Legislation Would Require Standby Generators for a Variety of Businesses and Facilities
The widespread power outages resulting from Hurricane Sandy crippled many businesses which serve the public by providing essential services. To prevent that situation from recurring, a number of bills have been introduced in the New Jersey legislature which would require a variety of private businesses and facilities to install standby generators.
The most comprehensive of the bills, called the New Jersey Residents’ Power Protection Act and designated as A-3495, requires that "facilities and businesses...which provide critical and unique services that are vital to public safety and economic recovery during times of widespread power loss due to a natural disaster or other catastrophic event...have secondary sources of power.” They include new grocery stores, gas stations; nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation facilities; first aid, ambulance, and rescue squads; pharmacies; firehouses; and boarding houses. To offset the cost of implementation, the bill establishes a corporation business tax deduction and gross income tax deduction (maximum of $10,000), and a sales tax exemption, for the purchase of equipment.
A similar bill, designated as A-3064, would require installation and use of generators by specified eligible businesses, defined to encompass retail motor fuel dealers, motor fuel wholesalers, motor fuel terminal facilities, motor fuel refineries, and many of the facilities listed under A3495 The New Jersey Economic Development Authority would be required to offer low-interest loans to these businesses to facilitate acquisition and installation of generators.
A number of other pending bills apply to only specific facilities and businesses:
- Grocery and convenience stores (newly constructed stores only) (A-3486 and S-2357);
- Gas stations (existing and newly constructed stations) (A-3473 and S-3484, also A-3563 and S-2361);
- Senior housing and/or disabled housing (newly constructed only) (A-1632 and S-402, also S-2372);
- Senior residential multiple dwellings (existing and newly constructed) (A-3569);
- Retirement community (existing and newly constructed) (A-3479 and S-2341);
- Assisted living residences and certain other licensed residential health care facilities (existing and newly constructed) (A-2860, A-3514).
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