I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5120 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide enhanced safety and 

environmental protection in pipeline transportation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2019 

Mr. DEFAZIO (for himself and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide enhanced 

safety and environmental protection in pipeline transportation, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Environmentally Respon6 sible Pipelines Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘SAFER Pipelines Act 

7 of 2019’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 3. Purpose and general authority. 

Sec. 4. State pipeline safety program certifications. 

Sec. 5. State pipeline safety grants. 

Sec. 6. Inspection and maintenance. 

Sec. 7. Risk analysis and integrity management programs. 

Sec. 8. Community right-to-know and emergency preparedness. 

Sec. 9. Cost recovery for design reviews. 

Sec. 10. Actions by private persons. 

Sec. 11. Civil penalties. 

Sec. 12. Criminal penalties. 

Sec. 13. Emergency response grants. 

Sec. 14. Verification of pipeline qualification programs. 

Sec. 15. National pipeline mapping system. 

Sec. 16. Congressional access to oil spill response plans. 

Sec. 17. Leak detection technology. 

Sec. 18. Gas pipeline repair criteria. 

Sec. 19. Methane release mitigation. 

Sec. 20. Unusually sensitive areas. 

Sec. 21. User fees for underground natural gas storage facilities. 

Sec. 22. Seismicity. 

Sec. 23. Pipeline safety testing. 

Sec. 24. Workforce. 

Sec. 25. Hiring report. 

Sec. 26. Plan to combine State damage prevention and one-call notification programs. 

Sec. 27. Gas gathering lines. 

Sec. 28. Regulatory updates. 

Sec. 29. Component verification. 

Sec. 30. Codification of final rule. 

3 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) OPERATIONAL EXPENSES.—There are authorized 

5 to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for 

6 the necessary operational expenses of the Pipeline and 

7 Hazardous Materials Safety Administration the following 

8 amounts: 

9 (1) $24,215,000 for fiscal year 2020. 

10 (2) $24,941,450 for fiscal year 2021. 

11 (3) $26,460,000 for fiscal year 2022. 


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1 (4) $27,254,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

2 (b) GAS AND HAZARDOUS LIQUID.—Section 

3 60125(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraphs 

5 (A) through (D) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) $160,800,000 for fiscal year 2020, of 

7 which $10,000,000 shall be expended for car8 rying out such section 12 and $60,000,000 

9 shall be expended for making grants; 

10 ‘‘(B) $165,624,000 for fiscal year 2021 of 

11 which $10,000,000 shall be expended for car12 rying out such section 12 and $61,800,000 

13 shall be expended for making grants; 

14 ‘‘(C) $170,600,000 for fiscal year 2022, of 

15 which $10,000,000 shall be expended for car16 rying out such section 12 and $63,650,000 

17 shall be expended for making grants; and 

18 ‘‘(D) $175,700,000 for fiscal year 2023, of 

19 which $10,000,000 shall be expended for car20 rying out such section 12 and $65,560,000 

21 shall be expended for making grants.’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs 

23 (A) through (D) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, of 

25 which $5,000,000 shall be expended for carVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:16 Nov 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5120.IH H5120

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1 rying out such section 12 and $9,000,000 shall 

2 be expended for making grants; 

3 ‘‘(B) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, of 

4 which $5,000,000 shall be expended for car5 rying out such section 12 and $9,000,000 shall 

6 be expended for making grants; 

7 ‘‘(C) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, of 

8 which $5,000,000 shall be expended for car9 rying out such section 12 and $9,000,000 shall 

10 be expended for making grants; and 

11 ‘‘(D) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2023, of 

12 which $5,000,000 shall be expended for car13 rying out such section 12 and $9,000,000 shall 

14 be expended for making grants.’’; and 

15 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘$8,000,000 

16 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2019’’ and in17 serting ‘‘$9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

18 through 2023’’. 

19 (c) EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANTS.—Section 

20 60125(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 

21 by striking ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

22 through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘$12,000,000 for each of fis23 cal years 2020 through 2023’’. 

24 (d) PIPELINE SAFETY INFORMATION GRANTS TO

25 COMMUNITIES.—Section 60130(c) of title 49, United 


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1 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘section 2(b) of the 

2 PIPES Act of 2016, the Secretary shall expend 

3 $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2019 

4 to carry out this section. Such amounts shall not be de5 rived from user fees collected under section 60301’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘section 2(a) of the SAFER Pipelines Act of 

7 2019, the Secretary shall expend $2,000,000 for each of 

8 fiscal years 2020 through 2023 to carry out this section’’. 

9 (e) STATE DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.—Sec10 tion 60134(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 

11 by striking ‘‘$1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

12 through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fis13 cal years 2020 through 2023’’. 

14 (f) ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PROGRAMS.—Section 

15 6107 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by strik16 ing ‘‘$1,058,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 

17 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2020 through 2023’’. 

19 SEC. 3. PURPOSE AND GENERAL AUTHORITY. 

20 (a) COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS.—Section 60102(b) of 

21 title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) by striking subparagraphs (C) through 

24 (E); and 


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1 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 

2 and (G) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec3 tively; and 

4 (2) by striking paragraphs (3) through (7). 

