Bill Text: NY S04030 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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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; requires the public service commission to establish a time-based restoration schedule.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S04030 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S04030-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4030--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 1, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        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. To support reasonably prompt restora-
    12  tion of service in the case of an emergency  event,  emergency  response
    13  plans  should  include  details of staffing, equipment and a performance
    14  schedule with the goal of achieving restoration of service based upon  a
    15  time-based restoration schedule established by the commission. In estab-
    16  lishing  such  time-based  restoration  schedules, the commission should
    17  utilize benchmarks for the restoration of service which include, but are
    18  not limited to, the percentage of customers restored within  each  twen-
    19  ty-four-hour interval following the storm and consideration of different
    20  kinds  of  storm  events. The emergency response plan shall include, but
    21  need not be limited to, the following: (i) the identification of manage-
    22  ment staff responsible for company operations during an emergency;  (ii)

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02409-02-1
        S. 4030--A                          2

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