BILL NUMBER: S4429
SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to mandating budget
expenditures by gas and electric corporations to improve power outage
response and to stormproof power lines
 
PURPOSE:
Requires electric and gas corporations to spend dedicated sums of reven-
ue to improve power outage response and to stormproof power lines.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Adds a new section 73 to the Public Service Law which requires electric
and gas corporations to spend dedicated sums of revenue to improve power
outage response and to stormproof power lines' specifically beginning in
2021, 40 of the operating budget of each utility must be spent on
infrastructure hardening, storm resilience, improving response time to
power outages, removing power lines from trees, removing trees and limbs
from the vicinity of power lines. Quarterly reports are mandated and
the PSC is authorized to review compliance in any action brought to
increase rates.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
On August 4th, Tropidal Storm Isaias hit New York with heavy rain,
tornadoes, and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. The storm left
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power across New York City,
Long Island, Westchester and the Hudson Valley, including over 420,000
customers in the PSEG-LI service territory, 260,000 customers in the Con
Edison service territory, and 90,000 customers in the NYSEG service
territory. The storm also disrupted the regions' telephone, cable, and
Internet services; services that are particularly essential for New
Yorker's during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outages and service
disruptions lasted for multiple days, and in some areas of the State
many homes and businesses are still waiting to be reconnected.
Large gas and electric corporations are far more accountable to share-
holders than ratepayers and this must change. This bill requires direct
investment in the infrastructure, tools and preventative maintenance to
mitigate, lessen and substantially reduce future power outages of long
duration.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S5593
2021-2022: S4190
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.