Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin and others on a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a legislative hearing on Tuesday to examine the nation’s pipeline safety reauthorization.
Five witnesses will appear before the Subcommittee on Energy and Power to testify about pipeline safety rules to be developed and enforced by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Spending authorizations included in the 2011 Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act expired in 2015. The safety agency was also tasked with 42 mandates including studies, new regulations, updated maps and other elements of the Federal pipeline safety program. Some of the mandates were fulfilled but Congress says 16 others remain incomplete well beyond the statutorily imposed deadlines.
“Some examples of overdue regulations that could significantly improve pipeline safety include; regulations related to leak detection and emergency shutoff valves, integrity management for natural gas pipelines, public education and awareness efforts and accident and incident notification,” stated the subcommittee in announcing the hearing.
Marie Therese Dominguez, Administrator of PHMSA will be one of those testifying at the hearing. So will Andrew Black, President and CEO of the Association of Pipe Lines and Ron Bradley, vice president of Gas Operations at PECO Energy on behalf of the American Gas Association.
Michigan Public Service Commissioner Norman J. Saari will testify on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and Donald Santa, President and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America will appear as well. The final witness will be Carl Weimer, Executive Director of the Pipeline Safety Trust.
Energy legislation
