House Committee Holds Markup on SAFER Pipelines Act to Reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
House Committee Holds Markup on SAFER Pipelines Act to Reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
Last week, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a markup of H.R. 5120, the SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019, which would reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The House markup follows action by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in late-July to advance its own legislation, S.2299, the PIPES Act of 2019; the two versions of the legislation will have to be conferenced to resolve significant differences.
The House bill would renew and increase expiring authorizations of appropriations for pipeline safety activities overseen by PHMSA, including research and development, emergency response grants, state pipeline safety grants, the State Damage Prevention Program, and One-Call Notification Program. The House version includes more ambitious measures than the Senate’s, including changes to civil penalties and criminal liability, rulemaking requirements such as eliminating the cost benefit analysis unique to PHMSA, expanded public awareness and community right to know information, specific valve requirements, and rules intended to limit direct assessment.
Passage would ensure that states have the resources they need to enforce Federal regulations on interstate pipeline safety. The bill includes a section on Inspection and Maintenance, which would allow PHMSA to request information about the construction of pipelines from pipeline owners or operators, including information on when construction is stopped. It would also require PHMSA to study the establishment of a pipeline safety research and testing facility that would support product evaluation, research and development, and practices to improve the safety, security, efficiency, and environmental impacts of pipelines.
The bill also has a workforce development component aimed at increasing hiring and retention to address deficiencies in safety inspection and enforcement. A summary can be found at: https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2019-11-15%20section%20by%20section%20on%20letter%20head.pdf.
The House bill would renew and increase expiring authorizations of appropriations for pipeline safety activities overseen by PHMSA, including research and development, emergency response grants, state pipeline safety grants, the State Damage Prevention Program, and One-Call Notification Program. The House version includes more ambitious measures than the Senate’s, including changes to civil penalties and criminal liability, rulemaking requirements such as eliminating the cost benefit analysis unique to PHMSA, expanded public awareness and community right to know information, specific valve requirements, and rules intended to limit direct assessment.
Passage would ensure that states have the resources they need to enforce Federal regulations on interstate pipeline safety. The bill includes a section on Inspection and Maintenance, which would allow PHMSA to request information about the construction of pipelines from pipeline owners or operators, including information on when construction is stopped. It would also require PHMSA to study the establishment of a pipeline safety research and testing facility that would support product evaluation, research and development, and practices to improve the safety, security, efficiency, and environmental impacts of pipelines.
The bill also has a workforce development component aimed at increasing hiring and retention to address deficiencies in safety inspection and enforcement. A summary can be found at: https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2019-11-15%20section%20by%20section%20on%20letter%20head.pdf.
Related Content
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About the Top 2024 Articles?
Jul 19, 2024
Half the year has come and gone. It’s time to look back and test what you know about the most popular articles published on the ASME website since January.
New Design for Iron Flow Battery Could Aid Electric Grid
Jul 16, 2024
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers have developed a battery using commonly available materials that could support the electric grid.
Hybrid Cooling Could Cut Data Center Energy Use
Jun 10, 2024
University of Missouri team is developing a hybrid two-phase loop cooling solution that works both passively and actively, integrating capillary pumping with mechanical pumping, for use in data center operations.
UK Section Join Rickmansworth ParkRun
Jun 6, 2024
The UK Volunteer Section joined Rickmansworth runners to meet the members of the local community and share information about ASME and mechanical engineering.