Bill Text: NJ S341 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires electric public utility to replace certain distribution service equipment over period of 36 months if certain sustained service interruptions occur.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-03-24 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [S341 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S341-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Greenstein, Pou and Gopal
SYNOPSIS
Requires electric public utility to replace certain distribution service equipment over period of 36 months if certain sustained service interruptions occur.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the replacement of certain electric public utility service equipment and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
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):
"Back yard distribution equipment" means distribution equipment located within the rear portion of any residential property where an electric public utility has an easement.
"Board" means the Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
"Distribution equipment" means a cable, line, wire, and other appurtenant equipment for the provision of electric distribution service from a substation of an electric public utility to a building or structure of a customer of the utility.
"Electric public utility" or "utility" means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that provides electric distribution service in this State.
"Sustained service interruption" means the cessation of electric public utility service to one or more customers lasting more than two consecutive hours in length.
2. The board shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations requiring an electric public utility to establish a timeline, not to exceed 36 months, for the replacement of the utility's back yard distribution equipment within a municipality, if the utility provides electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment to at least 50 percent of the residences of the municipality and if residential customers provided with electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment within that municipality reported to the utility at least 250 incidents of a sustained service interruption each year for the previous five-year period. An electric public utility providing electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment to at least 50 percent of the residences of a municipality shall annually provide notice to the board, as determined by the board, of the number of incidents during the prior year of a sustained service interruption reported by the utility's residential customers provided with electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment within that municipality.
3. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment, but the Board of Public Utilities may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the timely implementation of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
STATEMENT
As reported, this bill requires the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to adopt rules and regulations requiring an electric public utility (utility) to establish a timeline, not to exceed 36 months, for the replacement of the utility's "back yard distribution equipment," as defined in the bill, within a municipality if the utility provides electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment to at least 50 percent of the residences of the municipality and if residential customers provided with electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment within that municipality reported to the utility at least 250 incidents of a "sustained service interruption," as defined in the bill, each year for the previous five-year period. An electric public utility providing electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment to at least 50 percent of the residences of a municipality shall annually provide notice to the board, as determined by the board, of the number of incidents during the prior year of a sustained service interruption reported by the utility's residential customers provided with electric distribution service using back yard distribution equipment within that municipality.
