Bill Text: NY A00129 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring gas corporations to file annual gas safety reports.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-12-23 - approval memo.52 [A00129 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A00129-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         129--A
                                                                  Cal. No. 3

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, DINOWITZ, GALEF, OTIS, SEAWRIGHT, COLTON,
          VANEL,  SAYEGH,  ZINERMAN,  GRIFFIN  -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
          COOK, NIOU -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations,
          Authorities and Commissions -- ordered to a third reading, amended and
          ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to filing gas safety
          reports

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
     2  66-s to read as follows:
     3    § 66-s. Gas safety reports. 1. On or before March  fifteenth  of  each
     4  year,  each  gas corporation shall file with the department a gas safety
     5  report. The department shall review the  reports  to  monitor  each  gas
     6  corporation's  pipeline  replacement  projects  and all other activities
     7  related to providing safe and reliable gas service in order to determine
     8  whether the projects or activities are being carried  out  in  a  manner
     9  consistent  with  this  chapter, the commission's rules, regulations and
    10  orders, and any practice the department has  deemed  necessary  for  the
    11  provision of safe and reliable service, and to track how each gas corpo-
    12  ration is spending any funds allocated for pipeline replacement projects
    13  and  all  other  activities  related  to providing safe and reliable gas
    14  service.
    15    2. The gas safety report provided  for  in  subdivision  one  of  this
    16  section  shall  include  a  thorough  description and explanation of the
    17  strategic planning and decision-making methodology used to determine and
    18  prioritize pipeline replacement projects, a description  of  the  corpo-
    19  ration's  operation  and maintenance activities related to gas safety, a
    20  description of the corporation's inspections of  its  intrastate  trans-
    21  mission and distribution lines, and any other information the department

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01900-02-2
        A. 129--A                           2

     1  may  require.  If  there  has been no substantial change in a gas corpo-
     2  ration's safety report since the gas safety report most  recently  filed
     3  with  the  department,  the corporation, with consent of the department,
     4  may file an updated version of such report.
     5    2-a. A gas corporation shall also include with its gas safety report a
     6  list  of  pipeline  replacement  projects completed by a gas corporation
     7  within the last year; such  list  shall  indicate  which  projects  were
     8  completed  with  a  gas  corporation's  own  employees  and  which  were
     9  completed by contractors. The commission may also  order  a  gas  corpo-
    10  ration to submit an independent cost benefit analysis which examines the
    11  gas corporation's use of its own employees and its use of contractors to
    12  complete pipeline replacement projects.
    13    3.  If  the  department determines that there is a deficiency in a gas
    14  corporation's prioritization or administration of its pipeline  replace-
    15  ment  projects  or  operation  and maintenance activities related to gas
    16  safety, the department shall notify the commission at the next scheduled
    17  public session and shall provide a brief description of  the  facts  and
    18  nature  of  the deficiency. The commission may order reasonable improve-
    19  ments that will best promote the public interest,  preserve  the  public
    20  health  and protect those using gas pursuant to those powers provided to
    21  the commission as provided in this chapter, including but not limited to
    22  those in section sixty-six of this article.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.