Senate Bill S8932

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8932
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              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:
 
   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.   PLANS  SHOULD  INCLUDE  DETAILS  OF
 STAFFING,  EQUIPMENT AND ABILITY TO PERFORM TOWARDS THE FOLLOWING STAND-
 ARD: THE GOAL OF FULL RESTORATION OF SERVICE  TO  ALL  CUSTOMERS  WITHIN
 FORTY-EIGHT  HOURS,  THE REQUIREMENT OF RESTORATION TO EIGHTY PERCENT OF
 CUSTOMERS HAVING LOST POWER WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT  HOURS,  AND  EFFORTS  TO
 RESTORE  REMAINING CUSTOMERS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT FEASIBLE IN A TIMELY
 AND SAFE MANNER. The emergency response plan shall include, but need not
 be limited to, the following: (i) the identification of management staff
 responsible for company operations during an emergency; (ii) a  communi-
 cations  system  with  customers during an emergency that extends beyond
 normal business hours and business conditions; (iii)  identification  of
 and outreach plans to customers who had documented their need for essen-
 tial  electricity for medical needs; (iv) identification of and outreach
 plans to customers who had documented their need for essential electric-
 ity to provide  critical  telecommunications,  critical  transportation,
 critical  fuel distribution services or other large-load customers iden-
 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
 
 cate  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 emergency;  (ix)  the
 means  of obtaining additional supplies and equipment; (x) procedures to
 practice the emergency response plan; (xi)  appropriate  safety  precau-
 tions  regarding  electrical hazards, including plans to promptly secure
 downed wires within thirty-six hours of notification of the location  of
 such  downed  wires  from a municipal emergency official; and (xii) 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.