Bill Text: NY S00066 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring liquid petroleum pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or at a high-risk of leaking.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S00066 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S00066-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           66
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 4, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations
        AN  ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring liquid
          petroleum pipeline facilities  to  accelerate  the  repair,  rehabili-
          tation,  and replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or
          at a high-risk of leaking
          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 a new section
     2  63-gg to read as follows:
     3    § 63-gg. Pipeline modernization and consumer  protection.  1.    Defi-
     4  nition.  As  used  in  this  section,  the following term shall have the
     5  following meaning:
     6    "Gas pipeline facility" means (a) a distribution facility, and  (b)  a
     7  gas utility.
     8    2.  Each  operator  of  a  gas  pipeline facility shall accelerate the
     9  repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment  that
    10  is:
    11    (a) leaking; or
    12    (b)  may  pose  high  risks  of  leaking,  or may no longer be fit for
    13  service, because of: (i)  inferior  materials,  (ii)  poor  construction
    14  practices, (iii) lack of maintenance, or (iv) age.
    15    3.  In  complying with subdivision two of this section, the commission
    16  shall: (a) develop prioritized timelines to repair all  leaks  based  on
    17  the  severity  of  the  leak,  including non-hazardous leaks, or replace
    18  identified leaking or high-risk piping  or  equipment,  including  leaks
    19  identified  as part of an integrity management plan developed under this
    20  section if applicable;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04359-01-7
        S. 66                               2
     1    (b) adopt a cost-recovery program that includes (i) replacement  plans
     2  with  targets  and  benchmarks  for  leaking or high-risk infrastructure
     3  replacement, (ii) consideration of the economic,  safety,  and  environ-
     4  mental  benefits  of  reduced  gas  leakage,  including consideration of
     5  reduced  operation  and maintenance costs and reduced costs attributable
     6  to lost or unaccounted-for natural  gas,  and  (iii)  reporting  on  the
     7  reductions  in  lost  or  unaccounted-for  gas  as  a result of pipeline
     8  replacements;
     9    (c) adopt a standard definition and methodology  for  calculating  and
    10  reporting unaccounted-for gas to improve data quality;
    11    (d)  adopt  limits  on  cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted-for
    12  gas; and
    13    (e) require use of best available technology to detect gas leaks.
    14    4. No later than one year after the effective date  of  this  section,
    15  the  New  York  state  energy  research and development authority shall,
    16  after notice and opportunity to comment,  issue  non-binding  guidelines
    17  identifying  best  practices  for  identifying and classifying high-risk
    18  pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement.
    19    5. Notwithstanding any other provision of  law  to  the  contrary,  no
    20  later  than  one  year after the effective date of this section, the New
    21  York state energy research and development authority and the  commission
    22  shall  work jointly to establish and publish forms that adopt a standard
    23  definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted-for
    24  gas, including, when possible, information on the causes  of  unaccount-
    25  ed-for  gas  and  the  quantities associated with each cause, for use by
    26  applicable state agencies to standardize the  data  collected  on  unac-
    27  counted-for gas.
    28    6. Operators of gas pipeline facilities in cities with a population of
    29  one  million  or more shall establish a database of pipeline infrastruc-
    30  ture that includes its age and state of  repair  and  shall  share  this
    31  information  with  the  coordinated  building  inspection  data analysis
    32  system.
    33    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.