Assembly Bill A11015

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11015
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             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:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of section 66 of the public
 service law, as added by section 4 of part X of chapter 57 of  the  laws
 of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   (a) Each electric corporation subject to section twenty-five-a of this
 chapter  shall  annually, on or before December fifteenth, submit to the
 commission an emergency response plan for review and approval. The emer-
 gency response plan shall be designed for the reasonably prompt restora-
 tion of service in the case of an emergency event, defined for  purposes
 of  this  subdivision as an event where widespread outages have occurred
 in the service territory of the company due to storms  or  other  causes
 beyond  the  control  of  the company. The emergency response plan shall
 include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) the  identifica-
 tion  of  management  staff responsible for company operations during an
 emergency; (ii) a communications system with customers during  an  emer-
 gency that extends beyond normal business hours and business conditions;
 (iii)  identification  of  and outreach plans to customers who had docu-
 mented their need for essential  electricity  for  medical  needs;  (iv)
 identification  of  and  outreach  plans to customers who had documented
 their need for essential electricity to  provide  critical  telecommuni-
 cations, critical transportation, critical fuel distribution services or
 other large-load customers identified by the commission; (v) designation
 of  company  staff  to  communicate with local officials and appropriate
 regulatory agencies; (vi) provisions  regarding  how  the  company  will
 assure the safety of its employees and contractors; (vii) procedures for
 deploying  company and mutual aid crews to work assignment areas; (viii)
 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
 
 emergency;  (ix)  the  means of obtaining additional supplies and equip-
 ment; (x) procedures to  practice  the  emergency  response  plan;  (xi)
 appropriate  safety  precautions regarding electrical hazards, including
 plans to promptly secure downed wires within thirty-six hours of notifi-
 cation  of  the location of such downed wires from a municipal emergency
 official; (XII) PLANS SETTING FORTH HOW THE  COMMUNICATION  AND  COORDI-
 NATION OF EFFORTS BETWEEN THE ELECTRIC CORPORATION, ELECTRIC CORPORATION
 EMPLOYEES,  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION COMPANY CREWS, MUTUAL AID CREWS, OTHER
 UTILITIES INCLUDING CABLE TELEVISION COMPANIES, INTERNET SERVICE PROVID-
 ERS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND  ANY  OTHER  ENTITY  PERFORMING  SERVICES  TO
 ASSIST  SUCH  ELECTRIC  CORPORATION SHALL OCCUR; and [(xii)] (XIII) such
 other additional information as the commission may  require.  Each  such
 corporation  shall,  on  an  annual basis, undertake drills implementing
 procedures to practice its emergency management plan. The commission may
 adopt additional requirements consistent with  ensuring  the  reasonably
 prompt restoration of service in the case of an emergency event.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.