsection provided such fee shall be paid no later than ten days after the issuance of the temporary authorization.
Sec. 13. (Effective from passage) (a) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a docket to study the feasibility of establishing a program administered by the authority to reimburse any residential customer of an electric distribution company, as defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes, for spoilage loss of food items or refrigerated medications caused by a lack of refrigeration during any electric service outage lasting longer than forty-eight hours, and the necessary mechanisms to administer such program. Such docket shall include, but not be limited to, a study of the establishment of any such program in which (1) the reimbursement, for each such service outage, shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars for any such spoilage loss of food items and two hundred dollars for any such spoilage loss of refrigerated medications for any customer, (2) such customer shall file an application for reimbursement with such company not later than thirty days after electric service is restored, and (3) such customer shall submit with such application an itemized list of any spoiled food items or refrigerated medications and proof of such spoilage loss.
(b) On or before February 1, 2013, the authority shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and public health, with the authority's recommendations concerning the necessary mechanisms for administering such a program. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, recommendations concerning (1) the manner in which such program will be established by the authority, (2) the application process for such program, (3) the role of each electric distribution company in administering such program, (4) the funding mechanism for such program and the cap on the funding to support such program, (5) the documents or identification to be used as proof of such spoiled food items or refrigerated medication, (6) whether the program shall be limited to customers within certain income levels, and (7) any legislative changes necessary to implement such program.