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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 469
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5949
Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
Introduced by:
(ET)
AN ACT REQUIRING THE PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY
AUTHORITY TO ESTABLI SH PERFORMANCE STAND ARDS AND
MINIMUM STAFFING AND EQUIPMENT LEVELS FOR ELECTRIC
DISTRIBUTION COMPANI ES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section, 1
"electric distribution company", "telecommunications company", 2
"community antenna television company", "certificate of cable 3
franchise authority" and "certified competitive video service provider" 4
have the same meaning as provided in section 16-1 of the general 5
statutes. 6
(b) On or before July 1, 2019, the Public Utilities Regulatory 7
Authority shall initiate a docket to establish: 8
(1) Industry specific standards for acceptable performance by an 9
electric distribution company in an emergency. Such standards shall be 10
designed to protect public health and safety, ensure the reliability of 11
the electric distribution company's services, prevent service outages 12
and disruptions, minimize the number of service outages and 13
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disruptions that do occur, reduce the duration of any such service 14
outages and disruptions and facilitate restoration of service after any 15
such service outages and disruptions. In establishing such standards, 16
the authority shall review for each electric distribution company that 17
operates in the state: 18
(A) The current practices concerning service restoration after an 19
emergency. Such review shall include, but not be limited to, an 20
analysis of each electric distribution company's (i) estimates 21
concerning potential damage and service outages prior to any 22
emergency, (ii) damage and service outage assessments after any 23
emergency, (iii) restoration management after any emergency, 24
including, but not limited to, access to alternate restoration resources 25
through regional and reciprocal aid contracts, (iv) plans for at-risk and 26
vulnerable customers, (v) policies concerning communication with 27
state and local officials and customers, including, but not limited to, 28
individual customer restoration estimates and the timeliness and 29
usefulness of such estimates, and (vi) need for mutual assistance 30
during any emergency. 31
(B) The adequacy of the electric distribution company's 32
infrastructure, facilities and equipment. Such review shall include, but 33
not be limited to, an analysis of whether such electric distribution 34
company (i) is following standard industry practice for the operation 35
and maintenance of such infrastructure, facilities and equipment, and 36
(ii) has access to adequate replacement equipment for such 37
infrastructure, facilities and equipment during the course of such 38
emergency. 39
(C) Any current policies and procedures for coordination efforts 40
between the electric distribution company and any 41
telecommunications company, community antenna television 42
company, holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority or certified 43
competitive video service provider, including, but not limited to, 44
coordinated planning before any emergency. 45
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(D) Any other policy, practice or information that the authority 46
determines is relevant to the review of the electric distribution 47
company's ability to ensure the reliability of such electric distribution 48
company's services in an emergency and to prevent, minimize and 49
restore any service outages or disruptions that last for more than forty-50
eight consecutive hours caused by such emergency. 51
(E) The staffing and equipment levels related to the restoration of 52
electric service after a service outage of the electric distribution 53
company from January 1, 1990, to the present, provided the authority 54
may review such levels for additional years. Such review shall include 55
a review of the number of line crew workers and shall distinguish 56
between (i) line crew workers directly employed by the electric 57
distribution company and working full time within the state, (ii) line 58
crew workers directly employed by the electric distribution company 59
working primarily in another state, and (iii) line crew workers hired as 60
contractors or subcontractors. 61
(2) Minimum staffing and equipment levels for each electric 62
distribution company that operates in the state, based on the number 63
of customers served by such electric distribution company and the 64
nature of the infrastructure deployed to serve such electric distribution 65
company's customers in an emergency in which more than ten per cent 66
of such electric distribution company's customers are without service 67
for more than forty-eight consecutive hours. Such staffing levels shall 68
include separate specific minimums for staff who (A) are directly 69
employed by the electric distribution company and working full time 70
within the state, provided such minimum shall not be less than ninety-71
five per cent of the historic maximum level of such workers as 72
determined by the authority pursuant to subparagraph (E) of 73
subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) are directly employed by the 74
electric distribution company but work primarily in another state, and 75
(C) are employed as contractors or subcontractors. 76
(c) Each electric distribution company operating in the state shall 77
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provide the authority with any information the authority requests to 78
conduct the docket initiated pursuant to this section, provided any 79
such requests or disclosure of information does not violate any other 80
state or federal law. 81
(d) On or before January 1, 2020, the authority shall issue a final 82
decision in the docket initiated pursuant to subsection (b) of this 83
section. Such decision shall include a summary and any findings from 84
the authority's review of the items in subparagraphs (A) to (E), 85
inclusive, of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section. The 86
authority shall submit such final decision, in accordance with the 87
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 88
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 89
relating to energy. 90
(e) The authority may from time to time, on its own motion, open a 91
docket to revise the minimum staffing and equipment levels 92
established pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, 93
pursuant to the requirements of the general statutes and this section. 94
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Purpose:
To require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to initiate and
issue a final decision in a docket to establish standards for acceptable
performance and minimum staffing and equipment levels for electric
distribution companies.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. NEEDLEMAN, 33rd Dist.; SEN. OSTEN, 19th Dist.
SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; SEN. DUFF, 25th Dist.
SEN. ABRAMS, 13th Dist.; SEN. COHEN, 12th Dist.
SEN. KUSHNER, 24th Dist.; SEN. HASKELL, 26th Dist.
SEN. BERGSTEIN, 36th Dist.; SEN. FLEXER, 29th Dist.
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SEN. LEONE, 27th Dist.
S.B. 469