What's happening
This bill requires gas pipeline operators to accelerate repairs and replacements of leaking or high-risk infrastructure and improve leak detection and reporting.
Why it matters
Mandates faster action on dangerous infrastructure. By requiring gas pipeline operators to quickly repair, rehabilitate, or replace pipelines and equipment that are leaking or at high risk of leaking, the bill aims to reduce the risk of explosions, fires, and environmental harm from gas leaks.
Prioritizes public and environmental safety. The bill directs the commission to create prioritized timelines for leak repairs (including non-hazardous leaks) and to consider safety, environmental, and economic benefits—such as reduced methane emissions and lower maintenance costs—when planning pipeline replacements.
Improves transparency and accountability. Operators must use standardized definitions and methodologies for reporting "unaccounted-for gas," making it easier to track and address lost gas, which can represent both financial loss and environmental hazard. Large cities will also see new requirements for infrastructure databases to improve oversight.
Encourages use of advanced technology. By requiring the use of best available leak detection technology and the creation of best-practice guidelines, the bill seeks to modernize pipeline monitoring and repair, potentially leading to faster identification and mitigation of problems before they escalate.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fix Leaking Gas Pipelines
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2186
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 12, 2017
Introduced by Sen. ALCANTARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring liquid petroleum pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or at a high-risk of leaking
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 63-gg to read as follows:
§ 63-gg. Pipeline modernization and consumer protection. 1. As used in this section, "gas pipeline facility" means (a) a distribution facility, and (b) a gas utility.
2. Each operator of a gas pipeline facility shall accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment that is:
(a) leaking; or
(b) may pose high risks of leaking, or may no longer be fit for service, because of: (i) inferior materials, (ii) poor construction practices, (iii) lack of maintenance, or (iv) age.
3. In complying with subdivision two of this section, the commission shall: (a) develop prioritized timelines to repair all leaks based on the severity of the leak, including non-hazardous leaks, or replace identified leaking or high-risk piping or equipment, including leaks identified as part of an integrity management plan developed under this section if applicable;
(b) adopt a cost-recovery program that includes (i) replacement plans with targets and benchmarks for leaking or high-risk infrastructure replacement, (ii) consideration of the economic, safety, and environmental benefits of reduced gas leakage, including consideration of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07259-01-7
S. 2186 2
reduced operation and maintenance costs and reduced costs attributable to lost or unaccounted-for natural gas, and (iii) reporting on the reductions in lost or unaccounted-for gas as a result of pipeline replacements;
(c) adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted-for gas to improve data quality;
(d) adopt limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted-for gas; and
(e) require use of best available technology to detect gas leaks.
4. No later than one year after the effective date of this section, the New York state energy research and development authority shall, after notice and opportunity to comment, issue non-binding guidelines identifying best practices for identifying and classifying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement.
5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no later than one year after the effective date of this section, the New York state energy research and development authority and the commission shall work jointly to establish and publish forms that adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted-for gas, including, when possible, information on the causes of unaccounted-for gas and the quantities associated with each cause, for use by applicable state agencies to standardize the data collected on unaccounted-for gas.
6. Operators of gas pipeline facilities in cities with a population of one million or more shall establish a database of pipeline infrastructure that includes its age and state of repair and shall share this information with the coordinated building inspection data analysis system.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring liquid petroleum pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or at a high-risk of leaking
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this bill is to make operators of gas pipeline facilities accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping equipment. This bill will also make facilities adopt a cost recovery program, a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quality, and limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for gas. It will also require the use of the best available technology to detect gas leaks. This bill will help to set guidelines pertaining to classifying hazardous pipelines, creating a methodology for calculating unaccounted for gas, and establishing a database of pipeline infrastructure in cities of one million or more.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 63-gg called Pipeline modernization and consumer protection. Part 1 establishes the definition of "gas pipeline facility", which is a distribution facility and gas utility.
Read the full memo (700 words)
Part 2 establishes that each operator of a gas pipeline facility will, accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment that is: (a) leaking; or (b) may pose high risks of leaking or may no longer be fit for service, because of: (i) inferior materials, (ii) poor construction practices, (iii) lack of maintenance, or (iv) age.
Part 3 establishes that in complying with subdivision two of this section, the commission shall: (a) develop prioritized timeliness to repair all leaks based on the severity of the leak; (b) adopt a cost-recovery program; (c) adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quality; (d) adopt limits on cost recovery for the lost and unaccounted for gas; and (e)require the use Of the best available technology to detect gas leaks.
Part 4 establishes that the New York State energy research and development authority will issue non binding guidelines to identify the best practices for classifying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement. This will take place no later than one year after the effective date.
Part 5 establishes that the New York State energy research and development authority and the commission, no later than a year after the effective date, will create and publish forms that adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas.
Part 6 establishes that operators of gas pipeline facilities in cities with a population of one million or more shall establish a database of pipeline infrastructure that will be shared with the coordinated building inspection data analysis.
Justification
Federal requirements related to repairing pipeline leaks are limited to hazardous leaks, which are leaks that represent an existing or probable hazard to persons or property and require immediate repair. There are no Federal requirements to address slower or less hazardous leaks, which can allow the leaks to persist unrepaired indefinitely.
According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the United States natural gas distribution system still includes 61,000 miles of bare steel pipe without adequate corrosion protection and 32,000 miles of cast iron pipe, which was installed beginning in the 1830s and can be prone to failure. Major repent pipeline explosions that led to human fatalities occurred in: Austin, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Allentown, Pennsylvania. These explosions were the result of aging, leaking, and high-risk pipeline infrastructure.
This bill will help create a higher standard of safety in terms of pipeline infrastructure, and will lower the cost of the rate that consumers have to pay for lost and unaccounted for gas. This bill will also help to improve the environment by limiting the amount of natural gas that leaks out of faulty pipelines.
Prior legislative history
S.3586 of 2015-2016 (Espaillat): Died in Energy & Telecommunications A.2547 of 2015-2016 (Rodriguez): Died in Energy S.7010 of 2014 (Espaillat): Died in Energy & Telecommunications A.9336 of 2014 (Rodriguez): Died in Energy
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.