Amendment #62 to H4377

HWM Tech

Mr. Dempsey of Haverhill moves to amend the bill Mr. Dempsey of Haverhill moves to amend the bill by inserting before section 1 the following two sections:-

SECTION 1. Section 144 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:

(c) Upon the undertaking of a significant project that exposes confirmed natural gas infrastructure, including the repair or paving of a public way, the installation, replacement or repair of an underground water or sewer line or underground electrical or other cable, a municipality or the commonwealth or other entity responsible for the aforesaid undertaking may submit written notification of the project to a gas company at least 6 months in advance of such project. Upon commencement of the project, the gas company shall survey the project area for the presence of gas leaks, and all gas leaks shall be repaired by the gas company to the extent such repairs are feasible within the timeframe of the construction project. The gas company shall ensure that any shut off valve in the significant project area has a gate box installed upon it or a reasonable alternative that would otherwise ensure continued public safety and that any critical valve that has not been inspected and tested within the past 12 months is verified to be operational and accessible. If a gas leak cannot be repaired within the timeframe allowed for the construction project, the gas company shall provide the repair and replacement schedule of any gas leaks detected during the survey performed during the project to the municipality or the commonwealth.  Gas companies shall coordinate with municipalities to determine which leaks shall be addressed by full replacement of lines and mains. A gas company that has previously submitted plans to the municipality or the commonwealth to replace existing gas lines or mains shall continue to adhere to those plans and the replacement projects therein in addition to any repairs of individual leaks as required by this section.

SECTION 1A.  Subsection (e) of said section 144 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following sentence:- Gas companies shall also report to the department the total volume of statewide lost or unaccounted for gas attributed to Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3 leaks located within the commonwealth.

And moves to further amend the bill by striking out, in line 1, the words “SECTION 1” and inserting in place there of the following words:- SECTION 1B.

And moves to further amend the bill by striking out, in lines 62 to 64, the sentence “The distribution companies shall consult with the department of energy resources and the attorney general’s office regarding the choice of contracting methods and solicitation methods.” and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:  The distribution companies shall coordinate with the department of energy resources, and consult with the office of the attorney general, regarding the choice of solicitation methods.

And moves to further amend the bill by striking out, in line 86, the words “and (vii)” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-  (vii) where possible, mitigate any environmental impacts; and (viii).

And moves to further amend the bill by striking out, in lines 248 and 249, the words “, in consultation with the department of public utilities,”.

And moves to further amend the bill by adding the following sections:-

SECTION 2.  The department of public utilities shall open an investigation to establish specific criteria for identifying the environmental impact of gas leaks which have been classified as Grade 3 pursuant to section 144 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, and to establish a 5-year plan to repair such leaks.  The department shall promulgate rules regarding the timeline and acceptable methods for remediation and repair of any Grade 3 leak which is determined to have significant environmental impact.

SECTION 3.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of energy resources may establish a carbon reduction research center. The carbon reduction research center shall be established to advance the Commonwealth’s carbon reduction goals. The carbon reduction research center may include, but not be limited to, any of the following research initiatives: fuel cells; energy storage technology; residential property assessed clean energy programming; commercial property assessed clean energy programming; increased efficiency of existing small domestic energy production; and increased efficiency of and cleaner use of traditional fossil based fuels. The carbon reduction research center shall be located upon a campus within the University of Massachusetts, as defined by section 1, of chapter 75 of the general laws, that meets the following criteria: (1) located within a gateway city; (2) located near the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center; and (3) has access to academic resources necessary for civil, environmental, and nuclear engineering.