5 (b) SAFETY-RELATED CONDITION REPORTING.— 

6 (1) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION TO FIRST

7 RESPONDERS.—Section 60102(h) of title 49, United 

8 States Code, is amended— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘Notice 

10 of the condition shall be given concurrently to 

11 appropriate State authorities.’’; and 

12 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(3)(A) Notice of the condition of an intrastate 

14 or interstate pipeline facility shall be given concur15 rently to appropriate State authorities. 

16 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall require that, upon re17 ceipt of a report on a safety-related condition sub18 mitted under this section, a State agency shall pro19 vide the report, upon request, to any relevant State 

20 emergency response commission, tribal emergency 

21 response commission, tribal emergency planning 

22 committee, local emergency planning committee, 

23 local government, or public agency responsible for 

24 emergency response, including any updates to the re25 port received by the State agency.’’. 


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1 (2) EXEMPTION REMOVAL.—Section 60102(h) 

2 of title 49, United States Code, is further amended 

3 by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) Regulations prescribed by the Secretary 

5 under this section may not exempt a condition from 

6 being subject to reporting requirements if the ex7 emption of such condition would reduce or eliminate 

8 the value of the reports as leading indicators of safe9 ty or environmental hazards.’’. 

10 (c) AUTOMATIC OR REMOTE-CONTROLLED SHUT11 OFF VALVES.—Section 60102(n)(1) of title 49, United 

12 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(1) HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREAS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

15 after the date of enactment of the SAFER 

16 Pipelines Act of 2019, the Secretary shall issue 

17 regulations to require operators of transmission 

18 pipeline facilities to install and use automatic or 

19 remote-controlled shut-off valves for such pipe20 line facilities that are located in high con21 sequence areas (as defined in part 192 or 195 

22 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as ap23 plicable). 

24 ‘‘(B) OTHER AREAS.—The Secretary may 

25 issue regulations to require operators of transVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:16 Nov 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5120.IH H5120

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1 mission pipeline facilities to install and use 

2 automatic or remote-controlled shut-off valves 

3 for such pipeline facilities that are not located 

4 in areas described in subparagraph (A).’’. 

5 (d) CRACK MANAGEMENT.—Section 60102 of title 

6 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(q) CRACK MANAGEMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

10 ‘‘(A) HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREAS.—Not 

11 later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

12 of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue reg13 ulations to require operators of gas pipeline fa14 cilities and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities 

15 that are located in high consequence areas (as 

16 defined in part 192 or 195 of title 49, Code of 

17 Federal Regulations, as applicable) to address 

18 and repair cracks in such facilities. 

19 ‘‘(B) OTHER AREAS.—The Secretary may 

20 issue regulations to require operators of gas 

21 pipeline facilities and hazardous liquid pipeline 

22 facilities that are not located in areas described 

23 in subparagraph (A) to address and repair 

24 cracks in such facilities. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Regulations issued 

2 under paragraph (1) shall specify— 

3 ‘‘(A) under what conditions an engineering 

4 assessment of cracks, including environmentally 

5 assisted cracks, must be performed; 

6 ‘‘(B) acceptable methods for performing an 

7 engineering assessment on a pipeline, including 

8 the assessment of cracks coinciding with corro9 sion; 

10 ‘‘(C) criteria for determining whether the 

11 excavation of a pipeline segment is required due 

12 to a probable crack, and deadlines for com13 pleting any excavation so required; 

14 ‘‘(D) pressure restriction limits for pipe15 lines for which a determination is made to exca16 vate such pipeline pursuant to the requirements 

17 of subparagraph (C); and 

18 ‘‘(E) acceptable methods for determining 

19 crack growth for any cracks not required to be 

20 repaired under the regulations, including 

21 growth caused by fatigue, corrosion fatigue, or 

22 stress corrosion cracking, as applicable.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. STATE PIPELINE SAFETY PROGRAM CERTIFI2 CATIONS. 

3 Section 60105(e) of title 49, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) by inserting ‘‘In carrying out this sub6 section, the Secretary may request that a State au7 thority provide records of any inspection of a pipe8 line facility made by the State authority or any in9 vestigation described in subsection (c)(1)(B).’’ after 

10 ‘‘with the certification.’’; and 

11 (2) by inserting after ‘‘under this subsection’’ 

12 the following: ‘‘, including, upon request by the Sec13 retary, by authorizing the Secretary to participate in 

14 such an inspection or investigation’’. 

15 SEC. 5. STATE PIPELINE SAFETY GRANTS. 

16 Section 60107 of title 49, United States Code, is 

17 amended by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(f) GRANTS FOR RENDERING AID.—The Secretary 

19 may make an additional payment, to a State receiving a 

20 payment under subsection (a), to pay the costs incurred 

21 by the State in rendering aid to another State to respond 

22 to a natural disaster or major pipeline incident.’’. 

