NY State Senate Bill 2025-S3551

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 28, 2025	referred to energy and telecommunications

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Services
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S9892

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the study commission on preventing snow emergencies to evaluate the impact of grid electrification on the safety and reliability of heating systems in snowstorms that cause power outages, and to develop strategies and best practices to maximize grid reliability and resiliency during extreme winter weather events.

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3551

SPONSOR: BORRELLO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act establishing the study commission on preventing snow emergencies;
and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration
thereof

 
PURPOSE:

The bill establishes the study commission on preventing snow emergen-
cies.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. There is hereby established the Study Commission on Prevent-
ing Snow Emergencies. The purpose of the study commission is to evaluate
the impact of grid electrification on the safety and reliability of
heating systems in snowstorms that cause power outages, and to develop
strategies and best practices to maximize grid reliability and resilien-
cy during extreme winter weather events.

Section 2. The study commission shall consist of fifteen members as
follows:

a. The Chair of the Public Service Commission, or his or her designee;

b. One member to be appointed by the Governor;

c. One member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly;

d. One member to be appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader;

e. One member to be appointed by the Temporary President of the Senate;

f. One member to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;

g. The Chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee

h. The Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Energy Committee

i. The Chair of the Assembly Energy Committee

j. The Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Energy Committee

k. One member to be appointed by the three largest utility companies
servicing Western New York;

1. The Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Services, or his or her designee;

m. One member to be appointed by the largest trade association repres-
enting electrical workers in Western New York.

Section 3. The commissioner of the Chair of the Public Service Commis-
sion, or his or her designee, shall be designated as the chairperson of
the Study Commission on Preventing Snow Emergencies.  The members of the
study commission shall serve without compensation, except that members
shall be allowed their necessary and actual expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties under this act.

Section 4. The study commission shall be authorized to hold public hear-
ings, and to consult with any organization, educational institution, or
other government entity or person, to enable it to accomplish its
duties.

Section 5. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the study commission
may request and shall receive from any department, division, board,
bureau, commission, or other agency of the state or any state public
authority such assistance, information, and data as will enable the
study commission to properly carry out its powers and duties hereunder.

Section 6. The study commission shall issue a report of its findings and
legislative recommendations to the Governor, the Speaker of the Assem-
bly, the Assembly Minority Leader, the Temporary President of the
Senate, and the Senate Minority Leader.

Section 7. The public service commission shall use the Study Commission
on Preventing Snow Emergencies' report's findings and recommendations to
determine whether, how, and on what timetable to modify the targets
within subdivision 2 of section 66-p of this article. The public service
commission shall consult with the department of environmental conserva-
tion about whether, how, and on what timetable to modify the targets
within subdivision 1 of section 75-107 of article 75 of the environ-
mental conservation law pursuant to subdivision five of Section 75-107
of the environmental conservation law, based upon the Study Commission
on Preventing Snow Emergencies' report's findings and recommendations
pursuant to this act.

Section 8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and
be deemed repealed two years after such date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In December of 2022, Western New York experienced a devastating blizzard
that knocked out electricity and left residents in their homes without
heat. The tragedy resulted in the loss of life of forty-seven New York-
ers. As we work to modernize our grid, ensuring the safety of New York-
ers is paramount so that we may prevent such devastation in the future.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S9892 Referred to Rules

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 28 deemed
repealed two years after it shall have become a law.

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3551
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations
 
 AN ACT establishing the study commission on preventing snow emergencies;
   and  providing  for  the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration
   thereof

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  There  is  hereby  established  the  study  commission on
 preventing snow emergencies,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  the  "study
 commission".  The  purpose  of  the  study commission is to evaluate the
 impact of grid electrification on the safety and reliability of  heating
 systems  in  snowstorms that cause power outages, and to develop strate-
 gies and best practices to  maximize  grid  reliability  and  resiliency
 during extreme winter weather events.
   § 2. The study commission shall consist of fifteen members as follows:
   1.  the chair of the public service commission, or such chair's desig-
 nee;
   2. one member to be appointed by the governor;
   3. one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly;
   4. one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly;
   5. one member to be  appointed  by  the  temporary  president  of  the
 senate;
   6. one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
   7. the chair of the senate energy and telecommunications committee;
   8.  the  ranking minority member of the senate energy and telecommuni-
 cations committee;
   9. the chair of the assembly energy committee;
   10. the ranking minority member of the assembly energy committee;
   11. three members to be appointed each by the  three  largest  utility
 companies servicing Western New York;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08104-01-5

 S. 3551                             2
 
   12. the commissioner of the division of homeland security and emergen-
 cy services, or such commissioner's designee; and
   13.  one  member  to  be  appointed  by  the largest trade association
 representing electrical workers in Western New York.
   § 3. The chair of the  public  service  commission,  or  such  chair's
 designee,  shall  be  designated as the chairperson of the study commis-
 sion.  The members of the study commission shall serve  without  compen-
 sation,  except that members shall be allowed their necessary and actual
 expenses incurred in the performance of their duties under this act.
   § 4. The study commission shall be authorized to hold public hearings,
 and to consult with any organization, educational institution, or  other
 government entity or person, to enable it to accomplish its duties.
   §  5. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the study commission may
 request and shall receive from any department, division, board,  bureau,
 commission,  or  other agency of the state or any state public authority
 such assistance, information, and data as will enable the study  commis-
 sion to properly carry out its powers and duties hereunder.
   §  6.  The  study  commission shall issue a report of its findings and
 legislative recommendations to the governor, the speaker of  the  assem-
 bly, the minority leader of the assembly, the temporary president of the
 senate, and the minority leader of the senate.
   §  7.  The  public service commission shall use the study commission's
 report's findings and recommendations to determine whether, how, and  on
 what  timetable  to  modify  the  targets  set forth in subdivision 2 of
 section 66-p of the public service law. The  public  service  commission
 shall  consult  with  the department of environmental conservation about
 whether, how, and on what timetable to modify the targets set  forth  in
 subdivision  1 of section 75-0107 of the environmental conservation law,
 based upon the study commission's report's findings and  recommendations
 issued pursuant to this act.
   §  8.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed two years after it shall have become a law.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S3551

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S3551

Share this bill

Sponsored By

George M. Borrello

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3551 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments