Plugged In To Energy & Telecom
Coverage of Energy and Telecommunication News & Policy Across New York State
March 13, 2023
What’s Inside
- PSC Issues Preliminary Agenda
- EV Make Ready Mid-Point Review
- Governor Announces the Return of Nearly $4.2 Million to Energy Consumers In 2022
- NYPA Upgrades Niagara Power Project Control Room
- NYPA Economic Development Power Allocation Board Announces Meeting
- Legislative Update
- Regulatory Update
- In the News
PSC Issues Preliminary Agenda
The Public Service Commission announced that it will hold its next regular session beginning at 10:30 A.M., Thursday, March 16, 2023. The session will be held in the Commission’s offices located at Three Empire State Plaza, 19th Floor, Albany, and the 4th Floor Boardroom of the Department’s New York City office, located at 90 Church Street, New York, New York.
The draft agenda lists three regular agenda items (items that require discussion):
Item 101, 23-G-0083 – Proceeding on Motion of the Commission Regarding an Examination by Gas Distribution Utilities Concerning the Installation of PermaLock Tapping Tee Assemblies.
Item 102, 19-G-0309 & 19-G-0310 – THE BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMPANY D/B/A NATIONAL GRID NY/KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORP. D/B/A NATIONAL GRID – Proceedings on Motion of the Commission as to the Rates, Charges, Rules and Regulations for Gas Service.
Item 301, 18-E-0130 – In the Matter of Energy Storage Deployment Program.
The draft agenda also contains a lengthy consent agenda (items that can be decided on the basis of written reviews and analyses previously made available to the Commissioners and do not require discussion), including on the following matter:
22-C-0540 – Proceeding to Establish Adequate Customer Notice of Copper to Fiber Transitions.
EV Make Ready Mid-Point Review
The Department of Public Service (DPS) Staff released their Electric Vehicle Make-Ready Program Midpoint Review and Recommendations Whitepaper which provides recommendations for modification to the Make-Ready Program and other programs for the Commission’s consideration. The Make-Ready Order directed DPS Staff to initiate a midpoint review for the Make-Ready program by October 1, 2022, which was later extended to March 1, 2023.
Among the staff recommendations included in the Midpoint Review Whitepaper, the following are highlighted:
- Increasing the budget from $701 million to $1.108 billion and updating the plug targets to a total of 43,122 L2 plugs and 6,302 DCFC plugs;
- Extending the deadline of the Make-Ready Program beyond January 1, 2025, if plug targets are not met;
- Creating a $25 million micromobility make-ready program targeting Disadvantaged Communities (DACs);
- Modifying the DAC tier for L2 plugs to use premise-specific eligibility criteria for stations located in multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) and the addition of curbside charging as an eligible use case;
- Modifying the Medium- and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Pilot to increase the total budget to $54 million as well as expanding eligibility to include EPA’s Clean School Bus Program and customer-side costs; and
- Creating a Stakeholder process to address problems with the interconnection queue.
Governor Announces the Return of Nearly $4.2 Million to Energy Consumers In 2022
As a part of National Consumer Protection Week, the announced that the Office of Consumer Services at the Department of Public Service (DPS) assisted 68,000 New York households with a variety of consumer protection matters in 2022, resulting in the Department returning nearly $4.2 million to consumers.
The Department’s Office of Consumer Services monitors the number and types of complaints received against all utilities operating in New York State to ensure that utilities fulfill their obligation to provide effective customer service in compliance with the laws, rules, regulations and policies. Each month, the Office of Consumer Services makes public a detailed overview of complaint activity and utility responsiveness that is informative to both consumers and utility companies.
Governor Hochul said:
NYPA Upgrades Niagara Power Project Control Room
The Niagara Power Project’s control room – the space that contains remote operating controls for the entire Niagara Power Project, including the Robert Moses Power Plant, the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant and associated switchyards, recently completed its first major upgrade since the plant was built over sixty years ago in 1961.
The control room upgrades and digitization, conducted over a 9-month period in 2022, is a signature part of the Power Authority’s 15-year modernization and digitization program dubbed Next Generation Niagara (NGN) that will extend the operating life of NYPA’s Niagara Power Project in Lewiston. The control room upgrades are designed to improve operator performance and bolster cyber security. New features include installation of a large video display board, better lighting, noise canceling architecture and sit/stand desks.
NYPA Acting President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said:
NYPA Economic Development Power Allocation Board Announces Meeting
The New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board will hold a meeting on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 8 a.m.
