9/7/11 N.Y. St. Reg. PSC-36-11-00006-P
PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following proposed rule:
Proposed Action:
The Commission is considering whether to grant a petition for rehearing filed by the Utility Intervention Unit of the New York Department of State subsequent to a Commission order requiring additional mobile stray voltage testing.
Statutory authority:
Public Service Law, sections 2, 5, 65 and 66
Subject:
To consider expanding mobile stray voltage testing requirements.
Purpose:
Adopt additional mobile stray voltage testing requirements.
Substance of proposed rule:
In an order in Case 04-M-0159, issued December 15, 2008, the Commission ordered all utilities, with the exception of Con Edison, to complete an initial mobile stray voltage detection survey of their underground electric distribution systems Staff reviewed and analyzed the results of subsequent testing and recommended among other things, that two system scans be completed in Buffalo. In an order issued July 21, 2010, the Commission adopted Staff’s recommendation, directing the utilities to complete the testing in 2010 and for those testing requirements to remain in effect unless modified by subsequent order.
On February 23, 2011, the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) filed a motion to modify the testing requirements, for National Grid in the city of Buffalo. CPB proposed that, based on mobile testing results from 2009 and 2010 the frequency of system scans in the city of Buffalo should be increased from two to six. In an order dated June 23, 2011, the Commission extended the existing testing requirements contained in the July 25, 2010 order. On July 25, 2011 the Utility Intervention Unit of the Department of State (formerly the CPB) filed a petition for rehearing, reiterating its February 23rd request for additional mobile testing. The Commission is considering CPB’s petition and may resolve it and other matters related to stray voltage. It may apply its decision in this case to other utilities.
Text of proposed rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained by filing a Document Request Form (F-96) located on our website http://www.dps.state.ny.us/f96dir.htm. For questions, contact:
Leann Ayer, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350, (518) 486-2655, email:
leann_ayer@dps.state.ny.usData, views or arguments may be submitted to:
Jaclyn A. Brilling, Secretary, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350, (518) 474-6530, email:
Secretary@dps.state.ny.usPublic comment will be received until:
45 days after publication of this notice.
Regulatory Impact Statement, Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, Rural Area Flexibility Analysis and Job Impact Statement
Statements and analyses are not submitted with this notice because the proposed rule is within the definition contained in section 102(2)(a)(ii) of the State Administrative Procedure Act.
