AB 869, as introduced, Medina. Utilities: emergency response.
The California Emergency Services Act authorizes local governments to create disaster councils by ordinance and requires the councils to develop plans for meeting any condition constituting a local emergency or state of emergency, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, natural or manmade disasters specific to that jurisdiction, or a state of war emergency.
The Public Utilities Act requires a gas corporation to develop a plan for the safe and reliable operation of its commission-regulated gas pipeline facility, as provided.
This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, gas corporations, and electric corporations, that provide gas or electric service to more than 5,000 customers, to develop and publish plans to respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, that have the potential to disrupt natural gas or electric service and cause damage, as provided.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 8610.7 is added to the Government Code,
2to read:
(a) The Public Utilities Commission and gas
4corporations providing gas delivery to more than 5,000 customers
5shall develop and publish plans to respond to emergencies,
6including natural disasters, including, but not limited to,
7earthquakes, fires, and floods, that have the potential to disrupt
8natural gas service and cause damage, including leaks, fires, and
9explosions. The emergency response plan shall be an element of
10the safety plan approved by the commission pursuant to Section
11961 of the Public Utilities Code.
12(b) The plan shall specifically address service restoration
13procedures as well as procedures to prevent or minimize damage
14from service disruption, leaks, fires, and explosions associated
15with the natural disaster.
16(c) (1) The plan shall be consistent with emergency response
17plans developed by the Office of Emergency Services and with
18any plan developed by a local disaster council.
19(2) The plan shall describe the capability of the gas corporation
20to utilize its own employees for emergency response and any
21procedures for utilizing personnel from other sources, including
22assessing qualifications to assure that only qualified personnel are
23utilized in emergency response.
Section 8610.9 is added to the Government Code, to
25read:
(a) The Public Utilities Commission and electric
27corporations providing electric service to more than 5,000
28customers shall develop and publish plans to respond to
29emergencies, including natural disasters, including, but not limited
30to, earthquakes, fires, and floods, that have the potential to disrupt
31natural electric service and cause damage. The plan shall reflect
32the ongoing participation of electric corporation employees in plan
33development and implementation.
34(b) The plan shall specifically address service restoration
35procedures as well as procedures to prevent or minimize damage
36from service disruption, leaks, fires, and explosions associated
37with the natural disaster.
P3 1(c) (1) The plan shall be consistent with emergency response
2plans developed by the Office of Emergency Services and with
3any plan developed by a local disaster council.
4(2) The plan shall describe the capability of the electric
5corporation to utilize its own employees for emergency response
6and any procedures for utilizing personnel from other sources,
7including assessing qualifications to assure that only qualified
8personnel are utilized in emergency response.
O
99