Relating to emergency planning and coordination for electric transmission line owners, and providing penalties

This bill relates to emergency planning and coordination for electric transmission line owners. The bill requires each electric transmission line owner or electric utility to independently develop an emergency response plan and submit the plan to the Iowa utilities commission (commission). The plan must include two designated emergency contacts with 24-hour contact information, procedures for notifying state and local emergency management agencies and neighboring utilities during service interruptions, strategies for staging and mobilization, a summary of mutual aid arrangements, and a methodology for prioritizing restoration of service to essential facilities. An initial plan must be submitted by December 31, 2026, and updated plans must be submitted annually thereafter or within 30 days of a material change. The bill provides that emergency response plans and related information submitted to the commission are confidential records and are not subject to disclosure, except as necessary to coordinate emergency response and restoration efforts among authorized state and utility personnel. The bill requires an electric transmission line owner or electric utility to notify the commission when it is projected that an outage meeting certain criteria will result in a loss of service for more than six hours. The notice must be made as early as possible and must include the general nature and cause of the interruption, the geographic area affected, a preliminary assessment of the damage, and an estimated time for restoration, with updates provided as more accurate information becomes available. The bill further requires, in the event of an actual or imminent proclaimed disaster emergency, electric transmission line owners to coordinate operational responses with one another and with electric utilities to ensure expeditious and orderly repair and restoration, and provide information to the commission and the department of homeland security and emergency management as requested to support state-level emergency response. Finally, the bill authorizes the commission to levy a civil penalty against an electric transmission line owner that violates the bill or rules adopted under it, in an amount of not more than $100 per violation or $1,000 per day for a continuing violation, whichever is greater.