Pipeline Safety Act of 1995

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
     Title I:  Pipeline Safety Amendments 
     Title II:  Aviation Tariff Amendment 
     Title III:  Hazardous Materials Amendments 
Pipeline Safety Act of 1995 - 
Title I:  Pipeline Safety Amendments
 - Amends Federal natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct an assessment of the risk to public safety and the environment posed by natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline transportation.  Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the assessment and a plan setting forth proposed actions to address each identified risk. 
(Sec. 102) Eliminates Federal grants to States for development of a one-call (before digging) notification system that informs a pipeline facility operator of activity in the vicinity that could threaten the facility's safety. 
(Sec. 103) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in international forums that establish or recommend pipeline safety standards for transporting natural gas and hazardous liquids.  Provides that the Secretary is not required to prescribe a standard identical to or less stringent or more stringent than a standard adopted by an international authority, or otherwise limit his or her discretion in issuing such standards. 
(Sec. 104) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions with any person, agency, or U.S. instrumentality, any State or local government, any educational institution, and any other entity to further pipeline safety, including the development, improvement, and promotion of one-call damage prevention programs, research, risk assessment, and mapping. 
(Sec. 105) Repeals the requirement for the Secretary's annual report concerning natural gas and hazardous liquid safety. 
(Sec. 106) Authorizes appropriations. 
Title II:  Aviation Tariff Amendment
 - Repeals the Secretary's authority and responsibility to be custodian of aviation tariff records.  Requires the Secretary to ensure that such tariff records be made available to the public on a permanent basis. 
Title III:  Hazardous Materials Amendments
 - Revises the requirement that a person who is required to provide a shipping paper to a carrier when offering hazardous material for transportation in commerce, and a carrier to which such paper is provided, retain a paper or electronic image copy of such paper for one year after the material is no longer in transportation.  Changes the retention period to one year from the date the shipping paper has been provided to the carrier.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pipeline Safety Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF TITLE 49, UNITED STATES CODE.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or a 
repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be 
considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 49, 
United States Code.

                  TITLE I--PIPELINE SAFETY AMENDMENTS

SEC. 101. RISK MANAGEMENT.

    Chapter 601 is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:
``Sec. 60126. Risk Management
    ``(a) The Secretary shall, based on information collected and 
maintained by the Secretary, conduct an assessment of the risk to 
public safety and the environment posed by pipeline transportation. The 
assessment shall--
            ``(1) rank the risks identified by the Secretary in terms 
        of their probability of occurrence and their likely 
        consequences, and any other factors the Secretary considers 
        relevant;
            ``(2) identify, in priority order, technically feasible and 
        economically justified actions that should be taken to lessen 
        the risks identified; and
            ``(3) address, at a minimum, the following subjects:
                    ``(A) Inspection by internal instrumented devices.
                    ``(B) Hydrostatic testing.
                    ``(C) Installation of emergency flow restricting 
                devices, including leak detection systems, for natural 
                gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.
                    ``(D) Inspection and burial of underwater 
                pipelines.
    ``(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if the 
Secretary determines that rulemaking regarding a subject listed in 
subsection (a)(3) is not practicable, appropriate, or reasonable, the 
Secretary shall transmit to Congress, not later than 60 days after the 
date of such determination, an explanation of the reasons for that 
determination.
    ``(c) Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 
Pipeline Safety Act of 1995, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a 
report including the assessment required under subsection (a) and a 
plan setting forth the actions proposed by the Secretary to address 
each risk identified in the assessment. Within 30 days after any 
substantive change to the action plan, including the addition or 
deletion of any subject or action in the plan, the Secretary shall 
inform Congress in writing of the reasons for the change.''.
SEC. 102. ONE CALL NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS.

    Section 60114 (relating to one-call notification systems) is 
amended by striking subsections (b) and (d), and redesignating 
subsections (c) and (e) as (b) and (d), respectively.

SEC. 103. INTERNATIONAL UNIFORMITY.

