S 4429: Relates to mandating budget expenditures by gas and electric corporations to improve power outage response and to stormproof power lines.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4429 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni- cations AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to mandating budget expenditures by gas and electric corporations to improve power outage response and to stormproof power lines The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 2 73-b to read as follows: 3 § 73-b. Mandatory budget expenditures to improve power outage response 4 and to stormproof power lines. 1. For the year two thousand twenty-six 5 and every year thereafter, every gas corporation and electric corpo- 6 ration in this state shall dedicate and use forty percent of its operat- 7 ing budget for the purpose of improving such corporation's response to 8 power outages and storm related damage. Such budget expenditures shall 9 be used specifically for: (a) infrastructure hardening; (b) storm resi- 10 lience; (c) improving response time to power outages and storm related 11 damage, and the effectiveness of such response; (d) removing power lines 12 from trees; and (e) removing trees and tree limbs in the vicinity of 13 power lines. The objective of such budget expenditures shall be to 14 stormproof power lines throughout the state to reduce the number of 15 power outages and storm related damage in this state. 16 2. On or before April first, two thousand twenty-six and on or before 17 every July first, October first, January first and April first, there- 18 after, every gas corporation and electric corporation in this state 19 shall file a report with the commission setting forth documentation, as 20 determined by the commissioner, necessary to substantiate its compliance 21 with the provisions of subdivision one of this section. 22 3. Any application by a gas corporation or electric corporation 23 submitted to the commission to increase any rate charged to its custom- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05809-01-5 
 S. 4429 2 1 ers shall include documentation, as determined by the commissioner, 2 necessary to substantiate its compliance with the provisions of subdivi- 3 sion one of this section. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.