The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently advanced the bipartisan Pipeline Safety Act of 2016 (H.R. 5050), which was developed following efforts to find weaknesses in existing safety laws for the nation’s energy pipelines.
“Pipeline safety is something that we should all take seriously, and it’s been a priority of mine since I became chairman following the spill in Southwest Michigan that impacted the Kalamazoo River,” U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said. “While an accident can happen in an instant, the damage takes years to fix, underscoring the need for strong safety laws. We promised action, and today, we passed a bill that authorizes PHMSA [the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] for five years and goes a long way in strengthening pipeline safety.”
The bill seeks to increase transparency and accountability for PHMSA, as well as for inter-agency reviews on the regulatory process. It also completes overdue regulations, tightens the provisions surrounding emergency orders issued by PHMSA and increases the number of inspections for some oil pipelines running underwater.
The bill builds on previous work from the committee to reform pipeline safety, including the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011, which was developed with the help of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
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