Requires BPU to conduct inventory of lead-covered cables and develop plan for removal.

A4463

ASSEMBLY, No. 4463

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires BPU to conduct inventory of lead-covered
cables and develop plan for removal.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning lead-covered cables and supplementing Title
48 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� Within one year after
the date of enactment of this act, the Board of Public Utilities shall
undertake, or cause to be undertaken, an inventory of lead-covered cables in
the State.� The inventory shall identify lead-containing aerial and buried
cables, both on land and below water, for both cable still in use for the
provision of telecommunications service and cable that is no longer being used
but has yet to be removed. �The inventory shall indicate:� whether the cable is
copper or fiber; whether it is aerial or buried, and if buried, if it is below
water; the municipality the cable is located in; the street name where the
cable is located; the length of the cable; the closest intersecting landmarks
at the beginning and end of the cable; and any other information deemed
appropriate by the board in order to physically locate and inspect the cable.

���� b.� Following the completion
of the inventory pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the Board of Public
Utilities shall develop a plan for the removal of lead-covered cables.� In
developing the removal plan, the board shall prioritize the removal of those
cables located in proximity to schools, playgrounds, hospitals, and other areas
containing vulnerable individuals and those cables located under or adjacent to
water.� The plan shall consider:� the safety of the individuals who handle the
cables; potential impacts on the environment from the removal of the cables as
well as the potential impacts of allowing the cables to remain in place; the
age and composition of the cables; the geographic location of the cables; and
customer needs.�

���� c.� The Board of Public
Utilities shall undertake, or cause to be undertaken, the removal of
lead-covered cables in accordance with the removal plan developed pursuant to
subsection b. of this section.

���� d.� The Board of Public
Utilities shall submit a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature, documenting the status of the
removal plan, including any associated costs and challenges associated with
complying with the provisions of this section.

���� e.� The Board of Public
Utilities shall include, with its annual budget request, a request for funds
sufficient to implement the provisions of this section.

���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill directs the Board of
Public Utilities (BPU) to conduct an inventory of lead-covered cables in the
State.� Following completion of the inventory, the BPU would be required to
develop and implement a plan for their removal.

���� The use of lead alloys in
telecommunications cables began in the 1880s as a way to sheath and protect
copper wires from exposure to the elements.� The industry began to discontinue
the use of new lead-covered cables in the 1950s, after developing a new type of
sheathing.� Some legacy lead-covered cables remain in service today, providing
customer voice and data services, including 911 and other emergency services.� This
issue was recently highlighted in an investigation reported in the Wall Street
Journal in July 2023 asserting that lead-sheathed cables present an
environmental and public health hazard due to the release of lead in the
environment.� According to sampling conducted for the Wall Street Journal
investigation, more than 350 bus stops in New Jersey are next to or beneath
aerial lead-covered cables, based on an analysis of NJ Transit data, and there
are 64 schools in the State where aerial lead cables have been identified.