S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6285
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 3, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. OTIS, BURDICK, PAULIN, ROZIC, SAYEGH, SEAWRIGHT,
   SIMON, JACOBSON, SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to the Committee on
   Energy
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to the  contents  of
   emergency  response  plans  required  to  be  submitted  to the public
   service commission by electric corporations

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 21 of section 66 of the public
 service  law,  as separately amended by chapters 395 and 743 of the laws
 of 2022, subparagraph (iii) as separately amended by chapter 38  of  the
 laws  of 2023, subparagraph (xi) as separately amended by chapter 743 of
 the laws of 2022 and chapter 38  of  the  laws  of  2024,  subparagraphs
 (xii), (xiii) and (xiv) as amended by chapter 38 of the laws of 2024, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (a) Each electric corporation subject to section twenty-five-a of this
 chapter  shall  annually, on or before December fifteenth, submit to the
 commission an emergency response plan for review and approval. The emer-
 gency response plan shall be designed for the reasonably prompt restora-
 tion of service in the case of an emergency event, defined for  purposes
 of  this  subdivision as an event where widespread outages have occurred
 in the service territory of the company due to storms, cyber attack,  or
 other  causes  beyond the control of the company.  TO SUPPORT REASONABLY
 PROMPT RESTORATION OF SERVICE IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY  EVENT,  EMER-
 GENCY RESPONSE PLANS SHOULD INCLUDE DETAILS OF STAFFING, EQUIPMENT AND A
 PERFORMANCE  SCHEDULE  WITH THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING RESTORATION OF SERVICE
 BASED UPON A TIME-BASED RESTORATION SCHEDULE ESTABLISHED BY THE  COMMIS-
 SION.  IN ESTABLISHING SUCH TIME-BASED RESTORATION SCHEDULE, THE COMMIS-
 SION SHOULD UTILIZE BENCHMARKS FOR  THE  RESTORATION  OF  SERVICE  WHICH
 INCLUDE,  BUT  ARE  NOT LIMITED TO, THE PERCENTAGE OF CUSTOMERS RESTORED
 WITHIN EACH TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR  INTERVAL  FOLLOWING  THE  EMERGENCY  EVENT
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05817-01-5
              

 A. 6285                             2
 
 INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, CONSIDERATION OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF STORM
 EVENTS.  The  emergency  response  plan  shall  include, but need not be
 limited to, the following:  (i) the identification of  management  staff
 responsible  for company operations during an emergency; (ii) a communi-
 cations system with customers during an emergency  that  extends  beyond
 normal  business  hours and business conditions; (iii) identification of
 and outreach plans to customers who had documented their need for essen-
 tial electricity for medical needs,  which  shall  include  but  not  be
 limited  to, apnea monitors for infants, cuirass respirators, hemodialy-
 sis machines, IV feeding machines, IV medical infusion machines,  oxygen
 concentrators,  positive  pressure  respirators, respirator/ventilators,
 rocking bed respirators, suction machines, and  tank  type  respirators;
 (iv)  identification  of  and  outreach plans to customers who had docu-
 mented their need for essential electricity to provide critical telecom-
 munications,  critical  transportation,   critical   fuel   distribution
 services or other large-load customers identified by the commission; (v)
 designation  of  company  staff  to communicate with local officials and
 appropriate regulatory  agencies;  (vi)  provisions  regarding  how  the
 company  will  assure the safety of its employees and contractors; (vii)
 procedures for deploying company and mutual aid crews to work assignment
 areas; (viii) identification of additional supplies and equipment needed
 during an emergency; (ix) the means of obtaining additional supplies and
 equipment; (x) procedures to practice the emergency response plan;  (xi)
 appropriate  safety  precautions regarding electrical hazards, including
 plans to promptly secure downed wires within thirty-six hours of notifi-
 cation of the location of such downed wires from a  municipal  emergency
 official;  (xii)  plans  to prioritize the securing of downed wires over
 routine maintenance or other work unrelated to a response to an emergen-
 cy event after notification by an individual of  the  location  of  such
 downed wires and where such notification includes information indicating
 wire  burning, arcing/sparking, or the restriction of ingress and egress
 from a building or vehicle,  or  other  immediate  hazards.  Such  plans
 shall,  at  minimum,  include procedures to identify, locate, and assess
 the reported wire no later than seventy-two hours after the response  to
 an  emergency  event  ends;  (xiii) plans setting forth how the communi-
 cation and coordination of efforts  between  the  electric  corporation,
 electric  corporation  employees,  electric  corporation  company crews,
 mutual aid crews, other utilities, local governments and any other enti-
 ty performing services to assist such electric corporation shall  occur;
 and  (xiv)  such  other  additional  information  as  the commission may
 require. Each such corporation shall,  on  an  annual  basis,  undertake
 drills  implementing  procedures  to  practice  its emergency management
 plan. The commission may adopt additional requirements  consistent  with
 ensuring  the reasonably prompt restoration of service in the case of an
 emergency event.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.