Read the full stored bill text
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
7625
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 1, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring gas
pipeline facilities to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and
replacement of equipment or pipelines that are leaking or at a high
risk of leaking and increase safety reporting relating to gas pipeline
leaks
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 a new section
2 66-x to read as follows:
3 § 66-X. PIPELINE MODERNIZATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. 1. AS USED IN
4 THIS SECTION, "GAS PIPELINE FACILITY" MEANS (A) A DISTRIBUTION FACILITY,
5 AND (B) A GAS UTILITY.
6 2. EACH OPERATOR OF A GAS PIPELINE FACILITY SHALL IDENTIFY AND ACCEL-
7 ERATE THE REPAIR, REHABILITATION, AND REPLACEMENT OF GAS PIPING OR
8 EQUIPMENT THAT IS:
9 (A) LEAKING; OR
10 (B) CLASSIFIED AS A LEAK PRONE PIPE MAY POSE HIGH RISKS OF LEAKING, OR
11 MAY NO LONGER BE FIT FOR SERVICE, BECAUSE OF: (I) INFERIOR MATERIALS,
12 (II) POOR CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES, (III) LACK OF MAINTENANCE, OR (IV)
13 AGE.
14 3. IN COMPLYING WITH SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION, EACH OPERATOR OF
15 A GAS PIPELINE SHALL:
16 (A) PROVIDE THE COMMISSION WITH AN INVENTORY OF ALL GAS PIPING OR
17 EQUIPMENT WITHIN THE OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA THAT IS LEAKING, CONTAINS
18 LEAK PRONE PIPE, MAY POSE HIGH RISKS OF LEAKING, OR MAY NO LONGER BE FIT
19 FOR SERVICE;
20 (B) REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PORTION OF A LEAKING GAS PIPELINE FACILITY
21 TO CEASE SUCH LEAK WITHIN THE TIMEFRAMES ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSION
22 PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION; AND
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06373-03-5
A. 7625 2
1 (C) REPLACE LEAK PRONE PIPE WITHIN THE TIMEFRAMES ESTABLISHED BY THE
2 COMMISSION PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION.
3 4. THE COMMISSION SHALL:
4 (A) DEVELOP PRIORITIZED TIMELINES TO REPAIR ALL LEAKS FROM ALL GAS
5 PIPING OR EQUIPMENT WITHIN AN OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA INCLUDING NON-HA-
6 ZARDOUS LEAKS, OR REPLACE IDENTIFIED LEAKING OR HIGH-RISK PIPING OR
7 EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING LEAKS IDENTIFIED AS PART OF AN INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT
8 PLAN DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION IF APPLICABLE;
9 (B) DEFINE ALL LEAK PRONE PIPE THAT MAY POSE HIGH RISKS OF LEAKING, OR
10 MAY NO LONGER BE FIT FOR SERVICE, BECAUSE OF: (I) INFERIOR MATERIALS,
11 (II) POOR CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES, (III) LACK OF MAINTENANCE, OR (IV)
12 AGE. THE COMMISSION SHALL DEFINE ALL CAST AND WROUGHT IRON PIPE WITHIN
13 AN OPERATOR'S SERVICE AREA AS LEAK PRONE PIPE;
14 (C) ADOPT A COST-RECOVERY PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES (I) REPLACEMENT PLANS
15 WITH TARGETS AND BENCHMARKS FOR LEAKING OR HIGH-RISK INFRASTRUCTURE
16 REPLACEMENT, (II) CONSIDERATION OF THE ECONOMIC, SAFETY, AND ENVIRON-
17 MENTAL BENEFITS OF REDUCED GAS LEAKAGE, INCLUDING CONSIDERATION OF
18 REDUCED OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS AND REDUCED COSTS ATTRIBUTABLE
19 TO LOST OR UNACCOUNTED-FOR NATURAL GAS, AND (III) REPORTING ON THE
20 REDUCTIONS IN LOST OR UNACCOUNTED-FOR GAS AS A RESULT OF PIPELINE
21 REPLACEMENTS REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION;
22 (D) ADOPT A STANDARD DEFINITION AND METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING AND
23 REPORTING UNACCOUNTED-FOR GAS TO IMPROVE DATA QUALITY;
24 (E) ADOPT LIMITS ON COST RECOVERY FOR THE LOST AND UNACCOUNTED-FOR
25 GAS;
26 (F) REQUIRE USE OF BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT GAS LEAKS; AND
27 (G) ADOPT A STANDARD FOR IDENTIFYING THE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS CAUSED BY
28 GAS LEAKS IN THE GAS PIPELINE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
29 5. NO LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION,
30 THE COMMISSION SHALL, AFTER NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT, ISSUE
31 RULES IDENTIFYING BEST PRACTICES FOR IDENTIFYING AND CLASSIFYING HIGH-
32 RISK PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE AND LEAKS FOR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AND
