BILL NUMBER: S5186
SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
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
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to make operators of gas pipeline facilities
accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping
equipment. This bill will also make facilities adopt a cost recovery
program, a standard definition and methodology for calculating and
reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quality, and limits on
cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for gas. It will also require
the use of the best available technology to detect gas leaks. This bill
will help to set guidelines pertaining to classifying hazardous pipe
lines, creating a methodology for calculating unaccounted for gas, and
establishing a database of pipeline infrastructure in cities of one
million or more.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 66-q
called Pipeline modernization and consumer protection. Part 1 estab-
lishes the definition of "gas pipeline facility", which is a distribu-
tion-facility and gas utility.
Part 2 establishes that each operator of a gas pipeline facility will,
accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or
equipment that is: (a) leaking; or (b) 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.
Part 3 establishes that in complying with subdivision two of this
section, the commission shall: (a) develop prioritized timeliness to
repair all leaks based on the severity of the leak; (b) adopt a cost-re-
covery program; (c) adopt a standard definition and methodology for
calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quali-
ty;(d) adopt limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for
gas; and (e)require the use of the best available technology to detect
gas leaks.
Part 4 establishes that the Public Service Commission will issue
nonbinding guidelines to identify the best practices for classifying
high- risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement.
This will take place no later than one year after the effective date.
Part 5 establishes that the Public Service Commission, no later than a
year after the effective date, will create and publish:f9rm's that adopt
a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting
unaccounted for gas. Part 6 establishes that operators of gas pipeline
facilities in cities with a population of one million or more shall
establish a database of pipeline infrastructure that will be shared with
the coordinated building inspection data analysis.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Federal requirements related to repairing pipeline leaks are limited to
hazardous leaks, which are leaks that represent an existing or probable
hazard to persons or property and require immediate repair. There are
no Federal requirements to address slower or less hazardous leaks, which
can allow the leaks to persist unrepaired indefinitely.
According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,
the United States natural gas distribution system still includes 61,000
miles of bare steel pipe, without adequate corrosion protection and
32,000 miles of cast iron pipe, which was installed beginning in the
1830s and can be prone to failure. Major recent pipeline explosions that
led to human fatalities occurred in: Austin, Texas; Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania; and Allentown, Pennsylvania. These explosions were the result
of aging, leaking, and high-risk pipeline infrastructure. This bill will
help create a higher standard of safety in terms of pipeline infrastruc-
ture, and will lower the cost of the rate that consumers have to pay for
lost and unaccounted for gas. This bill will also help to improve the
environment by limiting the amount of natural gas that leaks out of
faulty pipelines.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S2735: 2024
S5801: 2022
Senate Bill 2186 of 2017-18: Energy & Telecommunications
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.