NY State Senate Bill 2021-S6380

Senate Bill S6380

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Relates to directing the public service commission to survey all utility poles throughout the state and assess their condition

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to energy and telecommunications
Apr 26, 2021	referred to energy and telecommunications

2021-S6380 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §119-d, Pub Serv L

2021-S6380 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the public service commission to survey all utility poles throughout the state, assess their condition and report the condition of such utility poles to the owners of such utility poles; requires the owners of utility poles in poor condition or twenty or more years old to replace such poles or receive a fine.

2021-S6380 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6380

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to directing the
public service commission to survey all utility poles throughout the
state and assess their condition

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

In the interests of public service and safety, this bill will direct the
commission to inspect, report, and regulate the condition of utility
poles throughout the state.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends the public service law by adding section 119-d that
requires the public service commission to survey all utility poles
throughout the state, assess their condition, and then report such
condition to their respective owners. Additionally sets that replacement

process for utility poles in poor or aged condition and the penalty for
failure to replace said poles.

Section 2: Sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Utility poles stand to be the structural support of our State's overhead
power lines and essential public utilities, such as fiber optic cables,
electrical cables, street lights, and transformers.  Currently, utility
pole owners are solely responsible for setting and removing poles and
bear the primary responsibility of their respective maintenance.

Given their importance, utility poles must be granted the attention of
the public service commission in regards to upkeep. Installing, sustain-
ing, or removing poles is essential to maintaining safe and reliable
service, and as such, routine supervision by the public service commis-
sion should be deployed to ensure the serviceability of our State's
poles.

Being able to report the condition of inspected utility poles would
alert owners to potential risks, minimizing future costs for replacement
or condition-related accidents. This legislation would introduce the
oversight needed to regulate the condition of utility poles - benefit-
ting their respective owners and the public they serve.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2021-S6380 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6380
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the public service law, in relation to directing the
   public service commission to survey all utility poles  throughout  the
   state and assess their condition

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a  new  section
 119-d to read as follows:
   §  119-D.  SURVEY OF UTILITY POLES. 1. THE COMMISSION SHALL SURVEY ALL
 UTILITY POLES THROUGHOUT THE STATE, ASSESS THEIR  CONDITION  AND  REPORT
 THE CONDITION OF SUCH UTILITY POLES TO THE OWNERS OF SUCH UTILITY POLES.
 ANY  POLE FOUND IN SUCH SURVEY TO BE IN POOR CONDITION OR TWENTY OR MORE
 YEARS OLD SHALL BE REPLACED BY THE UTILITY COMPANY OR  CABLE  TELEVISION
 COMPANY,  AS DEFINED IN SECTION TWO HUNDRED TWELVE OF THIS CHAPTER, THAT
 OWNS SUCH UTILITY POLE WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE UTILITY POLE
 CONDITION REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION.
   2. A UTILITY COMPANY OR CABLE TELEVISION COMPANY THAT HAS NOT REPLACED
 A UTILITY POLE REQUIRED TO BE REPLACED PURSUANT TO  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF
 THIS SECTION WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE UTILITY POLE CONDITION
 REPORT  FROM THE COMMISSION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A FINE AS IMPOSED PURSU-
 ANT TO A LOCAL LAW PASSED BY THE MUNICIPALITY WHERE SUCH UTILITY POLE IS
 LOCATED.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10930-01-1

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