Amendment #35, as changed to H4876

Electric utility climate resilience

Mr. Fernandes of Falmouth moves to amend the amendment by inserting after section 53 the following section:-

SECTION 53A. Subsection (c) of section 92B of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking clauses (ii) and (iii) and inserting in place thereof the following 3 clauses:-

(ii) consider and include a summary of all proposed and related investments, alternatives to these investments and alternative approaches to financing these investments that have been reviewed, are under consideration or have been approved by the department previously;

(iii) solicit input, such as planning scenarios and modeling, from the Grid Modernization Advisory Council established in section 92C, respond to information and document requests from said council and conduct technical conferences and a minimum of 2 stakeholder meetings to inform the public, appropriate state and federal agencies and companies engaged in the development and installation of distributed generation, energy storage, vehicle electrification systems and building electrification systems; and

(iv) prepare and file a climate vulnerability and resilience plan at least once every 5 years based on best available data, which shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(A) an evaluation of the climate science and projected sea level rise, extreme temperature, precipitation, humidity and storms, and other climate-related risks for the service territory;

(B) an evaluation and risk assessment of potential impacts of climate change on existing operation, planning, and physical assets;

(C) identification, prioritization, and cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options to increase asset and system-wide resilience over time;

(D) a community engagement plan with targeted engagement for environmental justice populations in the service territory; and

(E) an implementation timeline for making changes in line with the findings of the study such as modifying design and construction standards, modifying operations and planning processes, and relocating or upgrading existing infrastructure to ensure reliability and resilience of the grid.