Bill Text: NY S08932 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the contents of emergency response plans required to be submitted to the public service commission by electric corporations; requires such plans to include details of staffing, equipment, and ability to perform toward certain standards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-08-21 - REFERRED TO RULES [S08932 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08932-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8932

                    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 the  contents  of
          emergency  response  plans  required  to  be  submitted  to the public
          service commission by electric corporations

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

     1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of section 66 of the public
     2  service  law,  as added by section 4 of part X of chapter 57 of the laws
     3  of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (a) Each electric corporation subject to section twenty-five-a of this
     5  chapter shall annually, on or before December fifteenth, submit  to  the
     6  commission an emergency response plan for review and approval. The emer-
     7  gency response plan shall be designed for the reasonably prompt restora-
     8  tion  of service in the case of an emergency event, defined for purposes
     9  of this subdivision as an event where widespread outages  have  occurred
    10  in  the  service  territory of the company due to storms or other causes
    11  beyond the control of the company.   Plans  should  include  details  of
    12  staffing,  equipment and ability to perform towards the following stand-
    13  ard: the goal of full restoration of service  to  all  customers  within
    14  forty-eight  hours,  the requirement of restoration to eighty percent of
    15  customers having lost power within forty-eight  hours,  and  efforts  to
    16  restore  remaining customers to the greatest extent feasible in a timely
    17  and safe manner. The emergency response plan shall include, but need not
    18  be limited to, the following: (i) the identification of management staff
    19  responsible for company operations during an emergency; (ii) a  communi-
    20  cations  system  with  customers during an emergency that extends beyond
    21  normal business hours and business conditions; (iii)  identification  of
    22  and outreach plans to customers who had documented their need for essen-
    23  tial  electricity for medical needs; (iv) identification of and outreach
    24  plans to customers who had documented their need for essential electric-
    25  ity to provide  critical  telecommunications,  critical  transportation,
    26  critical  fuel distribution services or other large-load customers iden-
    27  tified by the commission; (v) designation of company staff  to  communi-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01657-01-9
        S. 8932                             2

     1  cate  with  local  officials  and  appropriate regulatory agencies; (vi)
     2  provisions regarding how the company  will  assure  the  safety  of  its
     3  employees  and  contractors;  (vii) procedures for deploying company and
     4  mutual  aid  crews  to  work  assignment areas; (viii) identification of
     5  additional supplies and equipment needed during an emergency;  (ix)  the
     6  means  of obtaining additional supplies and equipment; (x) procedures to
     7  practice the emergency response plan; (xi)  appropriate  safety  precau-
     8  tions  regarding  electrical hazards, including plans to promptly secure
     9  downed wires within thirty-six hours of notification of the location  of
    10  such  downed  wires  from a municipal emergency official; and (xii) such
    11  other additional information as the commission may  require.  Each  such
    12  corporation  shall,  on  an  annual basis, undertake drills implementing
    13  procedures to practice its emergency management plan. The commission may
    14  adopt additional requirements consistent with  ensuring  the  reasonably
    15  prompt restoration of service in the case of an emergency event.
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.