Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011

Summary

Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011 - Prescribes or revises requirements for safety and environmental protection in pipeline transportation. Defines the term "major consequence violation" to mean a violation that contributed to a pipeline incident resulting in: (1) one or more deaths or injuries or illnesses requiring in-patient hospitalization; or (2) environmental harm exceeding $250,000 in estimated damages, including property loss (other than the value of natural gas or hazardous liquid lost or damage to pipeline facility equipment). Subjects to a civil penalty of $250,000 per day any person that the Secretary of Transportation has found to have committed a major consequence violation of a pipeline marking or excavation notification requirement, pipeline safety standard or regulation, or order. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a civil penalty on a person who obstructs or prevents an inspection or investigation of a gas pipeline or hazardous liquid pipeline. Prescribes a maximum civil penalty of $2.5 million for a related series of major consequence violations. Prohibits a state one-call notification program from exempting mechanized excavation, municipalities, state agencies, or their contractors from its one-call notification system requirements. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations subjecting offshore hazardous liquid gathering lines (except production pipelines or flow lines) as well as those located within Gulf of Mexico inlets to the same standards and regulations as other hazardous liquid pipelines. Directs the Secretary to prescribe a regulation to require the use of automatic or remote-controlled shut-off valves (or equivalent technology) on pipelines. Directs the Secretary to review the ability of a transmission pipeline operator to respond to a hazardous liquid or gas release from a pipeline segment located in a high consequence area. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations to require the use of excess flow valves, or equivalent technology, on new or entirely replaced distribution branch services, multi-family facilities, and small commercial facilities located in high-density population areas and environmentally sensitive areas. Directs the Secretary to evaluate specified questions with respect to integrity management safety system requirements. Requires the Secretary to maintain: (1) a monthly updated summary of all completed and final natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline inspections conducted by or reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), (2) a detailed summary of each gas and hazardous liquid pipeline operator's approved emergency response plan, and (3) an updated map of all pipelines located in high consequence areas that are required to meet integrity management safety regulations. Directs the Secretary to conduct biennially a follow-up survey to measure progress of gas pipeline operators in implementing plans for the safe management and replacement of cast iron pipe in their systems. Directs the Secretary to update a report to Congress on leak detection systems used by operators of hazardous liquid pipelines and transportation-related flow lines. Requires the Secretary to review procedures for the National Response Center to provide coordinated notification to all relevant state and local emergency response officials and revise such procedures as appropriate. Requires pipeline owners and operators to provide immediate telephonic notice to the National Response Center within one hour following the discovery of a release of a hazardous liquid, carbon dioxide, or gas. Revises national pipeline mapping system requirements to require each pipeline operator to provide the Secretary certain geospatial or technical data, including design and material specifications. Authorizes the Secretary to engage in activities supporting the exchange of information with domestic and international organizations about the public and environmental risks from pipeline facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to collect geospatial or technical data on transportation-related oil flow lines (pipelines transporting oil off the grounds of the well across areas not owned by the producer). Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to Alaska to achieve coordinated oversight of the construction and operation of new and prospective Alaskan pipeline systems. Authorizes the Secretary to require persons proposing the construction, expansion, or operation of certain new gas or hazardous liquid pipelines (including construction inspections and oversight) to pay the costs of pipeline design safety reviews the Secretary conducts. Establishes in the Treasury the Pipeline Safety Design Review Fund. Sets forth certain factors the Secretary shall consider in granting a pipeline operator's application for a waiver (for up to five years, reviewable) of any pipeline standard. Treats as a hazardous liquid any non-petroleum fuels, including biofuels, that are flammable, toxic, or corrosive or would be harmful to the environment if released in significant quantities. Directs the Secretary to prescribe minimum safety standards for the pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide in gaseous form. Directs the Secretary to study whether hazardous liquid pipeline regulations are sufficient to regulate the transportation of diluted bitumen by pipeline, including whether any increase in risk of release exists for pipelines transporting it. Directs the Secretary to study the transportation of non-petroleum hazardous liquids by pipeline, including the extent to which the safety of such lines is unregulated by states. Directs the Secretary to increase the number of PHMSA personnel by a total of 39 full-time employees to carry out the pipeline safety program. Directs the Secretary to prescribe specified administrative enforcement regulations. Directs the Secretary to require gas pipeline operators to verify records for all interstate and intrastate gas transmission lines in class 3 and class 4 locations and class 1 and class 2 high consequence areas constructed before July 1, 1970, to reflect accurately the pipelines' physical and operational characteristics and confirm their established maximum allowable operating pressures. Directs the Secretary to evaluate whether current pipeline safety regulations regarding cover over buried pipeline at crossings of inland bodies of water with a width of at least 100 feet from high water mark to high water mark are sufficient to prevent a release of hazardous liquid. Directs the Secretary to review all unregulated onshore gas and hazardous liquid gathering lines. Reauthorizes through FY2014 programs for gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety, emergency response grants, one-call notification, state damage prevention, community pipeline safety information grants, and pipeline transportation research and development.

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4 official files

• Reported to House amended, Part I

  summary · EN · 16 November 2011

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• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 15 September 2011

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• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 15 September 2011

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• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 15 September 2011

  Open at official source

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