A02547 Summary:

BILL NOA02547
 
SAME ASSAME AS S03586
 
SPONSORRodriguez
 
COSPNSROrtiz, Blake, Buchwald, Glick, Cook, Mosley, Pichardo, Arroyo, Perry, Colton, Peoples-Stokes, Schimel
 
MLTSPNSRGottfried, Lopez, Markey, McDonough, McLaughlin, Montesano, Ra, Saladino, Solages, Steck
 
Add S63-gg, Pub Serv L
 
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.
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A02547 Actions:

BILL NOA02547
 
01/16/2015referred to energy
01/06/2016referred to energy
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A02547 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A2547
 
SPONSOR: Rodriguez (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring liquid petroleum pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leak- ing or at a high-risk of leaking   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: The purpose of this bill is to make operators of gas pipeline facilities accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment. This bill will also make facilities adopt a cost recovery program, a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quality, and limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for gas. It will also require the use of the best available technology to detect gas leaks. This bill will help to set guidelines pertaining to classifying hazardous pipe- lines, creating a methodology for calculating unaccounted for gas, and establishing a database of pipeline infrastructure in cities of one million or more.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 63-gg called Pipeline modernization and consumer protection. Part 1 establishes the definition of "gas pipeline facility", which is a distribution facility and gas utility. Part 2 establishes that each operator of a gas pipeline facility will accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment that is: (a) leaking; or (b) may pose high risks of leaking, or may no longer be fit for service, because of: (i) inferior materials, (ii) poor construction practices, (iii)lack of maintenance, or (iv)age. Part 3 establishes that in complying with subdivision two of this section, the commission shall: (a) develop prioritized timelines to repair all leaks based on the severity of the leak; (b) adopt a cost-re- covery program; (c) adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quality; (d) adopt limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for gas; and(e)require the use of the best available technology to detect gas leaks. Part 4 establishes that the New York State energy research and develop- ment authority will issue non binding guidelines to identify the best practices for classifying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement. This will take place no later than one year after the effective date. Part 5 establishes that the New York State energy research and develop- ment authority and the commission, no later than a year after the effec- tive date, will create and publish forms that adopt a standard defi- nition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas. Part 6 establishes that operators of gas pipeline facilities in cities with a population of one million or more shall establish a database of pipeline infrastructure that will be shared with the coordinated build- ing inspection data analysis.   JUSTIFICATION: Federal requirements related to repairing pipeline leaks are limited to hazardous leaks, which are leaks that represent an existing or probable hazard to persons or property and require immediate repair. There are no Federal requirements to address slower or less hazardous leaks, which can allow the leaks to persist unrepaired indefinitely. According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the United States natural gas distribution system still includes 61,000 miles of bare steel pipe without adequate corrosion protection and 32,000 miles of cast iron pipe, which was installed beginning in the 1830s and can be prone to failure. Major recent pipeline explosions that led to human fatalities occurred in: Austin, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Allentown, Pennsylvania. These explosions were the result of aging, leaking, and high-risk pipeline infrastructure. This bill will help create a higher standard of safety in terms of pipe- line infrastructure, and will lower the cost of the rate that consumers have to pay for lost and unaccounted for gas. This bill will also help to improve the environment by limiting the amount of natural gas that leaks out of faulty pipelines.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A02547 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          2547
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 16, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  RODRIGUEZ  -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
          ARROYO, BROOK-KRASNY, CAMARA, CLARK,  COOK,  GOTTFRIED,  LOPEZ,  McDO-
          NOUGH, MONTESANO, MOSLEY, PEOPLES-STOKES, PICHARDO, SALADINO, STECK --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
 
        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.
                                                                   LBD00796-01-5

        A. 2547                             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.
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