[Photo of Rosie Mendez from March 26 by Stacie Joy]
Rosie Mendez's office passed along the following information earlier today...
Tomorrow, the New York City Council's Committee on Housing & Buildings will hear nine bills aimed at preventing another tragic gas explosion.
On March 26, City Council member Rosie Mendez led a press conference to remember the deadly Second Avenue explosion on its one-year anniversary. There, Mendez announced a legislation package that will increase inspections of piping systems, publish annual reporting on these inspections, provide better and more informed notifications to tenants, mandate natural gas alarms in units, and increased transparency.
Mendez is a lead sponsor of Intro. 1093, which requires gas providers to notify the Department of Buildings within 24 hours of issuing a gas service shut off. This bill and several others will hold individuals and agencies accountable and looks to prevent accidents and address negligence.
The public will be allowed to testify at the hearing tomorrow. Details are below.
Housing & Buildings
Tuesday, April 12 at 10 a.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall
Please arrive at 9:45 a.m. for good seating and if you wish to testify. You can sign up with the Sergeant at Arms.
The following legislation will be heard at tomorrow's hearing:
• Int 738 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a gas qualification for journeyman plumbers.
• Int 1079 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to final inspections of gas piping systems.
• Int 1088 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to periodic inspections of gas piping systems.
• Int 1090 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring owners to provide notice to their tenants regarding procedures that should be followed when a gas leak is suspected.
• Int 1093 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring gas service providers and owners to notify the department of buildings within twenty-four hours when gas service is shut-off or not restored due to safety concerns.
• Int 1094 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to identifying the factors indicating gas-related violations in residential and commercial buildings.
• Int 1098 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring annual reports on the state of gas infrastructure in the city.
• Int 1100 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York and the New York city building code, in relation to requiring natural gas alarms in dwelling units.
• Int 1101 — A Local Law in relation to a temporary waiver of penalties for violations relating to fuel gas piping systems and appliances that are promptly repaired.
• Int 1102 — A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to designating violations of existing law regarding gas piping systems as “immediately hazardous.”
4 comments:
As long as these new rules don't make it prohibitively expensive or such a major hassle that people end up doing the work on their own or with an unlicensed worker. Already the cost and time of doing any repair work in our building has quadrupled. Doesn't bode well.
why can't they just keep it simple?
government makes things so complicated.
it's already illegal, why not punish those that bypass legal gas connections and make the landlords responsible?
enforce what's on the books now!
Watch NYC require annual inspections of the gas lines of every single residential building - ka-ching, ka-ching! A new fee to pay every year! And a new bureaucracy to go with it!
I would love to see the city regularly inspect the gas lines in each building much the way elevators are inspected for safety.
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