2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 16 - Public Service Companies
Chapter 277 - Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Office of Consumer Counsel. Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 16-32h - Performance standards for electric distribution companies and gas companies in emergencies. Emergency response report.

(a) As used in this section, “utility” means any electric distribution company or gas company, as those terms are defined in section 16-1, and “emergency” has the same meaning as provided in section 16-32e.

(b) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a docket to establish industry specific standards for acceptable performance by each utility in an emergency to protect public health and safety, to ensure the reliability of such utility's services to prevent and minimize the number of service outages or disruptions and to reduce the duration of such outages and disruptions, to facilitate restoration of such services after such outages or disruptions, and to identify the most cost-effective level of tree trimming and system hardening, including undergrounding, necessary to achieve the maximum reliability of the system and to minimize service outages. On or before November 1, 2012, the authority shall submit a report identifying the standards established by the authority pursuant to such docket and any recommendations concerning legislative changes necessary to implement such standards to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. The authority shall allow, in a future rate proceeding, each utility to recover the reasonable costs incurred by such utility to maintain or improve the resiliency of such utility's infrastructure necessary to meet the standards established pursuant to this section pursuant to a plan first approved by the authority.

(c) The authority shall, in the docket initiated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, review:

(1) Each such utility's current practices concerning service restoration after an emergency. Such review shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of each such utility's (A) estimates concerning potential damage and service outages prior to any emergency, (B) damage and service outage assessments after any emergency, (C) restoration management after any emergency, including access to alternate restoration resources via regional and reciprocal aid contracts, (D) planning for at-risk and vulnerable customers, (E) policies concerning communication with state and local officials and customers, including individual customer restoration estimates and the timeliness and usefulness of such estimates, and (F) need for mutual assistance during any emergency;

(2) The adequacy of each such utility's infrastructure, facilities and equipment, which shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of (A) whether such utility is following standard industry practice concerning operation and maintenance of such infrastructure, facilities and equipment, and (B) whether such utility had access to adequate replacement equipment for such infrastructure, facilities and equipment during the course of such emergency;

(3) Coordination efforts between each electric distribution company and any telecommunications company, community antenna television company, holder of a certificate of cable franchise authority or certified competitive video service provider, as those terms are defined in section 16-1, including coordinated planning before any emergency;

(4) Tree trimming policies of each electric distribution company and shall determine (A) the amount spent by each electric distribution company for tree trimming in each year since such company's most recent rate case, (B) each such company's system average interruption duration index, as described in section 16-245y, caused by falling trees and limbs, (C) the impact of expanding the area adjacent to distribution lines for tree trimming, including an analysis of the benefits and the costs of such expansion to ratepayers and the likelihood that such expansion would decrease damage to infrastructure, facilities and equipment used to distribute electricity and decrease service outage frequency or duration, (D) the percentage of service outages during Tropical Storm Irene and the October, 2011 snowstorm caused by trees and limbs outside the current trim area based on an analysis of the quantity and effectiveness of prior tree trimming, and (E) the standards appropriate for road-side tree care in the state, vegetation management practices in utility rights-of-way, right tree-right place standards, and any other tree maintenance standard recommended by the State Vegetation Management Task Force established by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection;

(5) The use of mediation in resolving objections to proposed activities relating to vegetation management, as defined in section 16-234, and the circumstances in which stump grinding may be performed within the utility protection zone, as defined in section 16-234, provided, the utility, as defined in section 16-234, shall recover all reasonable incremental costs incurred by such utility pursuant to the directives of the authority, as established pursuant to this subdivision, through the nonbypassable federally mandated congestion charge, as defined in subsection (a) of section 16-1; and

(6) Any other policy, practice or information that the authority determines is relevant to a review of each such utility's ability to ensure the reliability of such utility's services in an emergency and to prevent, minimize and restore any long-term service outages or disruptions caused by such emergency.

(d) The authority shall, in the docket initiated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, establish standards for acceptable performance in an emergency in which more than ten per cent of any utility's customers are without service for more than forty-eight consecutive hours. The standards established by the authority shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for:

(1) Minimum staffing and equipment levels for each utility, based on the number of customers served by such utility and the nature of the infrastructure deployed to serve such utility's customers, in such emergency;

(2) Targets for recovery and restoration of service in emergencies for service outages affecting more than ten per cent, thirty per cent, fifty per cent and seventy per cent of such utility's customers;

(3) A communication plan between each utility and its customers, including, but not limited to, communication during other than normal business hours;

(4) Safety standards for employees of each utility, mutual aid crews and private contractors;

(5) Filing mutual aid agreements by utilities and assessing each utility's ability to rely on mutual storm restoration assistance from other utilities in the region;

(6) Communication and coordination protocols defining interactions between each utility and the appropriate state, municipal or emergency operations center official concerning emergency preparation, road clearing and the establishment of restoration priorities;

(7) Tree trimming, cutting and removal by each electric distribution company to reduce service outages caused by trees and limbs;

(8) Communication and coordination, in consultation with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, between each utility and the public including, but not limited to, standards concerning the use of any emergency notification system to notify the public of service restoration estimates and any dangerous conditions;

(9) Timely notification by each utility to any relevant state or municipal agency or official including, but not limited to, any public safety agency or official, of any emergency and standards for coordination and communication between such utility and such agency or official;

(10) Communication and coordination between any appropriate electric distribution, gas, telephone or telecommunications company or voice over Internet protocol service provider, as defined in section 28-30b; and

(11) The operation of the call center of each utility.

(e) The authority shall establish as it deems fit any other standards for acceptable performance by any utility to ensure the reliability of such utility's services in any emergency, to prevent and minimize any service outages or disruptions lasting more than forty-eight consecutive hours and affecting more than ten per cent of any utility's customers and to facilitate restoration of such services after such outages or disruptions.

(f) Any mutual aid agreement filed with the authority pursuant to this section shall not be considered a public record or file subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200.

(g) The authority may initiate any additional docket to establish standards for acceptable performance by each utility in an emergency, in accordance with this section, upon determination by the authority that the changed circumstances of any utility necessitates such docket.

(h) Not later than April 15, 2013, and annually thereafter, each utility shall provide an emergency response report to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Such report shall include information and analysis concerning such utility's ability during the preceding year to meet the emergency preparedness and response standards established by the authority pursuant to this section. In addition to the annual report required in this subsection, the authority may require any utility to submit a supplemental emergency response report after any storm, emergency or event causing significant service outages.

(P.A. 12-148, S. 3; P.A. 14-134, S. 68; 14-151, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 12-148 effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 14-134 amended Subsec. (d)(7) by deleting reference to electric company, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 14-151 amended Subsec. (c) by adding new Subdiv. (5) re use of mediation to resolve objections re vegetation management and redesignating existing Subdiv. (5) as Subdiv. (6), effective June 6, 2014.