NATURAL GAS EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

Municipal Code of Chicago tit. 7, ch. 7-59

in effect

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-010 Definitions.

7-59-010 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: "Executive Director" means the Executive Director of Emergency Management and Communications. "Gas utility company" means any person engaged in the business of distributing, transmitting or otherwise delivering gas, regardless of its source, for use or consumption within the city. The term shall not include any person who delivers gas to fewer than 50 persons within the city. "Natural gas emergency response plan" means a planned course of action developed by a gas utility company to be implemented when (i) the demand for gas exceeds, or is at significant risk of exceeding, the supply of gas, or (ii) during any gas pipeline emergency in the city or (iii) for any unplanned interruption of the delivery or distribution of gas to more than ten customers due to a single event. For purposes of this chapter each unit in a building containing two or more dwelling units or commercial units shall also be counted as a customer. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. III, § 5)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-020 Submission of natural gas emergency response plan.

7-59-020 Submission of natural gas emergency response plan. (a) Every gas utility company must adopt and maintain a natural gas emergency response plan. Every new gas utility company shall adopt its plan within 30 days after becoming a gas utility company. Every such company shall submit a natural gas emergency response plan to the Executive Director, Superintendent of Police, and Fire Commissioner, no later than 24 hours of the time the plan is adopted. The company shall notify those officials, within 24 hours, of any significant revisions to the plan and of the rationale for the revisions. Such revisions shall be submitted by the company as soon as practicable and shall be reviewed and approved by the Executive Director in accordance with Section 7-59-030. (b) The natural gas emergency response plan shall include, at a minimum, information detailing: (1) the circumstances that would require the implementation of the plan; (2) an identification and complete description of the levels, stages or steps of the plan; (3) the potential impact of implementation of the plan on public health and safety and on the duties of the City's public health and safety agencies; (4) the actions the company has taken to mitigate potential health or safety problems; (5) and the identification of customers and facilities for which a service interruption would pose increased risk to public health and safety, including but not limited to, apartment buildings, nursing homes, schools, day-care centers, persons in critical health or life-support environments. (c) The natural gas emergency response plan shall include general system operations information, including, but not limited to: (1) an overview of the gas distribution system, including a description of each of the major components of a gas distribution system that is necessary for proper operation of the system; (2) an electronically mapped version of the utility's system infrastructure, including mains and other gas distribution equipment serving two or more end-user gas consumers; (3) descriptions of the types of emergencies that are or can be experienced by each of the major components of a gas distribution system as described in (1) above; (4) descriptions of how each type of emergency is remedied by the company; and (5) descriptions of the types and frequency of emergencies experienced on the company's system during the past year. The information required by this paragraph shall be updated on an annual basis and provided to the Executive Director by September 1 of each year. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 3-31-04, p. 20916, § 3.30; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. III, § 2; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. III, § 6)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-030 Review of plan.

7-59-030 Review of plan. Upon submission of the natural gas emergency response plan required under Section 7-59-020, the Executive Director, in consultation with the Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner, or their respective departmental designees, shall review the plan. In order to assure appropriate coordination with public health and safety agencies, the Executive Director shall have the right to approve or reject the plan or any element thereof based on: (a) the potential impact of implementation of the plan on public health and safety, (b) the potential impact of implementation of the plan on the duties of the City's public health and safety agencies; and (c) what steps the company has taken to mitigate those potential health or safety problems. Within 30 days after the date on which the plan is submitted, the Executive Director shall notify the gas utility company, in writing, whether the submitted plan has been approved or rejected. If the plan is rejected, the reasons therefor shall be stated in writing. In such case, within 30 days after notice of the rejection is given, the gas utility company shall submit a revised plan to the Executive Director, Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner, or their respective designees. Following consultation with the Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner, the Executive Director shall approve or reject the revised plan, in writing, within 30 days after the date on which the plan is resubmitted. A gas utility company shall be in violation of this chapter if such company fails to have in place a natural gas emergency response plan approved by the Executive Director within 120 days after the plan is required to be submitted under subsection 7-59-020(a). The gas utility company shall, on an annual basis, make available the appropriate operations personnel to meet with the City's public health and safety agencies to assure appropriate coordination between the company and the City. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. III, § 7)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-040 Implementation of natural gas emergency response plan when demand exceeds or is at significant risk of exceeding the supply of gas.

