Bill Text: MA S1491 | 2009-2010 | 186th General Court | Introduced
Bill Title:
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-01-20 - Public Hearing date 4/1 at 2:00 PM in Hearing Room A2 [S1491 Detail]
Download: Massachusetts-2009-S1491-Introduced.html
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
PRESENTED BY:
Ms. Flanagan
_______________
To the
Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:
An Act to Promote Utility System Reliability.
_______________
PETITION OF:
|
Name: |
District/Address: |
|
Ms. Flanagan |
Worcester and Middlesex |
|
Stephen L. DiNatale |
3rd Worcester |
|
James B. Eldridge |
Middlesex and Worcester |
|
Jennifer Benson |
37th Middlesex |
|
Steven A. Tolman |
Second Suffolk and Middlesex |
|
Martin J. Walsh |
13th Suffolk |
|
Jennifer M. Callahan |
18th Worcester |
|
Danielle W. Gregoire |
4th Middlesex |
|
Thomas P. Kennedy |
Second Plymouth and Bristol |
|
Anthony D. Galluccio |
Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex |
|
Robert L. Rice, Jr. |
2nd Worcester |
The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
_______________
In the Year Two Thousand and Nine
_______________
An Act to Promote Utility System Reliability.
Be
it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court
assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
No later than January 1, 2010, each distribution, electric and gas company, all as defined in section one of chapter one-hundred and sixty four of the General Laws, shall employ adequate numbers of employees to perform routine inspections, preventive maintenance work, and, in the case of an electric or distribution company, tree trimming. Each company shall additionally designate dedicated preventive staff or crews who, on a daily basis, are involved in routine inspections of key system components and are available to promptly perform any preventive maintenance identified as necessary through the inspections.
A company shall not be deemed to be in compliance with these requirements unless it employs at least as many employees for such inspection, preventive maintenance and tree-trimming functions as were employed in January 1997.
Any company may file a request with the Department of Public Utilities for a waiver from these requirements, which may be granted only for good cause shown, including a demonstration that the company can perform the same level of inspection, maintenance and tree-trimming as it did in 1997, with fewer employees. Upon the filing of any such request, the Department shall provide public notice of the filing and an opportunity for interested parties to be heard.
Any person who believes that a company is not in full compliance with the requirements of this law may bring a petition before the Department seeking enforcement of these requirements, and the Department shall promptly investigate any such petition, providing public notice and an opportunity for interested parties to be heard.
