Bill Text: NY S08931 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Directs 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 requires new electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines to be buried underground.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-09-30 - PRINT NUMBER 8931A [S08931 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08931-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8931

                    IN SENATE

                                     August 21, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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  directing  the
          public service commission study the feasibility and the costs of bury-
          ing 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

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

     1    Section  1.  The  public  service  law  is  amended  by adding two new
     2  sections 119-d and 119-e to read as follows:
     3    § 119-d. Buried line study. 1. The commission shall conduct a study to
     4  analyze the feasibility and the costs of burying underground all or most
     5  of the existing electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in
     6  New York state. Such report shall include an analysis of:
     7    (a) the economic and environmental benefits from burying such existing
     8  lines; and
     9    (b) the economic cost burden of doing so, if any, including  an  esti-
    10  mate  of what the cost per utility customer would be, the number of jobs
    11  to be created to complete the project and a timeline for  completion  of
    12  the project.
    13    2. In analyzing costs and benefits for the purposes of this study, the
    14  commission  shall  consider  the varying geographical areas of the state
    15  and report separately on the impact particular areas might have  on  the
    16  project.  The  study shall also quantify the economic costs and benefits
    17  of burying existing  electrical,  telephone  and  internet  transmission
    18  lines  to utility customers and shall disaggregate the results by utili-
    19  ty.
    20    3. Within one hundred eighty  days  of  the  effective  date  of  this
    21  section, the commission shall:
    22    (a)  publish  the  report of its findings on its website in a location
    23  accessible to the public; and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD17082-01-0
        S. 8931                             2

     1    (b) 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    §  119-e. Buried lines. 1. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation
     6  to the contrary, to the greatest extent possible,  all  new  electrical,
     7  telephone  and  internet transmission lines installed in the state shall
     8  be buried underground.
     9    2. The provisions of this section shall apply to electrical, telephone
    10  and internet transmission lines for which preliminary permits are issued
    11  on and after the effective date of this section.
    12    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.