Bill Text: NY S07722 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the New York state department of public service to study the feasibility and the costs of relocating underground all or most of the existing, above-ground electrical distribution lines, telephone lines and internet transmission lines.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-01-24 - SIGNED CHAP.7 [S07722 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S07722-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7722

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 7, 2022
                                       ___________

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

        AN ACT to amend a chapter of the  laws  of  2021  directing  the  public
          service  commission  to study the feasibility and the costs of burying
          all or most of the electrical,  telephone  and  internet  transmission
          lines  in  New  York  state and to publish and deliver a report of its
          findings to the governor and the legislature, and requiring new  elec-
          trical,  telephone and internet transmission lines to be buried under-
          ground, as proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.  4186-A  and  A.
          2330-A,  in  relation  to  directing  the New York state department of
          public service to study the feasibility and the  costs  of  relocating
          underground  all  or  most  of  the  existing, above-ground electrical
          distribution lines, telephone lines and internet transmission lines

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

     1    Section 1. Sections 1 and 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2021 directing
     2  the  public service commission to study the feasibility and the costs of
     3  burying all or most of the electrical,  telephone  and  internet  trans-
     4  mission  lines  in New York state and to publish and deliver a report of
     5  its findings to the governor and  the  legislature,  and  requiring  new
     6  electrical,  telephone  and  internet  transmission  lines  to be buried
     7  underground, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.4186-A and    A.
     8  2330-A, are amended to read as follows:
     9    Section  1. [1. The public service commission shall conduct a study to
    10  analyze the feasibility and the costs of burying underground all or most
    11  of the existing electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in
    12  New York state. Such study shall include an analysis of:
    13    (a) the economic and environmental benefits from burying such existing
    14  lines; and
    15    (b) the economic cost burden of doing so, if any, including  an  esti-
    16  mate  of what the cost per utility customer would be, the number of jobs
    17  to be created to complete the project and a timeline for  completion  of
    18  the project.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05957-05-2
        S. 7722                             2

     1    2. In analyzing costs and benefits for the purposes of this study, the
     2  commission  shall  consider  the varying geographical areas of the state
     3  and report separately on the impact particular areas might have  on  the
     4  project.  The  study shall also quantify the economic costs and benefits
     5  of  burying  existing  electrical,  telephone  and internet transmission
     6  lines to utility customers and shall disaggregate the results by  utili-
     7  ty.   The study shall calculate the cost per customer of the entire cost
     8  of the project statewide, regardless of where the  customer  lives,  for
     9  the life of the project on a monthly basis.
    10    3.  Within  one year of the effective date of this act, the commission
    11  shall:
    12    (a) publish the report of its findings on its website  in  a  location
    13  accessible to the public; and
    14    (b) deliver a copy of the report to the governor, the temporary presi-
    15  dent of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate
    16  energy  and  telecommunications  committee and the chair of the assembly
    17  energy committee.] The New  York  state  department  of  public  service
    18  ("department"),  in  cooperation with the New York state energy research
    19  and development  authority  ("authority"),  shall  conduct  a  study  to
    20  analyze  the  feasibility  of  relocating underground all or most of the
    21  existing, above-ground electrical distribution  lines,  telephone  lines
    22  and  internet  transmission  lines  in  the state (collectively, "trans-
    23  mission lines") of (1) entities that are subject to the jurisdiction  of
    24  the  public service commission ("jurisdictional entities"), (2) the Long
    25  Island power authority, and (3) cable and broadband providers. The study
    26  shall include but need not be limited to consideration of the  following
    27  issues:
    28    a.  potential  constraints  to and opportunities for relocating trans-
    29  mission lines underground and how  such  potential  constraints  can  be
    30  addressed;
    31    b. potential adverse and beneficial impacts associated with relocating
    32  transmission  lines  underground  and  how such potential impacts can be
    33  mitigated or facilitated;
    34    c. estimated  costs  of  relocating  transmission  lines  underground,
    35  presented  on  a  statewide  basis  and in any other form the department
    36  determines presents useful information;
    37    d. estimated cost impacts on  ratepayers  of  relocating  transmission
    38  lines underground, including an estimate of the cost per utility custom-
    39  er  to  the  extent  such estimate can be made, presented on a statewide
    40  basis and in any other form the department  determines  presents  useful
    41  information;
    42    e.  costs  to  utilities,  providers,  businesses and residents (e.g.,
    43  repair, maintenance) that could be avoided  by  relocating  transmission
    44  lines underground;
    45    f.  job  sector impacts associated with relocation projects, including
    46  potential job creation that may be practically projected; and
    47    g. estimated timelines associated with relocation  projects  presented
    48  by region/area.
    49    §  2.  The  department is hereby authorized to request and obtain from
    50  jurisdictional entities all data, analyses and other information that it
    51  determines in consultation with the authority is  necessary  to  support
    52  the study.
    53    §  3.  Within  eighteen  months of the effective date of this act, the
    54  department shall:
    55    (1) publish a report of its findings on  its  website  in  a  location
    56  accessible to the public; and
        S. 7722                             3

     1    (2) deliver a copy of the report to the governor, the temporary presi-
     2  dent of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate
     3  energy  and  telecommunications  committee and the chair of the assembly
     4  energy committee.
     5    § 4. All state agencies and state public authorities are authorized to
     6  provide  the department and authority with information and other assist-
     7  ance that is necessary to complete the study called for in  section  one
     8  of this act. The Long Island power authority is authorized to allocate a
     9  proportional  amount  of funding for the cost of the study, based on the
    10  Long Island power authority's percentage of  statewide  energy  load  as
    11  determined by the department.
    12    § [2.] 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
    13    §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
    14  manner as a chapter of the laws of 2021  directing  the  public  service
    15  commission to study the feasibility and the costs of burying all or most
    16  of the electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in New York
    17  state  and to publish and deliver a report of its findings to the gover-
    18  nor and the legislature, and requiring  new  electrical,  telephone  and
    19  internet  transmission  lines  to  be buried underground, as proposed in
    20  legislative bills numbers S. 4186-A and A. 2330-A, takes effect.