Posted: | January 16, 2020 03:46 PM |
---|---|
From: | Representative Christopher B. Quinn and Rep. Carolyn T. Comitta |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Public Utilities Emergency Response Plan |
In the near future, we plan on introducing legislation that would help ensure public utilities who deliver natural gas liquids through populated areas make their emergency response plans available to local emergency management in their counties. We have found a disconcerting disconnect between our local emergency responders and these pipeline operators. This is particularly disturbing since these pipeline operators would be reliant upon the local responders in the event something went wrong. We believe this is unacceptable and our bill will change that. Our bill will ensure that the public utilities who deliver Natural Gas Liquids through high consequence areas to make their emergency response plans available to the Secretary of the Public Utility Commission, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Emergency Management Director of each county where the high consequence area is located. It will also ensure that this information is protected and still treated as the sensitive information it is by requiring all reviewers of the information to comply with the Public Utility Confidential Security Information Disclosure Protection Act. Any utility that fails to comply with this could face enforcement action from the Public Utility Commission. We hope that you’ll join us in ensuring that our pipeline utilities and our local emergency responders are working together instead of separately. |
Introduced as HB2293