23 SEC. 6. INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE. 

24 Section 60108 of title 49, United States Code, is 

25 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(f) PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT DATA COL2 LECTION.—The Secretary may require the owner or oper3 ator of a pipeline facility to provide to the Secretary infor4 mation the Secretary determines appropriate regarding 

5 construction of the pipeline facility, including relating to 

6 any shutdown of such construction.’’. 

7 SEC. 7. RISK ANALYSIS AND INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT 

8 PROGRAMS. 

9 Section 60109(c) of title 49, United States Code, is 

10 amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(12) USE OF DIRECT ASSESSMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) TRANSMISSION PIPELINE FACILITIES

13 REGULATION.—Not later than 2 years after the 

14 date of enactment of this paragraph, the Sec15 retary shall issue regulations for appropriate 

16 methods of assessment of transmission pipeline 

17 facilities under paragraph (3) that prioritize 

18 methods that provide a greater level of safety 

19 than direct assessment, including the use of in20 ternal inspection devices or pressure testing. 

21 ‘‘(B) DISTRIBUTION PIPELINES STUDY.— 

22 Not later than 2 years after the date of enact23 ment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall sub24 mit to the Committees on Energy and Com25 merce and Transportation and Infrastructure of 


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1 the House of Representatives and the Com2 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor3 tation of the Senate a report containing— 

4 ‘‘(i) the results of a study of methods 

5 of assessment of distribution pipelines that 

6 may be used under paragraph (3), other 

7 than direct assessment, to determine 

8 whether any such methods— 

9 ‘‘(I) would provide a greater level 

10 of safety than direct assessment of 

11 such pipelines; and 

12 ‘‘(II) are feasible; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations based on 

14 such study.’’. 

15 SEC. 8. COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW AND EMERGENCY 

16 PREPAREDNESS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60116 of title 49, United 

18 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

19 ‘‘§ 60116. Community right-to-know and emergency 

20 preparedness 

21 ‘‘(a) PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each owner or operator of 

23 a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility shall carry 

24 out a continuing program to educate the public on— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the use of a one-call notification sys2 tem prior to excavation and other damage pre3 vention activities; 

4 ‘‘(B) the possible hazards associated with 

5 unintended releases from the pipeline facility; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(C) the physical indications that a release 

8 from a pipeline facility may have occurred, the 

9 steps that should be taken for public safety in 

10 the event of such a release, and how to report 

11 such a release. 

12 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND MODIFICATION OF EXISTING

13 PROGRAMS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

14 enactment of the SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019, 

15 each owner or operator of a gas or hazardous liquid 

16 pipeline facility shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) review its existing public education 

18 program for effectiveness, and modify the pro19 gram as necessary; and 

20 ‘‘(B) submit to the Secretary for review a 

21 detailed description of its public education pro22 gram, including any modifications made to the 

23 program under subparagraph (A). 

24 ‘‘(3) STANDARDS; MATERIAL.—The Secretary 

25 may— 


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1 ‘‘(A) issue standards for public education 

2 programs under this subsection, including 

3 standards providing for periodic review of such 

4 programs and modification of such programs as 

5 needed; and 

6 ‘‘(B) develop material for use in the pro7 grams. 

8 ‘‘(b) LIAISON WITH STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL

9 EMERGENCY RESPONSE ENTITIES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

11 the date of enactment of the SAFER Pipelines Act 

12 of 2019, an operator of a gas or hazardous liquid 

13 pipeline facility shall establish liaison with— 

14 ‘‘(A) any State entity with responsibility 

15 for pipeline emergency response in each State 

16 in which the pipeline facility is located; 

17 ‘‘(B) the appropriate local emergency plan18 ning entity in each emergency planning district 

19 in which the pipeline facility is located; and 

20 ‘‘(C) any Tribal entity with responsibility 

21 for pipeline emergency response or planning in 

22 the area in which the pipeline facility is located. 

23 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITIES WITHOUT LOCAL OR TRIBAL

24 EMERGENCY PLANNING OR RESPONSE ENTITIES.— 

25 In a community for which a local or Tribal entity 


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1 described in paragraph (1) does not exist, the oper2 ator of a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility 

3 shall liaise, to the extent practicable, with the local 

4 fire, police, and other emergency response entities. 

5 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.— 

6 ‘‘(A) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 

7 years after the date of enactment of the 

8 SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019, and based on 

9 the consultation required under subparagraph 

10 (C), the Secretary shall conduct an evaluation 

11 and determine whether State, local, and Tribal 

12 entities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) 

13 have sufficient access to pipeline emergency re14 sponse information. 

15 ‘‘(B) REGULATION.—If the Secretary de16 termines under subparagraph (A) that State, 

17 local, and Tribal entities described in para18 graphs (1) and (2) do not have sufficient access 

19 to pipeline emergency response information, the 

20 Secretary shall issue regulations not later than 

21 3 years after the date of enactment of the 

22 SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019 specifying rel23 evant emergency response information and re24 quiring each operator of a gas or hazardous liq25 uid pipeline facility to make such information 


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1 available to the applicable State, local, and 

2 Tribal entities described in paragraphs (1) and 

3 (2). 