7-59-040 Implementation of natural gas emergency response plan when demand exceeds or is at significant risk of exceeding the supply of gas. (a) Whenever a gas utility company determines that it may be necessary to implement a natural gas emergency response plan because projected demand for gas exceeds or is at significant risk of exceeding the projected supply of gas, the company shall notify the Executive Director, Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner, or their respective designees, pursuant to a notification procedure approved by the Executive Director after consultation with the Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner. The notification shall be made by the company as soon as practicable and shall be made prior to implementation of the plan. The Executive Director may waive the notice requirement to accommodate exigent circumstances. (b) Notice of the implementation of each level, stage or step of the natural gas emergency response plan shall be made by the company pursuant to rules promulgated by the Executive Director after consultation with the Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner. Such notice shall be made immediately upon the determination that the level, stage or step may be necessary. Whenever practical, such notification shall be made at least two hours prior to the implementation of the level, stage or step and in no case shall the notification be made less than 30 minutes prior to such implementation. (c) Notification required by this section shall be in addition to any notification requirements contained in Section 11-20-065 of this Code. (d) Whenever a gas utility company implements a natural gas emergency response plan because demand for gas exceeds or is at significant risk of exceeding the supply of gas, the company shall provide appropriate personnel, as determined by the Executive Director, to staff the City's Office of Emergency Management and Communications and any other emergency response facility that the Executive Director determines requires such staffing while the company's natural gas emergency response plan is being implemented. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. III, § 2; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. III, § 8)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-050 Implementation of natural gas emergency response plan during a gas pipeline emergency or an unplanned interruption of delivery or distribution.

7-59-050 Implementation of natural gas emergency response plan during a gas pipeline emergency or an unplanned interruption of delivery or distribution. (a) Whenever a gas utility company determines that it is necessary to implement a natural gas emergency response plan because of a gas pipeline emergency in the City or because of an unplanned interruption of delivery or distribution of gas to more than ten customers due to a single event or the company's response to the event, the company shall notify the Executive Director of Emergency Management and Communications, Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner, or their respective designees, pursuant to a notification procedure approved by the Executive Director after consultation with the Superintendent of Police and Fire Commissioner. The notification from the utility shall include: (1) location of incident; (2) location of utility infrastructure in the vicinity of the incident; (3) estimated time to eliminate immediate danger to public health and safety; (4) estimated time of service restoration to customers and proposed method or order that will be used to restore service; (5) the number of customers affected; (6) geographic boundaries of the area affected; (7) critical facilities affected; (8) immediate updates concerning the information provided under subparagraphs (3), (4), (6) and (7) of this paragraph to the extent that information previously provided has changed, and periodic updates regarding the incident if there is no change to information previously provided; and (9) any necessary or appropriate additional details required by the Executive Director. (b) Notification required by this section shall be in addition to any notification requirements contained in Section 11-20-065 of this Code. (c) Whenever a gas utility company implements a natural gas emergency response plan because delivery or distribution of gas is interrupted, the Executive Director may request, and the company shall provide, appropriate personnel, as determined by the Executive Director, to staff the City's Office of Emergency Management and Communications and any other City emergency response facility that the Executive Director determines requires such staffing while the company's natural gas emergency response plan is being implemented. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. III, § 2; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. III, § 9)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-060 Violations; reimbursement.

7-59-060 Violations; reimbursement. (a) Any gas utility company that violates this chapter or any rules promulgated hereunder shall be subject to a fine of not less than $2,500.00 and not more than $10,000.00 for each offense. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. (b) Whenever the city incurs any expenses in providing the services of public health and safety agencies as the result of a gas utility company's violation of this chapter or rules promulgated thereunder, that company shall reimburse the city for all amounts expended, within 30 days of receipt of a certified invoice from the city. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1)

Municipal Code of Chicago § 7-59-070 Construction.

7-59-070 Construction. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to preclude or interfere with the implementation by a gas utility company of measures necessary to assure the provision of adequate, efficient, reliable and environmentally safe service as required by the Illinois Public Utilities Act (220 ILCS 5/1-101, et seq.) or by applicable federal law. (Added Coun. J. 5-1-02, p. 84053, § 1)

Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2643154Fetched: 10/24/2026