Pipeline Safety Bill Aims to Prevent Hazmat Accidents with Enhanced Inspections and Research

A newly proposed Pipeline Safety and Community Prevention Act, announced by the White House, would strengthen regulations on oil and gas pipeline operators, focusing on comprehensive inspection and repair programs to prevent or mitigate pipeline failures in heavily populated and environmentally sensitive areas. The bill aims to increase penalties for safety violations, expand research on innovative pipeline inspection tools, and provide citizens with access to pipeline safety information. Similar legislation introduced in Congress by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Jack Metcalf may hold potential for improving pipeline safety.

Key Takeaways:

• The proposed Pipeline Safety and Community Prevention Act would require oil and gas pipeline operators to establish and implement comprehensive pipeline inspection and repair programs.
• The bill would boost safety measures and inspections in heavily populated and environmentally sensitive areas, increasing penalties for safety violations.
• The White House proposal would authorize citizens to file lawsuits against pipeline operators for alleged law violations and provide federal and state regulators with more authority to act following a hazmat spill.
• Innovative pipeline inspection tools, such as "smart pigs" or camera-like devices, would be developed and used to detect damage to pipelines, speeding up problem detection.
• Pipeline maps and safety information would be made available to state and local emergency response officials through the bill's provisions.
• Rep. Jack Metcalf said, "The phrase out of sight, out of mind, certainly applies when pipelines are concerned," highlighting the need for focused attention on pipeline safety.
• A massive explosion and fire occurred June 10, 1999, due to a pipeline leak of 277,000 gallons of gasoline into a creek near Bellingham, Wash., resulting in the deaths of two children.

Statistics:

• 65% of petroleum moved in the United States is transported through pipelines (exact source not mentioned in the original text)
• The current federal law, the 1990 Pipeline Safety Act, authorizes a maximum $25,000 fine for pipeline safety violations.
• The proposed Pipeline Safety and Community Prevention Act would hike the maximum fine to about $500,000 for a failure caused by negligence or over-pressurizing a pipeline.
• Pipelines currently transport most natural gas in the United States.

Sources:

• White House announcement of the proposed Pipeline Safety and Community Prevention Act
• Sen. Patty Murray's office, Washington, phone (202) 224-2621; fax: 202-224-0238
• Rep. Jack Metcalf's office, Washington, phone (202) 225-2605; fax: 202-225-4420
• Associated Press reports
• HTN (Health, Transportation, and the Nation), July 1999, p. 70