STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11015
IN ASSEMBLY
September 9, 2020
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Sayegh) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring the
emergency response plan of an electric corporation to include plans
for how the communication and coordination of efforts shall occur
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. The emergency response plan shall
12 include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) the identifica-
13 tion of management staff responsible for company operations during an
14 emergency; (ii) a communications system with customers during an emer-
15 gency that extends beyond normal business hours and business conditions;
16 (iii) identification of and outreach plans to customers who had docu-
17 mented their need for essential electricity for medical needs; (iv)
18 identification of and outreach plans to customers who had documented
19 their need for essential electricity to provide critical telecommuni-
20 cations, critical transportation, critical fuel distribution services or
21 other large-load customers identified by the commission; (v) designation
22 of company staff to communicate with local officials and appropriate
23 regulatory agencies; (vi) provisions regarding how the company will
24 assure the safety of its employees and contractors; (vii) procedures for
25 deploying company and mutual aid crews to work assignment areas; (viii)
26 identification of additional supplies and equipment needed during an
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD17109-04-0
A. 11015 2
1 emergency; (ix) the means of obtaining additional supplies and equip-
2 ment; (x) procedures to practice the emergency response plan; (xi)
3 appropriate safety precautions regarding electrical hazards, including
4 plans to promptly secure downed wires within thirty-six hours of notifi-
5 cation of the location of such downed wires from a municipal emergency
6 official; (xii) plans setting forth how the communication and coordi-
7 nation of efforts between the electric corporation, electric corporation
8 employees, electric corporation company crews, mutual aid crews, other
9 utilities including cable television companies, internet service provid-
10 ers, local governments and any other entity performing services to
11 assist such electric corporation shall occur; and [(xii)] (xiii) such
12 other additional information as the commission may require. Each such
13 corporation shall, on an annual basis, undertake drills implementing
14 procedures to practice its emergency management plan. The commission may
15 adopt additional requirements consistent with ensuring the reasonably
16 prompt restoration of service in the case of an emergency event.
17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