4 ‘‘(C) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the 

5 evaluation under subparagraph (A), the Sec6 retary shall consult with national organizations 

7 representing State, local, and Tribal entities de8 scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) and the tech9 nical safety standards committees described in 

10 section 60115.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec12 tions for chapter 601 of title 49, United States Code, is 

13 amended by striking the item relating to section 60116 

14 and inserting the following: 

‘‘60116. Community right-to-know and emergency preparedness.’’. 

15 SEC. 9. COST RECOVERY FOR DESIGN REVIEWS. 

16 Section 60117(n)(1)(B)(i) of title 49, United States 

17 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘$2,500,000,000’’ and in18 serting ‘‘$250,000,000’’. 

19 SEC. 10. ACTIONS BY PRIVATE PERSONS. 

20 Section 60121 of title 49, United States Code, is 

21 amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(e) MANDAMUS.—A person may bring a civil action 

23 in an appropriate district court of the United States to 

24 compel the Secretary to perform a nondiscretionary duty 


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1 under this chapter that the Secretary has failed to per2 form.’’. 

3 SEC. 11. CIVIL PENALTIES. 

4 Section 60122(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘$200,000’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘$20,000,000’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘The maximum civil pen10 alty under this paragraph for a related series of 

11 violations is $2,000,000.’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘$50,000’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘$20,000,000’’. 

14 SEC. 12. CRIMINAL PENALTIES. 

15 Section 60123(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘knowingly and willfully’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘knowingly or recklessly’’. 

18 SEC. 13. EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANTS. 

19 Section 60125(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, 

20 is amended by striking ‘‘and local governments in high 

21 consequence areas, as defined by the Secretary,’’ and in22 serting ‘‘local, and Tribal governments, and nonprofit or23 ganizations providing pipeline emergency response train24 ing,’’. 


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1 SEC. 14. VERIFICATION OF PIPELINE QUALIFICATION PRO2 GRAMS. 

3 Section 60131(g) of title 49, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

6 inserting a semicolon; 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 

8 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following para10 graph: 

11 ‘‘(3) with respect to any pipeline facility, means 

12 a construction task that is performed on the pipeline 

13 facility.’’. 

14 SEC. 15. NATIONAL PIPELINE MAPPING SYSTEM. 

15 (a) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED.—Section 

16 60132(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘Not later than 6 months after 

18 the date of enactment of this section, the’’ and in19 serting ‘‘The’’; and 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘(except distribution lines and 

21 gathering lines)’’ and inserting ‘‘, including a dis22 tribution line or a gathering line (but not including 

23 any gathering lines that are not regulated under 

24 part 192 or part 195 of title 49, Code of Federal 

25 Regulations),’’. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVISION OF INFORMA2 TION.—Section 60132 of title 49, United States Code, is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘under sub5 section (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘under this section for in6 clusion in the National Pipeline Mapping System’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘to subsection 

8 (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘to this section for inclusion in 

9 the National Pipeline Mapping System’’; and 

10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(g) REQUIREMENTS FOR COVERED FACILITIES.— 

12 Not later than 1 year after a pipeline facility described 

13 in subsection (a) becomes covered by such subsection, the 

14 operator of such facility shall provide to the Secretary the 

15 information required under paragraphs (1) through (4) of 

16 such subsection with respect to such facility. 

17 ‘‘(h) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DISTRIBUTION

18 LINES.—Not later than 2 years after a distribution line 

19 becomes covered by subsection (a), the operator of such 

20 distribution line shall provide to the Secretary, in addition 

21 to the information required under paragraphs (1) through 

22 (4) of subsection (a), information on the distribution sys23 tems that could lead to a point of failure, including— 

24 ‘‘(1) sensing lines; 

25 ‘‘(2) regulator stations; 


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1 ‘‘(3) automatic or remote-controlled shut-off 

2 valves; and 

3 ‘‘(4) any other distribution pipeline technology 

4 or feature that the Secretary determines is appro5 priate to ensure safety. 

6 ‘‘(i) UPDATE TO SYSTEM.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

8 after the date of enactment of this subsection— 

9 ‘‘(A) the Secretary shall determine whether 

10 the inclusion of additional information in the 

11 National Pipeline Mapping System would im12 prove the preparation and response efforts of 

13 emergency responders with access to the Sys14 tem; and 

15 ‘‘(B) if the Secretary determines under 

16 subparagraph (A) that inclusion of additional 

17 information in the National Pipeline Mapping 

18 System would improve the preparation and re19 sponse efforts of emergency responders with ac20 cess to the System, the Secretary shall issue 

21 regulations— 

22 ‘‘(i) identifying such additional infor23 mation as the Secretary determines would 

24 improve emergency preparedness and re25 sponse efforts; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) requiring each person providing 

2 information under subsection (a) to pro3 vide such additional information. 

4 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out para5 graph (1), the Secretary shall consider inclusion, to 

6 the extent practicable, of the following information: 

7 ‘‘(A) A description of the pipeline facility, 

8 including the length of the facility and origin 

9 and termination points. 

10 ‘‘(B) A 5-year incident, and inspection and 

11 enforcement, history for the pipeline facility. 

