BILL NUMBER: AB 869INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Medina FEBRUARY 22, 2013 An act to add Sections 8610.7 and 8610.9 to the Government Code, relating to utilities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 869, as introduced, Medina. Utilities: emergency response. The California Emergency Services Act authorizes local governments to create disaster councils by ordinance and requires the councils to develop plans for meeting any condition constituting a local emergency or state of emergency, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, natural or manmade disasters specific to that jurisdiction, or a state of war emergency. The Public Utilities Act requires a gas corporation to develop a plan for the safe and reliable operation of its commission-regulated gas pipeline facility, as provided. This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, gas corporations, and electric corporations, that provide gas or electric service to more than 5,000 customers, to develop and publish plans to respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, that have the potential to disrupt natural gas or electric service and cause damage, as provided. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 8610.7 is added to the Government Code, to read: 8610.7. (a) The Public Utilities Commission and gas corporations providing gas delivery to more than 5,000 customers shall develop and publish plans to respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, fires, and floods, that have the potential to disrupt natural gas service and cause damage, including leaks, fires, and explosions. The emergency response plan shall be an element of the safety plan approved by the commission pursuant to Section 961 of the Public Utilities Code. (b) The plan shall specifically address service restoration procedures as well as procedures to prevent or minimize damage from service disruption, leaks, fires, and explosions associated with the natural disaster. (c) (1) The plan shall be consistent with emergency response plans developed by the Office of Emergency Services and with any plan developed by a local disaster council. (2) The plan shall describe the capability of the gas corporation to utilize its own employees for emergency response and any procedures for utilizing personnel from other sources, including assessing qualifications to assure that only qualified personnel are utilized in emergency response. SEC. 2. Section 8610.9 is added to the Government Code, to read: 8610.9. (a) The Public Utilities Commission and electric corporations providing electric service to more than 5,000 customers shall develop and publish plans to respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, fires, and floods, that have the potential to disrupt natural electric service and cause damage. The plan shall reflect the ongoing participation of electric corporation employees in plan development and implementation. (b) The plan shall specifically address service restoration procedures as well as procedures to prevent or minimize damage from service disruption, leaks, fires, and explosions associated with the natural disaster. (c) (1) The plan shall be consistent with emergency response plans developed by the Office of Emergency Services and with any plan developed by a local disaster council. (2) The plan shall describe the capability of the electric corporation to utilize its own employees for emergency response and any procedures for utilizing personnel from other sources, including assessing qualifications to assure that only qualified personnel are utilized in emergency response.