Bill Text: NJ A3541 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires public utilities to meet with county emergency management coordinators during major catastrophic event.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-04-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee [A3541 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A3541-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DAVID C. RUSSO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires public utilities to meet with county emergency management coordinators during major catastrophic event.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring public utilities to meet with county emergency management coordinators during a major catastrophic event, supplementing chapter 9 of Appendix A.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"County emergency management coordinator" means a county emergency management coordinator appointed pursuant to section 12 of P.L.1953, c.438 (C.App.A:9-42.1).
"Service interruption" means the cessation of electric, gas, or water utility service experienced by one or more customers.
"Major catastrophic event" means a natural or humanly caused occurrence arising from conditions beyond the control of the public utility, including but not limited to, a thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, flood, heat wave, or snow and ice storm, which results in: (1) a sustained service interruption to at least 10 percent of the public utility's customers or 10 percent of the public utility's customers in a municipality or county; or (2) the declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor or the President of the United States.
"Public utility" means any electric, gas, or water public utility that is regulated under the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities.
2. Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, no later than 24 hours following a major catastrophic event, a representative of a public utility shall be available to meet with the county emergency management coordinator at a location in the county experiencing the major catastrophic event. At the request of the county emergency management coordinator, the public utility representative shall meet daily with the county emergency coordinator to provide updates on any service interruption and to solicit recommendations for restoring service. These meetings shall continue daily for duration of the major catastrophic event.
3. The Board of Public Utilities, shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take
effect on the first day of the fourth month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires public utilities to meet with county emergency management coordinators on a daily basis for the duration a major catastrophic event.
The bill provides that, no later than 24 hours following a major catastrophic event, a public utility representative is required to be available to meet with the county emergency management coordinator at a location in the county experiencing the major catastrophic event. At the request of the county emergency management coordinator, the public utility representative is required meet daily with the county emergency coordinator to provide updates on any service interruption and to solicit recommendations for restoring service. The bill provides that the meetings are to continue daily for duration of the major catastrophic event.
Major catastrophic event is defined in the bill to mean a natural or humanly caused occurrence arising from conditions beyond the control of the public utility, including but not limited to, a thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, flood, heat wave, or snow and ice storm, which results in: (1) a sustained service interruption to at least 10 percent of the public utility's customers or 10 percent of the public utility's customers in a municipality or county; or (2) the declaration of a state of emergency or by the Governor or President.
