Bill Text: NY S03551 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the study commission on preventing snow emergencies to evaluate the impact of grid electrification on the safety and reliability of heating systems in snowstorms that cause power outages, and to develop strategies and best practices to maximize grid reliability and resiliency during extreme winter weather events.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-28 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S03551 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S03551-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3551

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 28, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations

        AN ACT establishing the study commission on preventing snow emergencies;
          and  providing  for  the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration
          thereof

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

     1    Section  1.  There  is  hereby  established  the  study  commission on
     2  preventing snow emergencies,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  the  "study
     3  commission".  The  purpose  of  the  study commission is to evaluate the
     4  impact of grid electrification on the safety and reliability of  heating
     5  systems  in  snowstorms that cause power outages, and to develop strate-
     6  gies and best practices to  maximize  grid  reliability  and  resiliency
     7  during extreme winter weather events.
     8    § 2. The study commission shall consist of fifteen members as follows:
     9    1.  the chair of the public service commission, or such chair's desig-
    10  nee;
    11    2. one member to be appointed by the governor;
    12    3. one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly;
    13    4. one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly;
    14    5. one member to be  appointed  by  the  temporary  president  of  the
    15  senate;
    16    6. one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
    17    7. the chair of the senate energy and telecommunications committee;
    18    8.  the  ranking minority member of the senate energy and telecommuni-
    19  cations committee;
    20    9. the chair of the assembly energy committee;
    21    10. the ranking minority member of the assembly energy committee;
    22    11. three members to be appointed each by the  three  largest  utility
    23  companies servicing Western New York;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08104-01-5
        S. 3551                             2

     1    12. the commissioner of the division of homeland security and emergen-
     2  cy services, or such commissioner's designee; and
     3    13.  one  member  to  be  appointed  by  the largest trade association
     4  representing electrical workers in Western New York.
     5    § 3. The chair of the  public  service  commission,  or  such  chair's
     6  designee,  shall  be  designated as the chairperson of the study commis-
     7  sion.  The members of the study commission shall serve  without  compen-
     8  sation,  except that members shall be allowed their necessary and actual
     9  expenses incurred in the performance of their duties under this act.
    10    § 4. The study commission shall be authorized to hold public hearings,
    11  and to consult with any organization, educational institution, or  other
    12  government entity or person, to enable it to accomplish its duties.
    13    §  5. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the study commission may
    14  request and shall receive from any department, division, board,  bureau,
    15  commission,  or  other agency of the state or any state public authority
    16  such assistance, information, and data as will enable the study  commis-
    17  sion to properly carry out its powers and duties hereunder.
    18    §  6.  The  study  commission shall issue a report of its findings and
    19  legislative recommendations to the governor, the speaker of  the  assem-
    20  bly, the minority leader of the assembly, the temporary president of the
    21  senate, and the minority leader of the senate.
    22    §  7.  The  public service commission shall use the study commission's
    23  report's findings and recommendations to determine whether, how, and  on
    24  what  timetable  to  modify  the  targets  set forth in subdivision 2 of
    25  section 66-p of the public service law. The  public  service  commission
    26  shall  consult  with  the department of environmental conservation about
    27  whether, how, and on what timetable to modify the targets set  forth  in
    28  subdivision  1 of section 75-0107 of the environmental conservation law,
    29  based upon the study commission's report's findings and  recommendations
    30  issued pursuant to this act.
    31    §  8.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
    32  deemed repealed two years after it shall have become a law.