WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday signed into law H.R. 2845, the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act.
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., issued the following statement: “As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I pledged to make pipeline safety a priority for the 112th Congress. I am proud of our bipartisan work to deliver on that promise. This new law will provide a strong framework to keep pipelines safe now and into the future.
“I saw firsthand the importance of pipeline safety with the 2010 spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. This tragedy and other recent incidents like the spill in the Yellowstone River and the explosion in San Bruno, Calif., underscored the need for stronger safety laws. These experiences taught us valuable lessons that were applied in drafting legislation to insure the proper regulatory requirements are in place to prevent future accidents from occurring.
“Today’s accomplishment is the result of a collaborative effort by a bipartisan group of members who worked hard to see this bill become law. Earlier this year, I authored pipeline safety legislation with my friend and colleague from Michigan, John Dingell. I’m pleased that our legislation is reflected in the final law. Among its numerous safety provisions, the new law increases maximum violation fines and requires notification of an incident within one hour of its confirmed discovery.”
, requires the use of automatic shut-off valves on new transmission lines, sets up leak detection standards for liquid pipelines and provides for a federal review of pipelines buried under waterways. All of these measures will help pave the way toward a safer energy future.”