STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requires utility service providers to notify BPU of scheduled service work; permits government agencies and utility service providers to access BPU online database of scheduled service work.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning notice of certain utility service provider work and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
“Board” means the Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
“Emergency” means any condition constituting a clear and present danger to life, health, or property requiring a utility service provider to immediately undertake service work.
“Government agency” means any department, public authority, public agency, public commission, or other political subdivision of the State, including any county, municipality or political subdivision thereof.
“Operator” and “underground facility” shall have the same meaning as provided in section 3 of P.L.1994, c.118 (C.48:2-75).
“Utility service provider” means a public utility, as defined in R.S.48:2-13, that provides electric, gas, sewerage, or water service, a government agency-operated provider of electric, sewerage, or water service, or an operator of an underground facility.
2. a. The Board of Public Utilities shall create, maintain, and update, as appropriate, an online database providing real-time information on the date and type of scheduled utility service work. The online database shall serve as an online resource for a government agency to plan utility service work, roadwork, and other related work within a public right-of-way. The online database shall be accessible by any government agency and utility service provider and shall be designed and function in a manner that maximizes communication among all government agencies and utility service providers that may be impacted by scheduled utility service work.
b. Except as provided in subsection c. of this section, a utility service provider shall submit to the Board of Public Utilities electronic notice and detailed information of scheduled utility service work, pursuant to subsection a. of this section, at least five business days prior to the date the utility service provider performs the service work. The board shall maintain the information on the online database until the service work is completed, cancelled, or rescheduled.
c. If a utility service provider undertakes service work in response to an emergency, the utility service provider shall submit to the board electronic notice and detailed information of the service work as soon as possible after the beginning of the emergency.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative for 60 days following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to create, maintain, and update, as appropriate, an online database providing real-time information on the date and type of scheduled utility service work. The online database shall serve as an online resource for a government agency to plan utility service work, roadwork, and other related work within a public right-of-way. The online database is to be accessible by any “government agency” and “utility service provider,” as those terms are defined in the bill, and is to be designed and function in a manner that maximizes communication among all government agencies and utility service providers that may be impacted by scheduled utility service work.
The bill requires a utility service provider to submit to the BPU electronic notice and detailed information of scheduled utility service work at least five business days prior to the date the utility service provider performs the service work. The BPU is to maintain the information on the online database until the service work is completed, cancelled, or rescheduled.
The bill provides for an exception to the prior notice requirement for service work if the work is undertaken in response to an “emergency” as that term is defined in the bill. If the work is undertaken in response to an emergency, a utility service provider is to submit to the BPU electronic notice and detailed information of the work as soon as possible after the beginning of the emergency.