Bill Text: NY S02227 | 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: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-14 - SUBSTITUTED BY A978 [S02227 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02227-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2227

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 19, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        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
        S. 2227                             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.