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History
- Considered by committee - defeated
- Notice of committee consideration - requested
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Companion bill
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Directs public service commission to require utilities involved in vegetation management plan to give 60 days notice prior to such activity; hold public hearing 30 days prior
In Assembly Committee · Energy · Sponsor Richard Brodsky
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to directing the public service commission to require any utility company involved in a vegetation management plan to give prior notification and to hold a public hearing in affected communities
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends the public service law by adding a new section 66-m to require any utility company involved in a vegetation management plan that includes the trimming or cutting of trees and/or the elimination of overgrown vegetation to give 60 days notice prior to such activity to the community affected thereby. The involved utility company shall hold a public hearing within the affected community at least 30 days prior to to the implementation of such plan or activity, providing the residents of such community with the details of such trimming, cutting, and/or vegetation management plan, and providing residents with an opportunity to be heard with respect to such plan.
Section 2 is the immediate effective date.
Justification
Consistently for several years, Consolidated Edison, a utility regulated by the State's Public Service Department, as well as other utility companies in New York State, has repeatedly entered the process of what they deem to be necessary tree removal due to the proximity of overgrown trees near power lines in residential areas of Westchester County. However, many of the residents in communities of Yonkers, Greenburgh and Mt. Pleasant, as well as many others state wide, have been dissatisfied with the process from its incipiency. Many argued that far too many trees were removed yielding various consequences that could have been avoided had there been a mechanism for public input especially regarding site selection and the extent of the trimming.
These consequences include the creation of naked areas that leave sudden drop offs as well as the spread of branches and wood chips making child friendly areas potentially harmful. Additionally, the removal of trees along the New York State Thruway and Sprain Brook Parkway has caused an increase in noise and artificial light entering homes throughout the affected residential areas.
According to members of local environmental conservation groups, the trees in many of these affected areas served as protections to residents from natural processes such as flooding and erosion, which can lead to property damage and personal injury. Several homes have already experienced some of these results as water has run into basements and increased wind speeds have caused damage to several houses.
Legislative history
New Bill- 2010
Fiscal implications
None to the State
Effective date
This bill will take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.