S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8618--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 21, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to  expanding  elec-
   tric transmission lines throughout the state of New York

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Article 8 of the public service law is amended by adding  a
 new section 149 to read as follows:
   § 149. ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE EXPANSION PLAN. 1. ORES SHALL ESTAB-
 LISH  A  MAPPING,  INSTALLATION  AND  EFFICIENCY PLAN FOR THE PURPOSE OF
 ALLOWING ORES AND OTHER APPLICABLE NEW YORK STATE ENTITIES  TO  IDENTIFY
 LOCATIONS IN THE STATE WHERE NEW OR EXISTING ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES
 CAN  BE  BUILT OR UPGRADED, EXCLUDING SPECIFIED INDIGENOUS LAND OR PRIME
 AGRICULTURAL AREAS THAT MAY BE  NEGATIVELY  IMPACTED.  SUCH  PLAN  SHALL
 FOCUS  ON  THE  IMPLEMENTATION  OF NEW OR EXISTING ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION
 LINES TO ALLOW THE EXPANSION OF TRANSMISSION  AND  DISTRIBUTION  INFRAS-
 TRUCTURE IN UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES.
   2. ORES SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS
 AND  MAXIMIZE  EFFICIENCY FOR INSTALLING NEW OR EXISTING ELECTRIC TRANS-
 MISSION LINES, AND SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL CONSIDER MAN  HOURS,
 TIME, AND COST.
   3.  ORES,  IN  CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT, ELECTRIC AND COMBINED
 ELECTRIC-GAS CORPORATIONS SHALL  GATHER  DATA  REGARDING  THE  AVAILABLE
 CAPACITY  OF ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND ITS EFFICIENCY FOR
 COMMUNITIES SERVED IN AREAS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF LINE CONGESTION,  AND/OR
 AREAS WITH HIGH RENEWABLE PENETRATION WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. ORES
 AND THE DEPARTMENT IN GATHERING SUCH DATA SHALL INCLUDE THE RESOURCE MIX
 OF WIND, SOLAR, HYDROGEN, ELECTRIC AND GAS POWER GENERATING FACILITIES.
   4. ONCE ORES HAS IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL NEW LOCATIONS OR SITES REQUIRING
 UPGRADES  FOR ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF
 THIS SECTION AND HAS ESTABLISHED PROCESSES FOR INSTALLING  NEW  ELECTRIC
 TRANSMISSION LINES IN AN EFFICIENT MANNER PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14614-02-4
 S. 8618--A                          2

 THIS  SECTION,  ORES SHALL RELEASE THE MAPPING TOOL, THE EFFICIENCY PLAN
 AND A REPORT ON THE ORES WEBSITE. THE REPORT SHALL DETAIL:
   (A)  ANY  PROCESSES ORES FOUND REGARDING THE EFFICIENT INSTALLATION OF
 NEW ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES;
   (B) ANY RELEVANT DATA GATHERED REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF  CAPACITY
 FOR  DISTRIBUTION LINES IN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE HIGH RATES OF RENEWABLE
 PENETRATION AND/OR HIGH LEVELS OF LINE CONGESTION;
   (C) A DETAILED LIST OF POTENTIAL LOCATIONS  FOR  NEW  ELECTRIC  TRANS-
 MISSION LINES; AND
   (D)  ANY OTHER DATA OR INFORMATION ORES AND THE DEPARTMENT FINDS RELE-
 VANT TO THIS SECTION.
   5. ORES SHALL SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE STATUS
 OF NEW TRANSMISSION LINES BUILT UNDER ITS OVERSIGHT UNTIL COMPLETION  OF
 SUCH NEW TRANSMISSION LINES. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE THE STATUS OF ANY
 NEW  OR UPGRADED TRANSMISSION LINES BUILT UNDER THE REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
 OF ORES AND THE EFFECT OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED BY  ORES
 AND  ANY  INFORMATION REGARDING CONTRACTORS AND PROGRESS MADE TOWARD THE
 INSTALLATION OF NEW TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION LINES.  FURTHER,  SUCH
 REPORT SHALL INCLUDE THE DATA GATHERED BY ORES, THE DEPARTMENT, ELECTRIC
 AND  COMBINED ELECTRIC-GAS CORPORATIONS PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF
 THIS SECTION, AND THE EFFECTS OF NEW TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION LINES
 DISTRIBUTING ELECTRICITY TO UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
 the  amendments  to  article 8 of the public service law made by section
 one of this act shall not affect the  expiration  of  such  article  and
 shall be deemed to expire therewith.