SECTION 1. Chapter 164 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 71 the following section:-
Section 71A. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations in relation to the development of utility infrastructure systems that shield such infrastructure from transmission or distribution interruptions or failures including but not limited to storm damage, vandalism, security breaches, maintenance neglect, or system overload due to inadequate design capacity limits. The department shall make it a priority to create incentives for unobtrusive, hardened, shielded, underground electrical utility transmission and distribution systems wherever physically feasible. The department is required to promulgate rules and regulations in relation to the development of infrastructure upgrade plans and hold public hearings once every 2 years to review the status, accuracy and technical feasibility of such plans.
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