NY Governor proposes new laws to hold utility companies accountable for outages

NY Governor proposes new laws to hold utility companies accountable for outages

In this photo made from video provided by the office of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Gov. Cuomo, signs into law, Friday, June 12, 2020, in New York, a sweeping package of police accountability measures that received new backing following protests of George Floyd's killing. The laws signed by Cuomo, a Democrat, will ban police chokeholds, make it easier to sue people who call police on others without good reason, and set up a special prosecutor's office to investigate the deaths of people during and following encounters with police officers. (Office of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via AP)

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday announced that he would propose new legislation to hold utilities accountable for outages.  The new legislation would increase the current legal limits on penalties and create a streamlined process to revoke a utilities companies operating certificate.  Governor Cuomo said, “The response by the utility companies to Isaias was unacceptable ….. I am proposing legislation that will create penalties that are significant and will force utilities to change their behavior. The bill will also create a faster revocation process so that if they’re not providing that service then we will find someone else who can and do it quickly. We must pass this new law and do it right away.”

(Photo: AP Images)