NY Commission Approves Electric Utilities' Emergency Response Plans
Summary
The New York Public Service Commission has approved updated Electric Emergency Response Plans for major electric utilities. The approved plans include updated maintenance procedures for lists of elderly, blind, and disabled customers and align annual compliance items across utilities.
What changed
The New York Public Service Commission has approved updated Electric Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) for the state's major electric utility companies, including Consolidated Edison, Central Hudson, New York State Electric & Gas, National Grid, Rochester Gas and Electric, Orange & Rockland Utilities, and PSEG LI. These amended plans incorporate updated references to reporting tools, minor language changes, and align annual compliance items. A key update includes revised maintenance procedures for the utilities' lists of elderly, blind, and disabled customers.
While the approval signifies compliance with best practices and previous directives, the primary impact is on the utilities' internal processes for maintaining customer lists and reporting during outages. The Commission directed utilities to file their approved plans with county executives or the NYC emergency management office. No new compliance deadlines or penalties are specified in this notice, as the changes are considered minor updates to existing plans.
What to do next
- File approved ERPs with county executives or NYC emergency management office.
- Update maintenance procedures for Elderly, Blind, and Disabled customer lists.
Source document (simplified)
Commission Approves Major Electric Utilities’ Emergency Response Plans
Utilities Required to Better Maintain Elderly, Blind, and Disabled Customer Lists ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today approved the Electric Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) for the state’s major electric utility companies. The Commission also directed each electric utility to file its approved plan with the county executive, the chief elected official of a county for each county within its service territory, or the emergency management office of the City of New York as required.
“Last year, as part of utility performance reviews following major storms and other events impacting the utilities’ infrastructure and/or customers, the utilities’ preparedness and response actions were compared with procedures within the emergency response plans,” said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. “The emergency response plans we are approving today are the result of multiple review cycles and reflect compliance with best practices identified via joint utility collaboration and previous Commission directives.”
Annually, each investor-owned electric utility in New York — Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, New York State Electric & Gas Corporation, National Grid, Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc., along with PSEG LI — is required to review, update, and file a detailed ERP, documenting the essential processes and procedures needed to prepare and respond to a wide array of outage events.
Department of Public Service staff performed a detailed review of each utility's ERP to verify that they comply with requirements to address operational guidelines as well as proper communication with customers, emergency management and government officials. The Commission has reviewed the utilities' amended filings and has determined that the changes made to the ERPs are satisfactory.
Staff reviewed the utilities' amended filings and recommended that the Commission find them in compliance. The amended Emergency Response Plans contain modifications updating references to various reports and reporting tools, as well as other minor language changes. The amended ERPs also contain language aligning the requirements for annual compliance items across the utilities. In addition to the annual compliance items, the amended ERPs eliminate the non-required telecommunications calls during large-scale outage events and update the maintenance procedures for the utilities' Elderly, Blind, and Disabled customer lists.
Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s website at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 25-E-0722 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
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26032/25-E-0722
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