Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00950 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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7	7		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 950
8	8		January Session, 2021
9	9		LCO No. 3970
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12	12		Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
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14	14
15	15		Introduced by:
16	16		(ET)
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20	21		AN ACT CONCERNING TH E REPLACEMENT OF PUB LIC UTILITY
21	22		POLES AND REVISING VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN UTILITY
22	23		PROTECTION ZONES.
23	24		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
24	25		Assembly convened:
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26	27		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) For purposes of this 1
27	28		section, "emergency" has the same meaning as provided in subdivision 2
28	29		(1) of subsection (a) of section 16-32e of the general statutes and "public 3
29	30		service company" has the same meaning as provided in section 16-1 of 4
30	31		the general statutes. 5
31	32		(b) Not later than ninety days after (1) the occurrence of an emergency 6
32	33		requiring the replacement of a public utility pole, or (2) a preplanned 7
33	34		replacement of a public utility pole, each public service company shall 8
34	35		place all lines, conduits, cables, wires and other equipment owned or 9
35	36		operated by such company on the replaced public utility pole. 10
36	37		Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 16-234 of the general statutes is 11
37	38		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 12
38	39		2021): 13 Raised Bill No. 950
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45	45		(a) As used in this section: 14
46	46		(1) "Utility" means a telephone, telecommunications or electric 15
47	47		distribution company, each as defined in section 16-1; 16
48	48		(2) "Utility protection zone" means any rectangular area extending 17
49	49		horizontally for a distance of eight feet from any outermost electrical 18
50	50		conductor or wire installed from pole to pole and vertically from the 19
51	51		ground to the sky; 20
52	52		(3) "Hazardous tree" means any tree or part of a tree that is (A) dead, 21
53	53		(B) extensively decayed, or (C) structurally weak, which, if it falls, 22
54	54		would endanger utility infrastructure, facilities or equipment; 23
55	55		(4) "Vegetation management" means the retention of trees and shrubs 24
56	56		that are compatible with the utility infrastructure and the pruning or 25
57	57		removal of trees, shrubs or other vegetation that pose a risk to the 26
58	58		reliability of the utility infrastructure. Until such time as the Department 27
59	59		of Energy and Environmental Protection issues standards for 28
60	60		identifying such compatible trees and shrubs, the standards and 29
61	61		identification of such compatible trees and shrubs shall be as set forth in 30
62	62		the 2012 final report of the State Vegetation Management Task Force; 31
63	63		(5) "Pruning" means the selective removal of plant parts to meet 32
64	64		specific utility infrastructure reliability goals and objectives, when 33
65	65		performed according to current professional tree care standards and in 34
66	66		a manner that retains the structural integrity and health of the 35
67	67		vegetation; 36
68	68		(6) "Abutting property owner" means the owner of the property 37
69	69		abutting or adjacent to that portion of a public road, public highway or 38
70	70		public grounds where the tree or shrub that the utility proposes to 39
71	71		remove or prune is located; [and] 40
72	72		(7) "Private property owner" means the owner of the property where 41
73	73		a tree or shrub the utility proposes to remove or prune is located, which 42
74	74		may include municipally owned land; [.] 43 Raised Bill No. 950
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81	80		(8) "Three phase main" means the segment of a circuit which 44
82	81		originates directly from a substation and is protected by a circuit breaker 45
83	82		or a recloser-type device. 46
84	83		Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 16-234 of the general statutes is 47
85	84		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 48
86	85		2021): 49
87	86		(e) (1) No utility shall be required to obtain a permit pursuant to 50
88	87		subsection (f) of section 23-65 or provide notice under subsection (c) of 51
89	88		this section to prune or remove a tree, as necessary, if any part of a tree 52
90	89		is in direct contact with an energized electrical conductor or has visible 53
91	90		signs of burning. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to 54
92	91		require a utility to prune or remove a tree. 55
93	92		(2) No utility shall be required to obtain a permit pursuant to 56
94	93		subsection (f) of section 23-65 or obtain consent under subsection (c) of 57
95	94		this section to prune or remove a tree, as necessary, if any part of a tree 58
96	95		(A) is located in the utility protection zone for a three phase main, or (B) 59
97	96		is part of a hazardous tree that could endanger any three phase main. 60
98	97		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
99	98		sections:
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101	100		Section 1 July 1, 2021 New section
102	101		Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 16-234(a)
103	102		Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 16-234(e)
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105		-	ET Joint Favorable
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	104	+	Statement of Purpose:
	105	+	To mandate a time frame for the placement of lines, conduits, cables,
	106	+	wires and other equipment on replaced public utility poles and expedite
	107	+	certain tree trimming or removal processes.
	108	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	109	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	110	+	underlined.]