    Section 60117 (relating to administration) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k) International Uniformity of Standards.--
            ``(1) Participation in international forums.--Subject to 
        guidance and direction from the Secretary of State, the 
        Secretary of Transportation may participate in international 
        forums that establish or recommend pipeline safety standards 
        for transporting natural gas and hazardous liquids.
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary of Transportation may 
        consult with interested authorities to ensure that, to the 
        extent practicable, regulations the Secretary prescribes under 
        this chapter are consistent with standards related to pipeline 
        safety transportation adopted by international authorities.
            ``(3) Differences with international standards and 
        requirements.--This section does not require the Secretary to 
        prescribe a standard identical to, less stringent than, or more 
        stringent than a standard adopted by an international authority 
        or otherwise limit the Secretary's discretion in issuing 
        standards.''.

SEC. 104. GENERAL AUTHORITY.

    Section 60117 (relating to administration), as amended by section 
103, is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(l) Funding Authority.--To carry out this chapter, the Secretary 
may enter into grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions 
with any person, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, any 
unit of State or local government, any educational institution, and any 
other entity to further the objectives of this chapter, including the 
development, improvement, and promotion of one-call damage prevention 
programs, research, risk assessment, and mapping.''.

SEC. 105. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    Section 60124 (relating to annual reports) is repealed.

SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 60125 (relating to authorization of appropriations) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``gas:'' and all that follows in subsection 
        (a) and inserting ``gas, $16,450,000 for the fiscal year ending 
        September 30, 1996, and such sums as may be necessary for 
        fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999.'';
            (2) by striking ``liquid:'' and all that follows in 
        subsection (b) and inserting ``liquid, $10,968,000 for the 
        fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and such sums as may be 
        necessary for fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999.'';
            (3)(A) by striking the heading of subsection (c) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``State Pipeline Safety Grants.--'';
            (B) by striking ``title:'' and all that follows in 
        subsection (c)(1) and inserting ``title, $15,000,000 for the 
        fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and such sums as may be 
        necessary for fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999.'';
            (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
    ``(d) Other Transactions.--Not more than the following amounts may 
be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out section 60117(1) of this 
title: $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999.''; 
and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Special Projects.--For each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 
and 1999, not more than $500,000 or 0.5 percent of the amount 
appropriated annually to carry out chapter 601, whichever is less, may 
be appropriated to the Secretary to fund special projects undertaken 
jointly with other offices within the Department to improve the 
administration of transportation safety programs.''.

SEC. 107. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.

    (a) Section 60105 is amended by inserting ``Pipeline Safety 
Program'' after ``State'' in the heading.
    (b) Section 60106 is amended by inserting ``Pipeline Safety'' after 
``State'' in the heading.
    (c) Section 60107 is amended by inserting ``Pipeline Safety'' after 
``State'' in the heading.
    (d) Section 60114(a)(9) is amended by striking ``, 60122, and 
60123'' and inserting ``and 60122''.

                  TITLE II--AVIATION TARIFF AMENDMENT

SEC. 201. AVIATION TARIFF AMENDMENT.

    Section 40114(b) (relating to reports and records), is amended--
            (1) by striking ``the Secretary'' in the second sentence 
        and inserting ``With the exception of tariffs, the Secretary; 
        and''
            (2) by inserting ``The Secretary shall ensure that tariff 
        records are available to the public on a permanent basis.'' 
        after the second sentence.

               TITLE III--HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AMENDMENTS

SEC. 301. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Section 5107(e) (relating to employee training requirements) is 
amended by striking ``section 5127(c)(3)'' and inserting ``section 
5127(b)(1)''.
    (b) Section 5116(j)(4)(A) (relating to supplemental training 
grants) is amended by striking ``subsection (g)'' and inserting 
``section 5115''.
    (c) Section 5110(e) (relating to retention of shipping papers) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking the heading and inserting the following:
    ``(e) Retention of Shipping Papers.--''; and
            (2) by striking the first sentence and inserting ``A person 
        required to provide a shipping paper to a carrier and a carrier 
        to which a shipping paper is provided shall retain, at or 
        accessible through its principal place of business, a paper or 
        electronic image copy of each shipping paper for one year from 
        the date the shipping paper has been provided to the 
        carrier.''.