Sec. 3. Purpose and general authority
570 words·~3 min read·
/bill/116/hr/5120/ih/section-3·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 60102(b) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— in paragraph (2)— by striking subparagraphs
(C)through (E); and by redesignating subparagraphs
(F)and
(G)as subparagraphs
(C)and (D), respectively; and by striking paragraphs
(3)through (7). Section 60102(h) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— in paragraph
(2)by striking Notice of the condition shall be given concurrently to appropriate State authorities. ; and by adding at the end the following: Notice of the condition of an intrastate or interstate pipeline facility shall be given concurrently to appropriate State authorities. The Secretary shall require that, upon receipt of a report on a safety-related condition submitted under this section, a State agency shall provide the report, upon request, to any relevant State emergency response commission, tribal emergency response commission, tribal emergency planning committee, local emergency planning committee, local government, or public agency responsible for emergency response, including any updates to the report received by the State agency. . Section 60102(h) of title 49, United States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the following: Regulations prescribed by the Secretary under this section may not exempt a condition from being subject to reporting requirements if the exemption of such condition would reduce or eliminate the value of the reports as leading indicators of safety or environmental hazards. . Section 60102(n)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019 , the Secretary shall issue regulations to require operators of transmission pipeline facilities to install and use automatic or remote-controlled shut-off valves for such pipeline facilities that are located in high consequence areas (as defined in part 192 or 195 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as applicable). The Secretary may issue regulations to require operators of transmission pipeline facilities to install and use automatic or remote-controlled shut-off valves for such pipeline facilities that are not located in areas described in subparagraph (A). . Section 60102 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue regulations to require operators of gas pipeline facilities and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that are located in high consequence areas (as defined in part 192 or 195 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as applicable) to address and repair cracks in such facilities. The Secretary may issue regulations to require operators of gas pipeline facilities and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that are not located in areas described in subparagraph
(A)to address and repair cracks in such facilities. Regulations issued under paragraph
(1)shall specify— under what conditions an engineering assessment of cracks, including environmentally assisted cracks, must be performed; acceptable methods for performing an engineering assessment on a pipeline, including the assessment of cracks coinciding with corrosion; criteria for determining whether the excavation of a pipeline segment is required due to a probable crack, and deadlines for completing any excavation so required; pressure restriction limits for pipelines for which a determination is made to excavate such pipeline pursuant to the requirements of subparagraph (C); and acceptable methods for determining crack growth for any cracks not required to be repaired under the regulations, including growth caused by fatigue, corrosion fatigue, or stress corrosion cracking, as applicable. .