Consistent with Section 104(4) of the Open Meetings Law, the public has the right to attend the meeting at any of the videoconference locations shown below:
- New York Power Authority, 123 Main Street, 16th floor, Executive Conference Room, White Plains
- New York Power Authority, Frank S. McCullough, Jr. Hawkins Point Visitors Center, 21 Hawkins Point Road, Massena, New York
- Silver and Collins Attorneys at Law, 44 Court Street, Canton, NY
- IVCI, Suffolk Room, 601 Old Willets Path #100, Hauppauge, NY 11788
The meeting can be viewed by visiting the Power Authority’s website at www.nypa.gov and selecting “View” within the “Meetings and Webcasts: Watch Live” box near the center of the page. A YouTube channel will be launched for live viewing.
Legislative Update
State Assembly Agendas (Bills of Interest)
_________________________________________________________________
Codes (DINOWITZ)
11:00 AM, Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Room 630 LOB
*Date changed from Tuesday to Wednesday due to weather*
The committee meeting will be broadcast on the NYS Assembly website.
A.836 Dinowitz – An act to amend the labor law, in relation to prohibiting an employer from requesting or requiring that an employee or applicant disclose any user name, password, or other means for accessing a personal account through specified electronic communications devices
A.1836 Colton – An act to amend the general city law, in relation to requiring contractors in certain cities to recycle construction and demolition site waste
A.3226 Glick – An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to enacting the birds and bees protection act
A.4456 Bores – An act to amend the general business law, in relation to raising the maximum fine for persons who violate the law regulating telemarketing
A.4620 Alvarez – An act to amend the general business law, in relation to availability for sale of advertised merchandise (rain checks)
________________________________________________________________
State Senate Agendas (Bills of Interest)
11:00 AM, Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Room 630 LOB
*Date changed from Tuesday to Wednesday due to weather*
The committee meeting will be broadcast on the NYS Assembly website.
A.836 Dinowitz – An act to amend the labor law, in relation to prohibiting an employer from requesting or requiring that an employee or applicant disclose any user name, password, or other means for accessing a personal account through specified electronic communications devices
A.1836 Colton – An act to amend the general city law, in relation to requiring contractors in certain cities to recycle construction and demolition site waste
A.3226 Glick – An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to enacting the birds and bees protection act
A.4456 Bores – An act to amend the general business law, in relation to raising the maximum fine for persons who violate the law regulating telemarketing
A.4620 Alvarez – An act to amend the general business law, in relation to availability for sale of advertised merchandise (rain checks)
Bills Passed Last Week
A.1057-B Vanel/S.1759-A Skoufis – AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to online dating services
Passed Senate Only:
S.1305 Comrie/A.1321 Rajkumar – AN ACT to amend the real property actions and proceedings law, in relation to access to adjoining property to make improvements or repairs
Passed Both:
N/A
State Register
Labor, Department of
- Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Standards (Adopted)
Public Service Commission
- Initial Tariff Filing (Adopted)
- Phase 2 Areas of Concern Transmission Upgrades (Adopted)
- Submetering of Electricity and Waiver Request (Adopted)
- Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, Incidental Regulation, and Transfers of Assets (Adopted)
- Increase in Annual Revenues and Establishment of an Escrow Account (Adopted)
- Submetering of Electricity (Adopted)
- Amendments to 16 NYCRR (Adopted)
- Submetering of Electricity (Adopted)
- Waiver of DPS Regulations (Adopted)
- Modifications to the EV Managed Charging Programs (Adopted)
- Tariff Amendment (Adopted)
In The News
Politico: Sticker shock awaits New Yorkers’ utility bills to fund renewables.
What will BEAD mean for the poorest U.S. communities?
Biden budget seeks another $400M for ReConnect program.
Could geothermal energy heat New York’s largest networks of buildings?
GE poised to be a player in offshore wind with blades and generators.
State Senator Pete Harckham on Cap and Invest, Extended Producer Responsibility bills.
New York state approves transmission projects to reduce renewable energy bottlenecks.
High electricity prices will go even higher unless we change course.
Attentive Energy One announces plans for two new offshore wind ports in New York City, creating $400 million in economic activity in New York State.
What’s Holding Up New York’s Climate Progress? Apartment Buildings.
Buffalo blizzard helps fuel Albany fight over the future of heat.
Times Union Commentary: Communities must have a say in local energy projects.