What's happening
This bill requires gas pipeline operators to accelerate repairs and replacements of leaking or high-risk pipelines and improve leak detection and reporting.
Why it matters
Stronger safety and environmental protections. By requiring faster repair and replacement of leaky or high-risk pipelines—including those made of inferior materials or in poor condition—the bill aims to reduce the risks of explosions, gas leaks, and harmful methane emissions, protecting both public safety and the environment.
Consumer cost controls and transparency. The bill directs regulators to set limits on utility cost recovery for lost or unaccounted-for gas, which means consumers are less likely to pay for gas lost due to leaks. It also requires reporting on progress, improving accountability and data quality.
Better leak detection and data sharing. Mandating the use of best available technology for leak detection, and requiring large cities to maintain and share detailed pipeline infrastructure databases, increases public transparency and helps local governments and agencies better manage gas system risks.
Alignment with climate and safety goals. By factoring in safety, environmental, and economic benefits (like reduced methane emissions and lower maintenance costs), the bill supports broader state objectives around climate action and infrastructure modernization.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fix Leaky Gas Pipelines
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 3210a
- Amend (t) and recommit to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Fix Leaking Gas Pipelines Faster
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Karines Reyes
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3210--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 4, 2019
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications -- recommitted to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring gas 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 66-q to read as follows:
§ 66-q. 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;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06102-07-0
S. 3210--A 2
(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 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 commission 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 commission shall 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 gas 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 pipe lines, creating a methodology for calculating unaccounted for gas, and establishing a database of pipeline infrastructure in cities of one million or more.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 66-q called Pipeline modernization and consumer protection. Part 1 estab- lishes the definition of "gas pipeline facility", which is a distribu- tion-facility and gas utility.
Read the full memo (661 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-re- covery program; (c) adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting unaccounted for gas to improve data quali- ty;(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 Public Service Commission will issue non-binding guidelines to identify the best practices for classi- fying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replace- ment. This will take place no later than one year after the effective date.
Part 5 establishes that the Public Service 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 recent 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 envi- ronment by limiting the amount of natural gas that leaks out of faulty pipelines.
Prior legislative history
Senate Bill 2186 of 2017-18: Energy & Telecommunications
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.