May 8, 2014, Introduced by Reps. Townsend, Darany, Durhal, Stallworth and Lamonte and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.
A bill to amend 1939 PA 3, entitled
"An act to provide for the regulation and control of public and
certain private utilities and other services affected with a public
interest within this state; to provide for alternative energy
suppliers; to provide for licensing; to include municipally owned
utilities and other providers of energy under certain provisions of
this act; to create a public service commission and to prescribe
and define its powers and duties; to abolish the Michigan public
utilities commission and to confer the powers and duties vested by
law on the public service commission; to provide for the
continuance, transfer, and completion of certain matters and
proceedings; to abolish automatic adjustment clauses; to prohibit
certain rate increases without notice and hearing; to qualify
residential energy conservation programs permitted under state law
for certain federal exemption; to create a fund; to provide for a
restructuring of the manner in which energy is provided in this
state; to encourage the utilization of resource recovery
facilities; to prohibit certain acts and practices of providers of
energy; to allow for the securitization of stranded costs; to
reduce rates; to provide for appeals; to provide appropriations; to
declare the effect and purpose of this act; to prescribe remedies
and penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,"
(MCL 460.1 to 460.11) by adding section 9g.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 9g. (1) The commission shall adopt safety performance
metrics for natural gas distribution pipeline safety.
(2) The commission shall do all of the following in adopting
safety performance metrics under subsection (1):
(a) Design each metric to be an indicator of safety
performance.
(b) Design each metric so that it may be reevaluated within a
useful time frame.
(c) Design each metric so that the data inputs to the metric
are verifiable.
(d) Design each metric so that it is robust enough to serve as
a useful indicator of pipeline safety.
(3) The commission shall evaluate whether a natural gas
utility has met the safety performance metrics adopted under
subsection (1).
(4) As used in this section, "natural gas utility" means an
investor-owned business engaged in the sale and distribution of
natural gas within this state whose rates are regulated by the
commission.