Relates to reporting requirements for various classifications of gas leaks by utility corporations

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill would amend the public service law by adding a new section 67-b.

Subdivision one of section 67-b that would require the department to establish a uniform system for classifying natural gas leaks. Subdivision two of section 67-b would describe the system to be used to classify the leaks according to the level of hazard presented to buildings or the public, based on location and/or relative magnitude. Leaks would be classified type 1 (which constitutes a potentially hazardous condition to the public or buildings), type 2A (which does not present an immediately hazardous condition to the public or buildings, but is of a nature that requires frequent surveillance and scheduled repair), type 2 (which does not present an immediately hazardous condition to the public or buildings, but is of a nature requiring scheduled repair), or type 3 (which is not immediately hazardous at the time of detection and can be reasonably expected to remain that way).

Subdivision 3 of section 67-b would require each gas corporation to report annually to the department, beginning March 1, 2015, the location of each Type 1, Type 2A, Type 2 and Type 3 leak, the date of classification of each such leak, and the date of repair performed on each such leak as required under such gas corporation's approved operations and maintenance programs. Subdivision 3 would also require that such gas leak information be made available to any municipal or state public safety official and any member of the legislature upon request to the department.

Subdivision 4 of section 67-b would require the department to promulgate regulations necessary to implement the uniform leak classification standards, and to oversee and monitor gas company response and reporting.

Subdivision 5 of section 67-b would require the commission to investigate whether New York State should require winter surveillance

and patrol of cast iron or ductile iron pipelines and to determine the effect on such pipelines of extended frost cap conditions.

Section 2 of the bill would provide for an immediate effective date.

Justification

Under current regulations, gas companies are required to classify leaks of natural gas according to severity, which is determined by a combination of location and the magnitude of the leak. They maintain records of the leaks but are not required to report them to the department, which relies on periodic audits of the companies to ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Because the department maintains no records, none are available to public safety officials.

The proposed change would lead to a new level of transparency regarding the locations and classifications of leaks, which would accomplish several important public safety goals. Knowledge of existing leaks would facilitate safe, rapid response by local first responders to accidents and other emergencies that might occur at or near the locations of known gas leaks. Further, members of the public would be more likely to call 911 or their local gas company about suspected gas leaks if they believed that the information would be included into a readily accessible database that would be used to help prevent property damage, injuries or even loss of life.

Fiscal implications

Some administrative costs to the Department of Public Service

Effective date

Immediately