HB10-1187 Summary

• Prohibits gas and electric public utilities from requiring customers to indemnify them for environmental contamination costs encountered during installation, maintenance, or relocation of utility facilities, with limited exceptions.

• Allows utilities to require commercial customers requesting new service or facility relocation to choose between: performing trenching work themselves, identifying an alternative location with a Phase I or II environmental site assessment showing no contamination, or reimbursing the utility for managing contamination costs.

• Permits utilities to recover reasonable direct costs for managing and disposing of environmental contamination encountered while maintaining existing facilities on a customer's property, excluding screening and legal fees.

• Prohibits utilities from requiring customers to bear costs for contamination introduced by the utility or negligently/willfully exacerbated by the utility; establishes expedited dispute resolution procedures through the Public Utilities Commission.

• Allows utilities to establish a uniform fee charged to all customers to recover costs of addressing environmental contamination on public rights-of-way; applies only to investor-owned gas and electric utilities serving as the sole provider in an area.