S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
7625
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 1, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring gas
pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and
replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or at a high
risk of leaking and increase safety reporting relating to gas pipeline
leaks
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
66-x to read as follows:
§ 66-X. PIPELINE MODERNIZATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. 1. AS USED IN
THIS SECTION, "GAS PIPELINE FACILITY" MEANS (A) A DISTRIBUTION FACILITY,
AND (B) A GAS UTILITY.
2. EACH OPERATOR OF A GAS PIPELINE FACILITY SHALL IDENTIFY AND ACCEL-
ERATE THE REPAIR, REHABILITATION, AND REPLACEMENT OF GAS PIPING OR
EQUIPMENT THAT IS:
(A) LEAKING; OR
(B) CLASSIFIED AS A LEAK PRONE PIPE 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.
3. IN COMPLYING WITH SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION, EACH OPERATOR OF
A GAS PIPELINE SHALL:
(A) PROVIDE THE COMMISSION WITH AN INVENTORY OF ALL GAS PIPING OR
EQUIPMENT WITHIN THE OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA THAT IS LEAKING, CONTAINS
LEAK PRONE PIPE, MAY POSE HIGH RISKS OF LEAKING, OR MAY NO LONGER BE FIT
FOR SERVICE;
(B) REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PORTION OF A LEAKING GAS PIPELINE FACILITY
TO CEASE SUCH LEAK WITHIN THE TIMEFRAMES ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSION
PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION; AND
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06373-03-5
A. 7625 2
(C) REPLACE LEAK PRONE PIPE WITHIN THE TIMEFRAMES ESTABLISHED BY THE
COMMISSION PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION.
4. THE COMMISSION SHALL:
(A) DEVELOP PRIORITIZED TIMELINES TO REPAIR ALL LEAKS FROM ALL GAS
PIPING OR EQUIPMENT WITHIN AN OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA INCLUDING NON-HA-
ZARDOUS LEAKS, OR REPLACE IDENTIFIED LEAKING OR HIGH-RISK PIPING OR
EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING LEAKS IDENTIFIED AS PART OF AN INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT
PLAN DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION IF APPLICABLE;
(B) DEFINE ALL LEAK PRONE PIPE THAT 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. THE COMMISSION SHALL DEFINE ALL CAST AND WROUGHT IRON PIPE WITHIN
AN OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA AS LEAK PRONE PIPE;
(C) ADOPT A COST-RECOVERY PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES (I) REPLACEMENT PLANS
WITH TARGETS AND BENCHMARKS FOR LEAKING OR HIGH-RISK INFRASTRUCTURE
REPLACEMENT, (II) CONSIDERATION OF THE ECONOMIC, SAFETY, AND ENVIRON-
MENTAL BENEFITS OF REDUCED GAS LEAKAGE, INCLUDING CONSIDERATION OF
REDUCED OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS AND REDUCED COSTS ATTRIBUTABLE
TO LOST OR UNACCOUNTED-FOR NATURAL GAS, AND (III) REPORTING ON THE
REDUCTIONS IN LOST OR UNACCOUNTED-FOR GAS AS A RESULT OF PIPELINE
REPLACEMENTS REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION;
(D) ADOPT A STANDARD DEFINITION AND METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING AND
REPORTING UNACCOUNTED-FOR GAS TO IMPROVE DATA QUALITY;
(E) ADOPT LIMITS ON COST RECOVERY FOR THE LOST AND UNACCOUNTED-FOR
GAS;
(F) REQUIRE USE OF BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT GAS LEAKS; AND
(G) ADOPT A STANDARD FOR IDENTIFYING THE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS CAUSED BY
GAS LEAKS IN THE GAS PIPELINE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
5. NO LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION,
THE COMMISSION SHALL, AFTER NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT, ISSUE
RULES IDENTIFYING BEST PRACTICES FOR IDENTIFYING AND CLASSIFYING HIGH-
RISK PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE AND LEAKS FOR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AND
FURTHER DEFINING LEAK PRONE PIPE AS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH THIS
SECTION.
6. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, NO
LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE
COMMISSION SHALL ESTABLISH AND PUBLISH FORMS THAT ADOPT A STANDARD DEFI-
NITION AND METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING AND REPORTING UNACCOUNTED-FOR
GAS, INCLUDING, WHEN POSSIBLE, INFORMATION ON THE CAUSES OF UNACCOUNT-
ED-FOR GAS AND THE QUANTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CAUSE, FOR USE BY
APPLICABLE STATE AGENCIES TO STANDARDIZE THE DATA COLLECTED ON UNAC-
COUNTED-FOR GAS.
7. OPERATORS OF GAS PIPELINE FACILITIES IN CITIES WITH A POPULATION OF
ONE MILLION OR MORE SHALL ESTABLISH A DATABASE OF PIPELINE INFRASTRUC-
TURE THAT INCLUDES ITS AGE AND STATE OF REPAIR AND SHALL SHARE THIS
INFORMATION WITH THE COORDINATED BUILDING INSPECTION DATA ANALYSIS
SYSTEM.
8. THE COMMISSION SHALL PRESCRIBE SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS AS IT MAY
DEEM NECESSARY TO CARRY INTO EFFECT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
§ 2. Section 66-u of the public service law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. THE COMMISSION SHALL, NO LATER THAN JULY FIRST OF EACH YEAR,
PROVIDE A GAS SAFETY REPORT TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE
ON ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ENERGY.
THE GAS SAFETY REPORT SHALL SUMMARIZE:
A. 7625 3
(A) THE AMOUNT OF REMAINING PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK FOR GAS CORPO-
RATION;
(B) THE AMOUNT OF ANNUAL PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK THAT THE DEPARTMENT
HAS AUTHORIZED FOR EACH GAS CORPORATION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AND SUBSE-
QUENT TWO YEARS;
(C) THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ANNUAL AUTHORIZATIONS DESCRIBED IN PARA-
GRAPH (B) OF THIS SUBDIVISION HAVE BEEN REVISED AS A RESULT OF ANY
RULING BY THE COMMISSION SINCE THE TIME OF THE LAST REPORT;
(D) THE AMOUNT OF PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK PERFORMED BY EACH GAS
CORPORATION IN THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR;
(E) THE ADEQUACY OF FIELD PERSONNEL THAT EACH GAS COMPANY HAS ALLO-
CATED TOWARD PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK, INCLUDING THE QUALITY OF ANY
TRAINING OR CERTIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WORK;
(F) ANY PENALTIES, FINES, OR VIOLATIONS IMPOSED BY THE DEPARTMENT ON A
GAS CORPORATION FOR FAILING TO COMPLETE THAT CORPORATION'S PIPELINE
REPLACEMENT WORK DURING THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR; AND
(G) THE EXTENT TO WHICH ANY OF THE FINDINGS IN THE REPORT REQUIRED BY
THE SUBDIVISION, IN THE REPORT DESCRIBED IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS
SECTION, OR ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION IN SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS
SECTION, MATERIALLY CHANGE THE SCOPE OR SCHEDULE FOR REPLACING THE
REMAINING PIPELINES DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.