SENATE ECONOMIC GROWTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 828

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 24, 2020

      The Senate Economic Growth Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 828.

      As reported, this bill requires a public utility regulated by the Board of Public Utilities, a “local unit,” and a “local utility,” as those terms are defined in the bill, to notify each other within 180 days, of an infrastructure project the public utility, local unit, or local utility plans to undertake.  The notice is to include a summary of the purpose and scope of the infrastructure project, the infrastructure project schedule, and a map of the infrastructure project location.

      Within 60 days of the receipt of the required notice, the public utility, local unit, and local utility are required to examine any underground utility facility within the borders of the infrastructure project to the extent feasible and notify each other whether an underground utility facility needs repair or replacement and if any of them intend to undertake an infrastructure project within the scope of the other’s infrastructure project.  The bill requires the public utility, local unit, and local utility to coordinate to provide timely notification of any changes to their respective project plans or schedule and, when feasible, to jointly establish a timeframe for scheduled work.

      Finally, the bill requires a public utility, upon completing a project that requires road, street, or highway excavation work in a local unit, to restore the road, street, or highway to the condition that is required pursuant to ordinance in that local unit or to a condition which has been agreed upon by the public utility, local unit, and local utility.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.