Section 815-RICR-00-00-5.6 - Emergency Response PlansA. Each Public Utility shall submit to the Division an ERP that shall be designed to achieve safe and reasonably prompt restoration of service associated with an Emergency Event. The ERP shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 1. Identification of incident command positions responsible for Public Utility emergency operations, including a description of their specific duties;2. A communications process with customers that provides access to information regarding active outages, customers affected and estimated restoration times available on a website. Such information shall be prominently displayed and updated. A Public Utility shall also provide estimated times of restoration at least three times per day through at least one other form of media outreach, and when requested by customers via telephone;3. For electric distribution companies, procedures for maintaining an updated list of Life Support Customers, including a process to update a Public Utility's Life Support Customer list when a customer notifies the Public Utility of a medical need for electric service, communicating with Life Support Customers before and during an Emergency Event, and procedures for prioritizing power restoration to Life Support Customers;4. Designation of staff to communicate with local officials, including public safety officials, relevant regulatory agencies, and designated Municipal Liaisons and designation of staff to be posted at the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations center;5. Provisions regarding how the Public Utility will ensure the safety of its employees, contractors, and the public;6. Procedures for deploying Public Utility and contractor crews, and crews acquired through Mutual Assistance Agreements to work assignment areas;7. Identification of additional supplies and equipment needed during an emergency and the means of obtaining additional supplies and equipment; and8. Maintenance of a customer call center in the State of Rhode Island that is sufficiently staffed to handle all customer request for service assistance for the duration of an Emergency Event or until full service is restored, whichever occurs first.B. The ERP shall set forth the content, format and timeline for each report that the Public Utility shall submit to the Division pursuant to § 5.5(C) of this Part.C. Each electric distribution or natural gas distribution company, when implementing its ERP, shall designate an employee or employees to support the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations center for the length of the Emergency Event. The employee or employees shall coordinate communication efforts with emergency management officials.D. Each electric distribution or natural gas distribution company, when implementing its ERP, shall designate an employee or employees to serve as Municipal Liaisons for each affected municipality within its service territory. The electric distribution or natural gas distribution company shall provide each Municipal Liaison with the necessary feeder map or maps outlining municipal substations and distribution networks and up-to-date customer outage reports at the time of the designation as Municipal Liaisons. The Public Utility shall provide each Municipal Liaison with regular customer outage report updates for the Municipal Liaison's respective municipality. The Municipal Liaisons shall use the maps and outage reports to respond to inquiries from state and local officials and relevant regulatory agencies.E. Each Public Utility shall file an ERP, which the Public Utility has reviewed and updated within the previous 12 months, with the Division on or before May 15 of each year. The filing shall include a copy of all written Mutual Assistance Agreements into which the Public Utility has entered and identify and describe any modifications to the previous ERP and Mutual Assistance Agreements. An electric distribution or natural gas distribution company that fails to timely file its ERP may be fined $500 for each day during which such failure continues.F. A Public Utility's ERP shall go into effect when filed with the Division, pending Division review and approval, and shall remain in effect until a new ERP is filed or the Division directs otherwise. After review of a Public Utility's ERP, the Division may request that the Public Utility amend the ERP. Any ERP provisions filed with the Division, in response to a Division-requested change, or on the Company's initiative, shall be approved by the Division within 60 days. If there is no action by the Division to reject a filing, in whole or in part, within that specified period of time, the ERP provisions shall be deemed to be approved. The Division may open an investigation of the Public Utility's ERP. If, after hearings, the Division finds a material deficiency in the ERP, the Division may order the Public Utility to make such modifications to the ERP that it deems reasonably necessary to remedy the deficiency.G. If a Public Utility makes any updates or changes to its ERP between annual filings, it shall submit such changes to the Division as soon as possible. Such changes shall go into effect when filed with the Division, pending Division review and approval in accordance with § 5.6(F) of this Part.815 R.I. Code R. 815-RICR-00-00-5.6
Adopted effective 6/30/2024