12 ‘‘(C) If applicable, a summary of any in13 tegrity management program activities related 

14 to the pipeline facility.’’. 

15 (c) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DISTRIBUTION

16 LINES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, the Secretary shall issue such regulations as 

18 are necessary to specify the information required to be 

19 provided pursuant to section 60132(h) of title 49, United 

20 States Code. 

21 SEC. 16. CONGRESSIONAL ACCESS TO OIL SPILL RESPONSE 

22 PLANS. 

23 Section 60138(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 

24 amended— 

25 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)(D) by striking the period 

2 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(3) provide to a Member of Congress, upon re5 quest from such Member, a copy of any such plan, 

6 the contents of which the Secretary may not redact 

7 but may note, as the Secretary determines appro8 priate— 

9 ‘‘(A) proprietary information; and 

10 ‘‘(B) security-sensitive information, includ11 ing information described in section 1520.5(a) 

12 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.’’. 

13 SEC. 17. LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 601 of title 49, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘§ 60142. Leak detection technology 

18 ‘‘(a) LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY.—Not later 

19 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, 

20 the Secretary shall issue regulations requiring each oper21 ator of a gas pipeline facility to install and use advanced 

22 leak detection technology on all gas pipelines it operates. 

23 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The advanced leak detection 

24 technology required under subsection (a) shall, at a min25 imum— 


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1 ‘‘(1) have a high accuracy of identifying leak lo2 cation; 

3 ‘‘(2) be capable of measuring methane con4 centrations in parts per billion; and 

5 ‘‘(3) be capable of correlating methane con6 centration measurements to data produced by geo7 graphic information systems technology.’’. 

8 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

9 for chapter 601 of title 49, United States Code, is amend10 ed by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘60142. Leak detection technology.’’. 

11 SEC. 18. GAS PIPELINE REPAIR CRITERIA. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 601 of title 49, United 

13 States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘§ 60143. Gas pipeline repair criteria 

16 ‘‘(a) LEAK REPAIR FOR LARGE LOSS EVENT.—Not 

17 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this sec18 tion, the Secretary shall issue regulations requiring each 

19 operator of a gas pipeline facility to— 

20 ‘‘(1) immediately repair a leak in a gas pipeline 

21 facility it operates that results in a large loss event; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(2) report information to the Secretary with 

24 respect to such large loss event, including— 

25 ‘‘(A) the location of such large loss event; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the total estimated volume of gas re2 leased during such event; 

3 ‘‘(C) the cause of the failure; and 

4 ‘‘(D) the time from the detection of a gas 

5 leak to the completion of the repair of such 

6 leak. 

7 ‘‘(b) LARGE LOSS EVENT DEFINED.—In this section, 

8 the term ‘large loss event’ means the loss of 300,000 cubic 

9 feet or more of gas.’’. 

10 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

11 for chapter 601 of title 49, United States Code, is further 

12 amended by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘60143. Gas pipeline repair criteria.’’. 

13 SEC. 19. METHANE RELEASE MITIGATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 601 of title 49, United 

15 States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘§ 60144. Methane release mitigation 

18 ‘‘(a) METHANE CAPTURE FROM ROUTINE OPER19 ATIONS OR MAINTENANCE.—Not later than 1 year after 

20 the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

21 issue regulations requiring each operator of a gas pipeline 

22 facility to use the best available technology to capture gas 

23 released when performing routine operations or mainte24 nance on the pipeline facility. 


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1 ‘‘(b) REGULATIONS.—In issuing regulations under 

2 subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish— 

3 ‘‘(1) requirements for the capture of gas re4 leased from routine operations, including venting to 

5 relieve pressure; 

6 ‘‘(2) requirements for the capture of gas re7 leased from maintenance operations, including 

8 blowdowns; and 

9 ‘‘(3) procedures for emergency situations that 

10 result in a release of gas.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 for chapter 601 of title 49, United States Code, is further 

13 amended by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘60144. Methane release mitigation.’’. 

14 SEC. 20. UNUSUALLY SENSITIVE AREAS. 

15 (a) COASTAL WATERS; COASTAL BEACHES.—Section 

16 19 of the PIPES Act of 2016 (49 U.S.C. 60109 note) 

17 is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘marine coast19 al waters’’ and inserting ‘‘coastal waters’’; and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 

22 definitions apply: 

23 ‘‘(1) COASTAL BEACHES.—The term ‘coastal 

24 beaches’ means the land between high and low water 

25 marks of coastal waters. 


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1 ‘‘(2) COASTAL WATERS.—The term ‘coastal 

2 waters’ has the meaning given such term in section 

3 4101 of the Shore Protection Act of 1988 (33 

4 U.S.C. 2601).’’. 

5 (b) COASTAL WATERS.—Section 60109(b)(2) of title 

6 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘marine 

7 coastal waters’’ and inserting ‘‘coastal waters’’. 

8 (c) UPDATES.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

9 of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Transpor10 tation shall complete the revision required under section 

11 19(b) of the PIPES Act of 2016 (49 U.S.C. 60109 note), 

12 as amended by this section. 

