Bill Text: NY S08931 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Directs the public service commission to study the feasibility and the costs of burying all or most of the electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in New York state and to publish and deliver a report of its findings to the governor and the legislature, and requires new electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines to be buried underground.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-09-30 - PRINT NUMBER 8931A [S08931 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S08931-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8931--A IN SENATE August 21, 2020 ___________ Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to directing the public service commission study the feasibility and the costs of bury- ing all or most of the electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in New York state and to publish and deliver a report of its findings to the governor and the legislature, and requiring new elec- trical, telephone and internet transmission lines to be buried under- ground 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 two new 2 sections 119-d and 119-e to read as follows: 3 § 119-d. Buried line study. 1. The commission shall conduct a study to 4 analyze the feasibility and the costs of burying underground all or most 5 of the existing electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in 6 New York state. Such study shall include an analysis of: 7 (a) the economic and environmental benefits from burying such existing 8 lines; and 9 (b) the economic cost burden of doing so, if any, including an esti- 10 mate of what the cost per utility customer would be, the number of jobs 11 to be created to complete the project and a timeline for completion of 12 the project. 13 2. In analyzing costs and benefits for the purposes of this study, the 14 commission shall consider the varying geographical areas of the state 15 and report separately on the impact particular areas might have on the 16 project. The study shall also quantify the economic costs and benefits 17 of burying existing electrical, telephone and internet transmission 18 lines to utility customers and shall disaggregate the results by utili- 19 ty. The study shall calculate the cost per customer of the entire cost 20 of project statewide, regardless of where the customer lives, for the 21 life of the project on a monthly basis. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD17082-03-0S. 8931--A 2 1 3. Within one hundred eighty days of the effective date of this 2 section, the commission shall: 3 (a) publish the report of its findings on its website in a location 4 accessible to the public; and 5 (b) deliver a copy of the report to the governor, the temporary presi- 6 dent of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate 7 energy and telecommunications committee and the chair of the assembly 8 energy committee. 9 § 119-e. Buried lines. 1. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation 10 to the contrary, to the greatest extent possible, all new electrical, 11 telephone and internet transmission lines installed in the state shall 12 be buried underground. 13 2. The provisions of this section shall apply to electrical, telephone 14 and internet transmission lines for which preliminary permits are issued 15 on and after the effective date of this section. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
