Pipeline Safety Bill Passes U.S. Senate


		AcuSafe -> September 2000 Newsletter
		Pipeline Safety Bill Passes U.S. Senate

A bill to promote pipeline safety, sponsored by Senator John McCain, passed the U.S. Senate on September 7 without objection. Known as the King and Tsiorvas Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2000 (S. 2438), it contains the following key provisions:

Pipeline operators would have to submit detailed plans to the federal Office of Pipeline Safety showing that the operators had conducted tests and inspections and taken other steps to make the lines safe.
Operators would be required to show the Transportation Department agency that they have trained employees operating the pipes.
Fines for safety violators would be increased from $500,000 to $1 million.
Offers whistleblower protection for employees who disclose safety violations.
Requires operators to report spills of 5 gallons or more, rather than the current requirement of more than 200 gallons.
Allow states, with Office of Pipeline Safety permission, to investigate pipeline accidents and examine new pipeline construction.
Require operators to make available to the public maps, emergency response plans and spill incident reports.

Federal funding for the Office of Pipeline Safety will be increased by $13 million annually by 2002 in order to pay for the increased enforcement activities. The bill was written originally in response to a Bellingham, Wash., gasoline pipeline rupture and explosion last year that left three people dead.

A representative from the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America called the bill "tough," but there were some concerns about the penalty provisions still being too low and questions about the ability of the Office of Pipeline Safety to enforce its provisions.

It is expected that House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster, R-Pa., will introduce a new bill similar to McCain's version that a Transportation subcommittee is expected to take up as early as next week.

Many advocates for the bill believed that a recent pipeline explosion in New Mexico (See this month's Incident News Summary for further details) that killed 12 campers prompted renewed interest. Prior to that incident, the bill had passed the Senate Commerce Committee in June, but had been stalled for some time.