13 SEC. 21. USER FEES FOR UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS 

14 STORAGE FACILITIES. 

15 Section 60302 of title 49, United States Code, is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (c)(2)— 

18 (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

19 at the end; 

20 (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the 

21 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(C) may only be used to the extent pro24 vided in advance in an appropriations Act.’’; 


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1 (2) by striking paragraph (3) of subsection (c); 

2 and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS.—Fees imposed under subsection 

5 (a) shall be sufficient to pay for the costs of activities de6 scribed in subsection (c), except that the total amount col7 lected for a fiscal year may not be more than 105 percent 

8 of the total amount of the appropriations made for the 

9 fiscal year activities to be financed by fees.’’. 

10 SEC. 22. SEISMICITY. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

12 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Trans13 portation, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regu14 latory Commission, shall enter into an agreement with the 

15 National Academy of Sciences under which the National 

16 Academy of Sciences shall prepare a report containing— 

17 (1) the results of a study that— 

18 (A) evaluates the current Federal require19 ments for pipeline facility design, siting, con20 struction, operation and maintenance, and in21 tegrity management, relating to seismicity, land 

22 subsidence, landslides, slope instability, frost 

23 heave, soil settlement, erosion, and other dy24 namic geologic conditions that may pose a safe25 ty risk; 


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1 (B) identifies any discrepancy in such re2 quirements that apply to operators of gas pipe3 line facilities and hazardous liquid pipeline fa4 cilities; and 

5 (C) identifies any deficiencies in industry 

6 practices related to such requirements; and 

7 (2) any recommendations of the National Acad8 emy of Sciences based on such results. 

9 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon completion of the 

10 report prepared pursuant to subsection (a), the National 

11 Academy of Sciences shall submit to the Secretary of 

12 Transportation, the Committee on Transportation and In13 frastructure of the House of Representatives, the Com14 mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep15 resentatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

16 and Transportation of the Senate the report. 

17 (c) PIPELINE FACILITIES.—In this section, the term 

18 ‘‘pipeline facility’’ has the meaning given that term in sec19 tion 60101 of title 49, United States Code. 

20 SEC. 23. PIPELINE SAFETY TESTING. 

21 (a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 18 months after 

22 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans23 portation shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

24 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee 

25 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 


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1 Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Com2 merce of the House of Representatives a report that evalu3 ates concepts for the development of a pipeline safety re4 search and testing facility under the Department of 

5 Transportation. 

6 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the facility described 

7 in subsection (a) shall be to support the Department of 

8 Transportation and other governmental entities in product 

9 evaluation, personnel training, and research and develop10 ment of technology and practices to improve the safety, 

11 security, efficiency, and environmental impact of— 

12 (1) transporting hazardous liquids and gas by 

13 pipeline; and 

14 (2) storing hazardous liquids or gas for trans15 portation. 

16 (c) USE OF EXISTING FACILITIES.—In conducting 

17 the evaluation pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary 

18 shall examine the opportunity to use existing facilities op19 erated by the Department of Transportation or other Fed20 eral agencies for research and testing. 

21 (d) REPORT CONTENTS.—The report described in 

22 subsection (a) shall include— 

23 (1) the projected costs to establish such a facil24 ity; 


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1 (2) the projected annual costs to operate such 

2 a facility; 

3 (3) recommendations for sharing or recovering 

4 any establishment and operational expenses from 

5 private-sector, non-profit, or academic entities that 

6 may use the facility; 

7 (4) an evaluation of the feasibility of a partner8 ship with a private-sector, non-profit, or academic 

9 entity to manage or operate the facility; 

10 (5) data and information management protocols 

11 for test results; and 

12 (6) potential benefits and opportunities for en13 hancing the training and development of pipeline 

14 safety personnel. 

15 SEC. 24. WORKFORCE. 

16 (a) STAFFING.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor18 tation shall increase the number of full-time equiva19 lent employees (as compared to the number of posi20 tions on the date of enactment of this Act) by— 

21 (A) 8 full-time employees with subject mat22 ter expertise in pipeline safety, pipeline facili23 ties, and pipeline systems to finalize out24 standing rulemakings and fulfill mandates for 

25 the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and 


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1 Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; 

2 and 

3 (B) 3 full-time attorneys, with environ4 mental expertise, in the Office of Chief Counsel 

5 of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 

6 Administration. 

7 (2) PIPELINE INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

8 PERSONNEL.—The Secretary shall ensure that the 

9 number of positions for pipeline inspection and en10 forcement personnel in the Office of Pipeline Safety 

11 of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Ad12 ministration does not fall below the following: 

13 (A) 222 for fiscal year 2020. 

14 (B) 233 for fiscal year 2021. 

15 (C) 245 for fiscal year 2022. 

16 (D) 258 for fiscal year 2023. 

17 (E) 272 for fiscal year 2024. 

