Bill > A07165

This bill amends the Public Service Law to establish a utility intervenor reimbursement program. The key provisions are: 1. It allows "participants" (groups representing residential or small business customers) to apply for compensation from a newly established "utility intervenor account" for reasonable costs of participating in certain proceedings before the Public Service Commission (PSC), such as complaints, investigations, or rulemaking related to the regulation of gas, electricity, or steam prices. 2. The Department of Public Service will determine whether the participant can make a "substantial contribution" to the PSC's decision and, if so, the amount of compensation to be awarded, based on market rates for comparable services. 3. The Department may provide advance payment to participants experiencing "significant financial hardship" to enable their participation. Any unused compensation funds must be returned to the utilities that provided the payment. 4. The bill also establishes the "utility intervenor account" in the state finance law to collect the reimbursement monies from the utilities.