Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-32m: Residential customer compensation for expiration of medicine and food due to distribution-system service outage. Recovery of costs. Waiver of requirements.

(a) For the purposes of this section:

(1) “Emergency” means any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, drought, wildfire or fire explosion that results in sixty-nine per cent or less of the electric distribution company's customers experiencing an outage at the period of peak electrical demand;

(2) “Electric distribution company” has the same meaning as provided in section 16-1; and

(3) “After the occurrence of an emergency” means the conclusion of the emergency, as determined by the authority in its discretion, through a review of the following: (A) The time when the electric distribution company could first deploy resources safely in its service territory; (B) the first of any official declarations concerning the end of the emergency; or (C) the expiration of the first of any National Weather Service warning applicable to the service territory.

(b) On and after July 1, 2021, each electric distribution company shall provide to each residential customer compensation in an amount of two hundred fifty dollars, in the aggregate, for any medication and food that expires or spoils due to a distribution-system service outage that lasts more than ninety-six consecutive hours in duration after the occurrence of an emergency.

(c) Any costs incurred by an electric distribution company pursuant to this section shall not be recoverable.

(d) Not later than fourteen calendar days after the occurrence of an emergency, an electric distribution company may petition the authority for a waiver of the requirements of this section. Any petition for a waiver made under this subsection shall include the severity of the emergency, line and restoration crew safety issues and conditions on the ground, and shall be conducted as a contested case proceeding. The burden of proving that such waiver is reasonable and warranted shall be on the electric distribution company. In determining whether to grant such waiver, the authority shall consider whether the electric distribution company received approval and reasonable funding allowances, as determined by the authority, to meet infrastructure resiliency efforts to improve such company's performance.

(e) No electric distribution company shall require any line and restoration crew member to work in unsafe conditions to avoid providing credits to customer accounts pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or for any other reason. No line or restoration crew member employed by such company may be disciplined, terminated, have wages withheld or otherwise be punished solely on the basis that such employee caused the company to fail to restore a distribution system outage within the ninety-six-hour period specified in subsection (b) of this section.

(f) On or before January 1, 2021, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a proceeding to consider the implementation of the compensation reimbursement and waiver provisions of this section and establish circumstances, standards and methodologies applicable to each electric distribution company and necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including any modifications to the ninety-six-consecutive-hour standard in subsection (b) of this section. The authority shall issue a final decision in such proceeding on or before July 1, 2021.