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A4624
ASSEMBLY, No. 4624
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires electric public utilities to develop service
restoration plans for certain communities on well water or septic systems.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
requiring electric public utilities to prioritize
certain communities on well water or septic systems and amending and
supplementing P.L.2021, c.29.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.2021,
c.29 (C.48:7-26) is amended as follows:
���� 1.��� As used in P.L.2021,
c.29 (C.48:7-26 et seq.):
���� "Assisted living
facility" means an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal
care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
���� "Board" means the
Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
���� "DNA" means
deoxyribonucleic acid.
���� "Electric public
utility" means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13,
that transmits and distributes electricity to end users within this State.
���� "Extended power
outage" means an electric power outage lasting more than 24 hours.
���� "Facility" means an
assisted living facility; hospital; chronic or acute renal dialysis facility;
clinical or research laboratory or institute that stores human blood, other
human tissue, or human DNA; or nursing home.
���� "Hospital" means
hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971 c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
���� "Major event" means
a natural or humanly caused occurrence arising from conditions beyond the
control of the utility, including, but not limited to, a terrorist attack,
thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, flood, heat wave, snow storm, ice storm, or
earthquake, which results in:
���� a.���� a sustained
interruption of electric public utility service to at least 10 percent of the
customers in an operating area or 10 percent of a utility's customers within a
municipality or county located in an operating area; or
���� b.��� the declaration of a
state of emergency or disaster by the State or by the federal government.
���� "Nursing home" means
a nursing home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971 c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
����
�Priority service
restoration� means prioritizing electric power service restoration to certain
facilities essential to the public welfare, including private well water and
septic communities.�
����
�Private well water and
septic community� or �community� means a municipality within the utility�s
service territory where at least 40 percent of electric public utility
residential customers rely on private well water at the customer�s residence.
����
�Sustained interruption�
means the cessation of electric public utility service to one or more customers
lasting more than 12 consecutive hours after the conclusion of a major event
where the utility service cessation was caused by that major event.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.29, s. 1.)
���� 2.��� (New section)� a.� The
board shall require electric public utilities to identify private well water
and septic communities and develop a priority service restoration plan for each
community in the event of a sustained interruption.� The board shall require
the priority service restoration plans to include provisions that provide at
least one watering station, which shall include, but not be limited to, bottled
water, at least one water tanker truck, and any other water resource in
accordance with the community's needs, including water for livestock, to a
community after a sustained interruption.�
���� b.��� Each electric public
utility shall submit a priority service restoration plan to the board within
one year of the effective date of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before
the Legislature as this bill) and the board shall post all priority service
restoration plans upon board�s website.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment, but the Board of Public
Utilities may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as
shall be necessary for the timely implementation of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�������
) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires the Board
of Public Utilities (board) to require an electric public utility to identify
each private well water and septic community within the utility�s service
territory and to develop a priority service restoration plan for each community
in the event of a sustained interruption of an electrical public utility�s
service following a major event.� The bill further requires the priority
service restoration plans to include at least one watering station, at least
one water tanker truck, and any other water resource in accordance with the
community's needs.� The bill also requires each electric public utility to
provide all priority service restoration plans within one year of the effective
date of this bill.� Finally, this bill requires the board to post all priority
service restoration plans upon the Internet website of the board.
���� The purpose of this bill is
for these communities to receive the same service restoration as other
facilities, which is essential to the general public welfare.� Because private
well water and septic communities are exceptionally susceptible to negative
health outcomes in the event of a disruption, it is the sponsor�s intent that
these communities� needs are addressed in a timely manner.