Bill Text: NY A00978 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires gas corporations to file annual gas safety reports; authorizes the public service commission to order reasonable improvements to promote public interest, preserve public health and protect those using gas when there is a deficiency in a gas corporation's prioritization or administration of its pipeline replacement projects or operation and maintenance activities related to gas safety.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-03-03 - signed chap.33 [A00978 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A00978-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           978

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 11, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the public service law, in relation to requiring gas
          corporations to file gas safety reports

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

     1    Section 1. Section 66-s of the public service law, as added by a chap-
     2  ter  of  the  laws  of  2022 amending the public service law relating to
     3  filing gas safety reports, as proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.
     4  1380-A  and A. 129-A,  is renumbered section 66-u and amended to read as
     5  follows:
     6    § 66-u. Gas safety reports. 1. On or before  [March  fifteenth]  April
     7  thirtieth of each year, each gas corporation shall file with the depart-
     8  ment  a  gas  safety  report. The department shall review the reports to
     9  monitor each gas corporation's pipeline  replacement  projects  and  all
    10  other  activities  related to providing safe and reliable gas service in
    11  order to determine whether the projects or activities are being  carried
    12  out  in  a  manner consistent with this chapter, the commission's rules,
    13  regulations and orders, and  any  practice  the  department  has  deemed
    14  necessary  for  the provision of safe and reliable service, and to track
    15  how each gas corporation is spending any funds  allocated  for  pipeline
    16  replacement  projects and all other activities related to providing safe
    17  and reliable gas service.
    18    2. The gas safety report provided  for  in  subdivision  one  of  this
    19  section  shall  include  a  thorough  description and explanation of the
    20  strategic planning and decision-making methodology used to determine and
    21  prioritize pipeline replacement projects, a description  of  the  corpo-
    22  ration's  operation  and maintenance activities related to gas safety, a
    23  description of the corporation's inspections of  its  intrastate  trans-
    24  mission  and  distribution lines, leak repair information, and any other
    25  information the department may require. If there has been no substantial

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04308-01-3
        A. 978                              2

     1  change in a gas corporation's safety report since the gas safety  report
     2  most  recently  filed with the department, the corporation, with consent
     3  of the department, may file an updated version of such report.
     4    2-a. A gas corporation shall also include with its gas safety report a
     5  list  of  pipeline  replacement  projects completed by a gas corporation
     6  within the last year[; such list  shall  indicate  which  projects  were
     7  completed  with  a  gas  corporation's  own  employees  and  which  were
     8  completed by contractors. The commission may also  order  a  gas  corpo-
     9  ration to submit an independent cost benefit analysis which examines the
    10  gas corporation's use of its own employees and its use of contractors to
    11  complete pipeline replacement projects].
    12    3.  [If  the  department  determines that there is] The commission may
    13  take any action to address and/or prevent a deficiency in a  gas  corpo-
    14  ration's  prioritization  or  administration of its pipeline replacement
    15  projects or operation and maintenance activities related to gas  safety,
    16  [the department shall notify the commission at the next scheduled public
    17  session and shall provide a brief description of the facts and nature of
    18  the  deficiency. The commission may order] including ordering reasonable
    19  improvements that will best promote the public  interest,  preserve  the
    20  public  health  and  protect  those  using  gas pursuant to those powers
    21  provided to the commission as provided in this  chapter,  including  but
    22  not limited to those in section sixty-six of this article.
    23    §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
    24  manner as a chapter of the laws of 2022 amending the public service  law
    25  relating  to filing gas safety reports, as proposed in legislative bills
    26  numbers S.  1380-A and A. 129-A, takes effect.