A bill strengthening pipeline safety rules and reauthorizing a pipeline safety watchdog is headed to the House floor.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Pipeline Safety Act of 2016 Wednesday, sending the bill to the full chamber for consideration. The bill reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, tightens provisions allowing it to issue emergency orders, increases transparency on interagency reviews and the regulatory process, and increases inspections for some underwater oil pipelines.
The vote came a day after the committee began a markup hearing on it and 21 other pieces of legislation. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., said the bill was the product of bipartisan work among committee members.
“Our staffs working diligently have basically reached an agreement on the pipeline safety bill, which is vitally important to the welfare of our country,” he said.
The vote is another step toward reauthorization of the pipeline safety administration. The Senate voted in March to reauthorize the agency through 2019. The last time the administration was reauthorized was in 2012.
Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, said the bill would reauthorize the agency for the next five years. He was especially pleased with sections allowing the administration to directly hire pipeline inspectors in the fields and a section reforming the administration’s emergency authority.
“When there is an incident involving a pipeline, we need to act with speed, efficiency and resolve,” he said.
Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said pipeline safety has been a priority for him ever since an oil spill polluted the Kalamazoo River in his district.
“While an accident can happen in an instant, the damage takes years to fix, underscoring the need for strong safety laws,” Upton said. “We promised action, and today, we passed a bill that authorizes PHMSA for five years and goes a long way in strengthening pipeline safety.”
