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Bill

A 4790

Relates to underground electrical services in Suffolk and Nassau counties

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ari Brown and 8 co-sponsors

NJ electric utilities must publish outage details on their websites (area, start time, affected customers, ETA) and report the data to the BPU within 30 days after restoration.

REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS
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Bill Summary · A 4790

Bill A 4790 – Summary

Note: The bill text provided concerns New Jersey electric public utilities and outage reporting, not underground electrical services in Suffolk and Nassau counties (which are in New York). The bill’s substantive provisions relate to outage information in New Jersey.

Overview

  • Purpose: to enhance transparency by requiring electric public utilities to publish outage information on their websites and to report that information to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) after power restoration.
  • Status: Referred to Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. Introduced September 19, 2024; later referrals on February 6, 2025.

Key Provisions

  • Definitions
    • Board: The Board of Public Utilities (or successor).
    • Electric public utility: A public utility that distributes electricity to end users in New Jersey.
    • Power outage: Any disruption in service.
  • Outage Information Publication
    • When a power outage occurs, the responsible electric public utility must publish on its website:
    • Geographic area affected.
    • Start time of the outage.
    • Number of customers affected.
    • Number of other ongoing power outages in the State.
    • Estimated time until restoration.
    • Cause of the outage (once ascertained).
    • The published information must be updated regularly until service is restored.
  • Reporting to the Board
    • The utility must report the same outage information published on its website to the BPU within 30 days after restoration of service.
  • Effective Date: Immediate.

Who Is Affected

  • Electric public utilities operating in New Jersey.
  • New Jersey consumers who rely on utility websites for outage information.
  • The Board of Public Utilities, which would receive post-outage data for oversight and potential regulatory action.

Timelines and Process

  • Outage occurrence: information published in real time on the utility’s website and updated throughout the outage.
  • Post-restoration: the utility must file a report with the BPU within 30 days of restoration.
  • Effective date: immediate upon enactment.

Legislative History & Sponsors

  • Introduced: September 19, 2024.
  • Committee referrals: Initially Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities; later referrals to Corporations, Authorities and Commissions (two entries on February 6, 2025).
  • Primary sponsor: Eric Brown; additional sponsors include Brian Maher and several cosponsors.

Related Bill

  • A 5825 (prior-session), indicating potential related or predecessor efforts on the topic.

Observations

  • The bill codifies a practice many utilities already perform but formalizes it as a statutory requirement, potentially strengthening consumer access and regulatory oversight.
  • The requirement to publish “the number of all other ongoing power outages in the State” may improve situational awareness during widespread outages but could raise considerations about data clarity and timeliness.
  • No funding provisions are specified; implementation costs would fall to the utilities and potentially be reconciled in future regulatory proceedings.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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