NY State Senate Bill 2013-S7010

Senate Bill S7010

2013-2014 Legislative Session

Relates 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

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Archive: Last 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

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 11, 2014	referred to energy and telecommunications

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2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9336
Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Add §63-gg, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S3586, A2547
2017-2018: S66, A661
2019-2020: S29, A2364

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates 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.

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S7010

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 r 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 i$
a distribution facility and gas utility.

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:

New bill.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

    S. 7010                                                  A. 9336

                      S E N A T E - A S S E M B L Y

                             April 11, 2014
                               ___________

IN  SENATE  --  Introduced  by  Sen. ESPAILLAT -- read twice and ordered
  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Energy
  and Telecommunications

IN  ASSEMBLY  --  Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  RODRIGUEZ -- read once and
  referred to the Committee on Energy

AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring  liquid
  petroleum  pipeline  facilities  to  accelerate  the repair, rehabili-
  tation, 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 ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a  new  section
63-gg to read as follows:
  S  63-GG.  PIPELINE  MODERNIZATION  AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. 1.  DEFI-
NITION. AS USED IN THIS SECTION,  THE  FOLLOWING  TERM  SHALL  HAVE  THE
FOLLOWING MEANING:
  "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

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD14601-01-4

S. 7010                             2                            A. 9336

REPLACEMENT,  (II)  CONSIDERATION  OF THE ECONOMIC, SAFETY, AND ENVIRON-
MENTAL 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 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 UNACCOUNT-
ED-FOR GAS AND THE QUANTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH  CAUSE,  FOR  USE  BY
APPLICABLE  STATE  AGENCIES  TO  STANDARDIZE THE DATA COLLECTED ON UNAC-
COUNTED-FOR GAS.
  6. OPERATORS OF GAS PIPELINE FACILITIES IN CITIES WITH A POPULATION OF
ONE MILLION OR MORE SHALL ESTABLISH A DATABASE OF  PIPELINE  INFRASTRUC-
TURE  THAT  INCLUDES  ITS  AGE  AND STATE OF REPAIR AND SHALL SHARE THIS
INFORMATION WITH  THE  COORDINATED  BUILDING  INSPECTION  DATA  ANALYSIS
SYSTEM.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S7010

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Sponsored By

Adriano Espaillat

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

co-Sponsors

Martin Malavé Dilan

Brad Hoylman-Sigal

Bill Perkins

John L. Sampson

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Details

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2013-S7010 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments