Electric utilities would face restoration targets after major power outages

State utility regulators would set restoration targets and require improvement plans for areas meeting the conditions. Covered outages must be beyond utility control and affect at least 10% of customers in a utility-defined area within 48 hours. The area must miss targets, and its utility must face or have faced a state restoration or reliability order within the five years before the outage. Affected customers would receive automatic credits once regulators approve the plan. Regulators would set targets within 30 days of the law taking effect. Utilities would submit plans within 60 days of receiving notice.

State regulators would review whether a neighboring electric utility could take over service. Covered outages must be beyond utility control and affect at least 10% of customers in a utility-defined area within 48 hours. The area must first miss targets while its utility faces or has faced a state restoration or reliability order within the five years before that event. The review would assess whether a transfer is feasible; it would not guarantee a switch. Another missed target during a later major outage would trigger the review.

Utilities would repay approved local government claims after another missed target during a later major outage. Repayment would cover documented public safety costs during restoration time beyond the state's acceptable limit. The area must first miss targets while its utility faces or has faced a state restoration or reliability order within the five years before that event. Counties and towns must request payment and obtain state approval. Utilities could challenge claims. Utilities could not charge customers for these payments. Counties and towns could submit itemized claims within 90 days after the major event ends.

Utilities would report outage information to local emergency officials, and regulators would publish annual performance summaries. Outage reports would go to municipal emergency officials. Online summaries would cover each utility-defined area and the utility's whole service area. Missed reports could trigger fines, but regulators could grant utilities more time to report. Utilities would send estimates for town-reported outages at least every 12 hours during the event and written explanations for outages exceeding 24 hours. Regulators would publish summaries within 30 days of receiving annual reports.