Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act
Recognizing that oil transportation can threaten our water resources and economic viability, U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow introduced Senate Bill 2080, the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act. The bill will give the public greater access to pipeline information, ensure the integrity of pipelines at major water crossings, and strengthen spill response measures. Taken together, the bill will move us toward the comprehensive approach to oil transportation and pipeline policy we need to protect our Great Lakes, inland waters, and public health.
Specifically, the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act would:
Specifically, the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act would:
- Prohibit the transport of crude oil by vessel on the Great Lakes.
This bill bans shipping crude oil on the Great Lakes because of the significant risk of a catastrophic oil spill. As domestic production of oil and the need to transport it across the country increase, this bill makes it clear that shipping on the Great Lakes is an unacceptable option for oil transportation.
- Mandate a risk analysis water crossing study for Great Lakes pipelines.
The bill requires an analysis by the Department of Transportation and the National Academies on the risks associated with pipelines that run through the Great Lakes and other waterways in the region. The analysis must deliver a report to Congress with safety recommendations related to reducing spill risks, including an assessment of alternatives to Line 5. The bill also requires a comprehensive map and integrity report for all waterway crossings in the Great Lakes Basin. - Expand considerations for the designation of High Consequence Areas (HCAs).
Addition safety measures are required for pipelines in “High Consequence Areas.” The bill adds new criteria for identifying these HCAs, including the age of the pipeline, type of oil being transported, whether the pipeline can be inspected using the most modern technology, and whether the pipeline crosses open waters of the Great Lakes. - Provide pipeline information to communities.
The bill creates minimum standards for pipeline operators to provide and maintain clear information to the public relation to operation of their pipeline.
- Improve spill response plans and accountability.
The legislation requires the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies to independently assess the current status of oil spill response and cleanup activities and techniques. It would also amend current law to require response plans that address icy conditions, when waters affected by a spill are covered in whole or in part by ice.
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The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is expected to consider the pipeline safety legislation this fall as the Senate Commerce Committee begins discussing the reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) under The Pipeline Safety Act. The Pipeline Safety Act and congressional funding for PHMSA must be reviewed and renewed every four years. The last reauthorization, the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, was signed into law by President Obama on January 3, 2012. During the reauthorization process, Congress can impose new substantive amendments to the statute or simply pass a ‘clean’ bill, approving it in its current form. We need Congress to include new amendments to strengthen current pipeline safety regulations and ensure our water resources are adequately protected from the risks associated with transportation of oil.
You have a key role in influencing your elected officials and can help protect the Great Lakes Basin from risk posed by crude oil transportation. Contact your legislators and the members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today and ask them to support S.2080, the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act. Click here for contact information for the members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee |
