Markey Amendments to Strengthen Natural Gas Pipeline Infrastructure in Pipeline Reauthorization Bill Pass Full U.S. Senate

Amendments to SAFE PIPES Act would help increase safety of natural gas pipelines and transparency related to oil spills

Washington (March 4, 2016) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the full U.S. Senate yesterday voted to pass the “Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (SAFE PIPES) Act, which included three Markey amendments to strengthen America’s natural gas pipelines. Two of Senator Markey’s amendments would help address lost and unaccounted for natural gas from aging, leaky pipelines. The Obama Administration’s recently released Quadrennial Energy Review highlighted the fact that most safety incidents on natural gas pipelines occur on distribution pipelines.

A recent Massachusetts analysis found approximately 20,000 potentially dangerous and damaging natural gas pipeline leaks. Senator Markey’s April 2013 report found that Massachusetts ratepayers paid up to $1.5 billion from 2000-2011for gas that never reached their homes and businesses. A third Markey amendment would improve oversight by ensuring companies submit complete, unredacted oil spill response plans to Congress.

“The need to update our old, leaking, dangerous, and polluting natural gas pipelines is long overdue,” said Senator Markey. “Aging infrastructure is costing Massachusetts consumers money and putting our first responders and our climate at risk. Repairing these aging and leaking natural gas pipelines is a win for safety, a win for job creation, a win for consumers who have to pay for this lost gas and a win for the climate. This important legislation passed despite the strong objections of the American Petroleum Institute and other fossil fuel interests, and I will continue to fight to make it law this year.”

Markey amendment 1 improves the safety of natural gas distribution pipelines by directing Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to study reporting of lost and unaccounted for natural gas from these pipelines, make recommendations as appropriate, and implement recommendations that would significantly improve safety.

Markey amendment 2 improves the safety of natural gas distribution pipelines by directing the Government Accountability Office to review state policies that encourage the repair and replacement of leaking pipelines or that may create barriers, make recommendations to PHMSA on policies that may improve safety, and require PHMSA to implement recommendations that would significantly improve safety.

Markey amendment 3 requires PHMSA to provide full and un-redacted copies of pipeline oil spill response plans to appropriate Congressional Committees upon request from the Chairman or Ranking Member of such Committee.

For the past two Congresses, Senator Markey has introduced legislation to accelerate the repair and replacement of natural gas pipelines to save consumers money, prevent dangerous explosions and other accidents, and reduce the leaking methane pollution that exacerbates climate change.