33 FURTHER DEFINING LEAK PRONE PIPE AS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH THIS
34 SECTION.
35 6. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, NO
36 LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE
37 COMMISSION SHALL ESTABLISH AND PUBLISH FORMS THAT ADOPT A STANDARD DEFI-
38 NITION AND METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING AND REPORTING UNACCOUNTED-FOR
39 GAS, INCLUDING, WHEN POSSIBLE, INFORMATION ON THE CAUSES OF UNACCOUNT-
40 ED-FOR GAS AND THE QUANTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CAUSE, FOR USE BY
41 APPLICABLE STATE AGENCIES TO STANDARDIZE THE DATA COLLECTED ON UNAC-
42 COUNTED-FOR GAS.
43 7. OPERATORS OF GAS PIPELINE FACILITIES IN CITIES WITH A POPULATION OF
44 ONE MILLION OR MORE SHALL ESTABLISH A DATABASE OF PIPELINE INFRASTRUC-
45 TURE THAT INCLUDES ITS AGE AND STATE OF REPAIR AND SHALL SHARE THIS
46 INFORMATION WITH THE COORDINATED BUILDING INSPECTION DATA ANALYSIS
47 SYSTEM.
48 8. THE COMMISSION SHALL PRESCRIBE SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS AS IT MAY
49 DEEM NECESSARY TO CARRY INTO EFFECT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
50 § 2. Section 66-u of the public service law is amended by adding a new
51 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
52 4. THE COMMISSION SHALL, NO LATER THAN JULY FIRST OF EACH YEAR,
53 PROVIDE A GAS SAFETY REPORT TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE
54 ON ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ENERGY.
55 THE GAS SAFETY REPORT SHALL SUMMARIZE:
A. 7625 3
1 (A) THE AMOUNT OF REMAINING PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK FOR GAS CORPO-
2 RATION;
3 (B) THE AMOUNT OF ANNUAL PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK THAT THE DEPARTMENT
4 HAS AUTHORIZED FOR EACH GAS CORPORATION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AND SUBSE-
5 QUENT TWO YEARS;
6 (C) THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ANNUAL AUTHORIZATIONS DESCRIBED IN PARA-
7 GRAPH (B) OF THIS SUBDIVISION HAVE BEEN REVISED AS A RESULT OF ANY
8 RULING BY THE COMMISSION SINCE THE TIME OF THE LAST REPORT;
9 (D) THE AMOUNT OF PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK PERFORMED BY EACH GAS
10 CORPORATION IN THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR;
11 (E) THE ADEQUACY OF FIELD PERSONNEL THAT EACH GAS COMPANY HAS ALLO-
12 CATED TOWARD PIPELINE REPLACEMENT WORK, INCLUDING THE QUALITY OF ANY
13 TRAINING OR CERTIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WORK;
14 (F) ANY PENALTIES, FINES, OR VIOLATIONS IMPOSED BY THE DEPARTMENT ON A
15 GAS CORPORATION FOR FAILING TO COMPLETE THAT CORPORATION'S PIPELINE
16 REPLACEMENT WORK DURING THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR; AND
17 (G) THE EXTENT TO WHICH ANY OF THE FINDINGS IN THE REPORT REQUIRED BY
18 THE SUBDIVISION, IN THE REPORT DESCRIBED IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS
19 SECTION, OR ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION IN SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS
20 SECTION, MATERIALLY CHANGE THE SCOPE OR SCHEDULE FOR REPLACING THE
21 REMAINING PIPELINES DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
22 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.