Bill Text: NY A01925 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the contents of emergency response plans required to be submitted to the public service commission by electric corporations; requires such plans to include details of staffing, equipment, and ability to perform toward certain standards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A01925 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A01925-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1925

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 13, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. OTIS, ABINANTI, BARRON, BURDICK, GALEF, REYES,
          ROZIC, SAYEGH, SIMON, SEAWRIGHT, THIELE, ZEBROWSKI --  read  once  and
          referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

        AN  ACT  to amend the public service law, in relation to the contents of
          emergency response plans  required  to  be  submitted  to  the  public
          service commission by electric corporations

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

     1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of section 66 of the public
     2  service law, as added by section 4 of part X of chapter 57 of  the  laws
     3  of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (a) Each electric corporation subject to section twenty-five-a of this
     5  chapter  shall  annually, on or before December fifteenth, submit to the
     6  commission an emergency response plan for review and approval. The emer-
     7  gency response plan shall be designed for the reasonably prompt restora-
     8  tion of service in the case of an emergency event, defined for  purposes
     9  of  this  subdivision as an event where widespread outages have occurred
    10  in the service territory of the company due to storms  or  other  causes
    11  beyond  the  control  of  the company.   Plans should include details of
    12  staffing, equipment and ability to perform towards the following  stand-
    13  ard:  the  goal  of  full restoration of service to all customers within
    14  forty-eight hours, the requirement of restoration to eighty  percent  of
    15  customers  having  lost  power  within forty-eight hours, and efforts to
    16  restore remaining customers to the greatest extent feasible in a  timely
    17  and safe manner. The emergency response plan shall include, but need not
    18  be limited to, the following: (i) the identification of management staff
    19  responsible  for company operations during an emergency; (ii) a communi-
    20  cations system with customers during an emergency  that  extends  beyond
    21  normal  business  hours and business conditions; (iii) identification of
    22  and outreach plans to customers who had documented their need for essen-
    23  tial electricity for medical needs; (iv) identification of and  outreach

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02409-01-1
        A. 1925                             2

     1  plans to customers who had documented their need for essential electric-
     2  ity  to  provide  critical  telecommunications, critical transportation,
     3  critical fuel distribution services or other large-load customers  iden-
     4  tified  by  the commission; (v) designation of company staff to communi-
     5  cate with local officials  and  appropriate  regulatory  agencies;  (vi)
     6  provisions  regarding  how  the  company  will  assure the safety of its
     7  employees and contractors; (vii) procedures for  deploying  company  and
     8  mutual  aid  crews  to  work  assignment areas; (viii) identification of
     9  additional supplies and equipment needed during an emergency;  (ix)  the
    10  means  of obtaining additional supplies and equipment; (x) procedures to
    11  practice the emergency response plan; (xi)  appropriate  safety  precau-
    12  tions  regarding  electrical hazards, including plans to promptly secure
    13  downed wires within thirty-six hours of notification of the location  of
    14  such  downed  wires  from a municipal emergency official; and (xii) such
    15  other additional information as the commission may  require.  Each  such
    16  corporation  shall,  on  an  annual basis, undertake drills implementing
    17  procedures to practice its emergency management plan. The commission may
    18  adopt additional requirements consistent with  ensuring  the  reasonably
    19  prompt restoration of service in the case of an emergency event.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.