Georgia PSC’s Wise welcomes reauthorization of PHMSA Act through 2019
Georgia Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise welcomed the reauthorization on Tuesday of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Act through 2019, an initiative to ensure the integrity of America’s pipeline network for the future.
Wise commended members of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), state commissioners and the many legislators that worked to approve the legislation.
Georgia has one of the largest pipeline networks in the country.
“I want to praise the hard work of our NARUC Legislative Director for Energy Christopher Mele on Capital Hill in making sure Congress understood the importance of this legislation,” Wise said. “I [also] want to especially congratulate NARUC First Vice President, Commissioner Robert Powelson of Pennsylvania for his leadership, as well as Commissioners Diane X. Berman, Paul Roberti, and Norman Saari for leading the effort to reauthorize this important legislation.”
The most recent PHMSA authorization expired last year. The new act, the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2016, is a four-year reauthorization to strengthen pipeline safety by modernizing the nation’s pipeline system.
The House approved the PIPES Act on June 8. The Senate later approved it on June 13, with President Barack Obama signing it into law on June 21.
The Georgia Public Service Commission oversees approximately 43 miles of distribution lines and 1.2 miles of transmission lines. Georgia’s pipeline network services two million residents.
