The House Energy and Commerce Committee today passed a bill that reaffirms the federal government’s authority to regulate hazardous pipelines. Via The Hill, Republicans on the panel agreed to changes requested by Democrats from an earlier draft, including more transparency on the part of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). It also authorizes PHMSA to issue emergency shutdown orders and emergency regulations.
Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the bill also allows for the study of new ways to protect pipelines from corrosion damage.
Pipeline operators have drawn more scrutiny over the past year due to string of high-profile incidents such as last year’s oil spill in California that fouled a beach near Santa Barbara. A corroded pipeline owned by Plains All American burst, releasing more than 100,000 gallons of crude.
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