18 (b) RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION AUTHORITIES.— 

19 The Secretary shall request authority from the Office of 

20 Personnel Management to use incentives, as necessary, to 

21 recruit and retain a qualified workforce, including for in22 spection and enforcement personnel and subject matter ex23 perts dedicated to rulemaking activities in the Office of 

24 Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

25 Safety Administration— 


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1 (1) special pay rates permitted under section 

2 5305 of title 5, United States Code; and 

3 (2) repayment of student loans accompanied by 

4 a continued service agreement, permitted under sec5 tion 5379 of title 5, United States Code. 

6 SEC. 25. HIRING REPORT. 

7 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, and annually thereafter through calendar year 

9 2023, the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous 

10 Materials Safety Administration shall submit to Congress 

11 a report on the efforts of the Administration to hire 

12 women, minorities, and veterans as inspectors since Janu13 ary 1, 2012. 

14 SEC. 26. PLAN TO COMBINE STATE DAMAGE PREVENTION 

15 AND ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PROGRAMS. 

16 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit 

18 to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Trans19 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa20 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

21 Transportation of the Senate a plan to combine the activi22 ties carried out by the Secretary under sections 6106 and 

23 60134 of title 49, United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 27. GAS GATHERING LINES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor4 tation shall issue final regulations on gas gathering lines 

5 based on the notice of proposed rulemaking published on 

6 April 8, 2016, titled ‘‘Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas 

7 Transmission and Gathering Pipelines’’ (81 Fed. Reg. 

8 20722). 

9 (b) REGULATIONS.—The final regulations issued 

10 under subsection (a) shall cover— 

11 (1) all gas gathering lines in class 4, class 3, 

12 and class 2 locations, as classified in section 192.5 

13 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations; and 

14 (2) gas gathering lines with a diameter of at 

15 least 8 inches that are located in a class 1 location, 

16 as classified in section 192.5 of title 49, Code of 

17 Federal Regulations. 

18 SEC. 28. REGULATORY UPDATES. 

19 (a) DEFINITION OF OUTSTANDING REGULATION.— 

20 In this section, the term ‘‘outstanding regulation’’ 

21 means— 

22 (1) a final rule required to be issued under the 

23 Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Cre24 ation Act of 2011 (Public Law 112–90; 125 Stat. 

25 1904) that has not been published in the Federal 

26 Register; 


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1 (2) a final rule required to be issued under the 

2 Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and En3 hancing Safety Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–183; 

4 130 Stat. 514) that has not been published in the 

5 Federal Register; and 

6 (3) any other final rule regarding gas or haz7 ardous liquid pipeline facilities required to be issued 

8 under this Act or an Act enacted before the date of 

9 enactment of this Act that has not been published 

10 by the date required in such Act in the Federal Reg11 ister. 

12 (b) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 5 days after the 

13 date of enactment of this Act, and every 30 days there14 after until an outstanding regulation is published in the 

15 Federal Register, the Secretary of Transportation shall 

16 provide an update on the status of each outstanding regu17 lation by— 

18 (1) publishing on a publicly available website of 

19 the Department of Transportation information re20 garding the status of each outstanding regulation; 

21 and 

22 (2) submitting notification to the Committee on 

23 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

24 Representatives, the Committee on Energy and 

25 Commerce of the House of Representatives, and the 


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1 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor2 tation of the Senate. 

3 (c) CONTENTS.—The information described in sec4 tion (b)(1) shall include— 

5 (1) with respect to an outstanding regulation 

6 under review by the Office of the Secretary for not 

7 more than 45 days— 

8 (A) the date that such outstanding regula9 tion was submitted to the Office of the Sec10 retary for review; and 

11 (B) the staff allocations within the Office 

12 of the Secretary with respect to each such out13 standing regulation and any resource con14 straints affecting the review; 

15 (2) with respect to an outstanding regulation 

16 under review by the Office of the Secretary for more 

17 than 45 days— 

18 (A) the information described in paragraph 

19 (1); 

20 (B) a description of why such outstanding 

21 regulation is under extended review; 

22 (C) a work plan for finalizing review of 

23 such outstanding regulation; and 

24 (D) the date of anticipated completion of 

25 such review; 


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1 (3) with respect to an outstanding regulation 

2 that has been transmitted to neither the Office of 

3 Management and Budget nor the Office of the Sec4 retary— 

5 (A) a description of the work plan for such 

6 outstanding regulation; 

7 (B) the anticipated date on which such 

8 regulation will be transmitted to the Office of 

9 Management and Budget and the Office of the 

10 Secretary; 

11 (C) the staff allocations with respect to 

12 such outstanding regulation; 

13 (D) any resource constraints affecting the 

14 rulemaking process for such outstanding regula15 tion; and 

16 (E) any other details associated with the 

17 development of such outstanding regulation 

18 that affect the progress of the rulemaking proc19 ess with respect to such outstanding regulation; 

20 and 

21 (4) with respect to an outstanding regulation 

22 that has been transmitted to the Office of Manage23 ment and Budget— 


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1 (A) the date such outstanding regulation 

2 was submitted to the Office of Management and 

3 Budget for review; and 

4 (B) a statement of whether the out5 standing regulation remains under review by 

6 the Office of Management and Budget or has 

7 been transmitted for further review by the Of8 fice of the Secretary or the Administrator of the 

9 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Ad10 ministration. 

