House unanimously approves PIPES Act of 2016

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the PIPES Act of 2016 on Wednesday by a unanimous vote to work to improve the safety, transportation and regulatory processes that govern the natural gas sector.

“The legislation passed today would improve pipeline safety by closing gaps in federal standards, enhancing the quality and timeliness of rulemakings, promoting better usage of data and technology and providing regulatory certainty for natural gas utilities that are actively enhancing the safety of their customers and communities,” American Gas Association (AGA) President and CEO Dave McCurdy said. “This bill represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and we commend the House for their bipartisan collaboration. We believe this is how substantive issues should be handled and we look forward to continued progress for this legislation.”

The PIPES Act of 2016 was created through collaboration between the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It would serve as an update to the existing federal pipeline safety regulations from 2011, and would allow the entire regulatory process to utilize advanced technology and improved safety measures to keep prices low for consumers without impacting public safety.

“Americans rely on the safe and effective transport of energy products through our nation’s system of pipelines,” the bill’s original sponsors said. “The PIPES Act improves the safety of this critical infrastructure network, and brings some needed reforms to the federal pipeline safety agency. This legislation was produced in a bipartisan manner, and we look forward to the bill moving through the Senate and to the president’s desk.”