11 SEC. 29. COMPONENT VERIFICATION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60102(e) of title 49, 

13 United States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

15 subparagraphs (A) and (B); 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and in17 serting the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall’’; 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(C) for facilities identified under subpara21 graphs (A) and (B), shall include, for all pipes 

22 and related components for which the regula23 tions of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

24 Safety Administration require compliance with 

25 a standard incorporated by reference for such 


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1 pipe or related component, documentation of 

2 verification that such pipe or related component 

3 meets such standard. 

4 ‘‘(2) VERIFICATION.—The verification described 

5 in paragraph (1)(C) shall be conducted by— 

6 ‘‘(A) an independent third party on behalf 

7 of the operator; 

8 ‘‘(B) the operator, so long as such operator 

9 does not pay, or receive payment from, a manu10 facturer, distributor, or supplier of a pipe or re11 lated component described in paragraph (1)(C) 

12 for such verification; or 

13 ‘‘(C) a United States manufacturer of a 

14 pipe or related component described in para15 graph (1)(C) that is accredited by the Inter16 national Organization for Standardization. 

17 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

18 ‘‘(A) VERIFICATION.—The term 

19 ‘verification’ means sufficient testing and audit20 ing to confirm that a standard has been met in 

21 the production of a pipe or related component. 

22 ‘‘(B) INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY.—The 

23 term ‘independent third party’ means an entity 

24 that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) does not have a commercial rela2 tionship with the manufacturer or supplier 

3 of a pipe or related component; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) is accredited by the International 

5 Organization for Standardization.’’; and 

6 (4) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made 

7 by this subsection shall only apply to pipes and com8 ponents that are— 

9 (A) covered by the amendments made by 

10 such subsection; and 

11 (B) purchased on or after the date of en12 actment of this Act. 

13 (b) REVIEW OF COMPLIANCE OF FLANGES AND FIT14 TINGS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp17 troller General of the United States shall complete 

18 a review of the compliance of flanges and fittings of 

19 a pipeline facility (as such term is defined in section 

20 60101 of title 49, United States Code) with Federal 

21 requirements. 

22 (2) CONTENTS OF REVIEW.—The review re23 quired under paragraph (1) shall include— 

24 (A) a compilation of the existing standards 

25 that are incorporated by reference in regulaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:16 Nov 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5120.IH H5120

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1 tions of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

2 Safety Administration and apply to the manu3 facturing, operation, and maintenance of such 

4 flanges and fittings; 

5 (B) a review of the existing oversight au6 thority of the Secretary of Transportation over 

7 manufacturers and distributors of such flanges 

8 and fittings and any lack of oversight authority 

9 that could lead to incidents or accidents; 

10 (C) an analysis of the degree of compliance 

11 by such manufacturers and distributors with 

12 the standards described in subparagraph (A), 

13 the identification of any instances of non-com14 pliance with such standards, and the form, de15 gree, and scope of such non-compliance; 

16 (D) a review of the extent to which 

17 verification (as such term is defined in section 

18 60102(e) of title 49, United States Code, as 

19 added by this section) by operators of pipeline 

20 facilities of whether such flanges and fittings of 

21 pipeline facilities meet the applicable standards 

22 described in subparagraph (A) is occurring; 

23 (E) a review of the safety benefits of re24 quiring pipeline incident reports to include the 


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1 identification of the manufacturer of the flanges 

2 and fittings involved in those incidents; and 

3 (F) identification and recommendation of 

4 any additional authorities or responsibilities for 

5 the Secretary of Transportation, or additional 

6 standards, necessary to improve the safety and 

7 integrity of flanges and fittings through manu8 facturing and distribution. 

9 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 210 days after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

11 General shall submit to the Committee on Com12 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

13 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

14 of the House of Representatives, and the Secretary 

15 of Transportation a report containing the results of 

16 the review completed under paragraph (1) and any 

17 recommendations for legislation or changes to exist18 ing regulations. 

19 (4) PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 

21 after submission of the report required under 

22 paragraph (3) to the Secretary, the Secretary 

23 shall provide a period of not fewer than 60 days 

24 for public comment regarding such report. 


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1 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the end of the public comment period de3 scribed in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 

4 publish in the Federal Register a report re5 sponding to the public comments submitted. 

6 (C) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—In the report 

7 described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary 

8 shall indicate any anticipated actions the Sec9 retary will take with respect to flanges and fit10 tings of a pipeline facility based on the com11 ments submitted under this paragraph and the 

12 report under paragraph (3). 

13 SEC. 30. CODIFICATION OF FINAL RULE. 

14 The amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations 

15 made pursuant to the final rule of the Environmental Pro16 tection Agency, titled ‘‘Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emis17 sion Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified 

18 Sources’’ and published in the Federal Register on June 

19 3, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 35824), shall have the same force 

20 and effect of law as if such amendments had been enacted 

21 by an Act of Congress, except that the Administrator of 

22 the Environmental Protection Agency may revise such reg23 ulations, as provided for under the Clean Air Act, if such 

24 revision would result in a reduction in gas release. 

Æ 


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