I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4429 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue minimum uniform safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2016 

Mr. KNIGHT 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 direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue minimum uniform safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Natural Gas Leak Pre5 vention Act of 2016’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS STORAGE FACILI2 TIES. 

3 (a) DEFINED TERM.—Section 60101(a) of title 49, 

4 United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (21)(B), by striking the period 

6 at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

7 (2) in paragraph (24), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

8 end; 

9 (3) in paragraph (25), by striking the period at 

10 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(26) ‘underground natural gas storage facility’ 

13 means a gas pipeline facility that stores gas in an 

14 underground facility, including— 

15 ‘‘(A) a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir; 

16 ‘‘(B) an aquifer reservoir; or 

17 ‘‘(C) a solution mined salt cavern res18 ervoir.’’. 

19 (b) STANDARDS FOR UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS

20 STORAGE FACILITIES.—Chapter 601 of title 49, United 

21 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 60103 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘§ 60103A. Standards for underground natural gas 

24 storage facilities 

25 ‘‘(a) MINIMUM UNIFORM SAFETY STANDARDS.—Not 

26 later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 Feb 03, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4429.IH H4429

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1 tion, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with 

2 the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall issue 

3 minimum uniform safety standards, incorporating, to the 

4 extent practicable, consensus standards for the operation, 

5 environmental protection, and integrity management of 

6 underground natural gas storage facilities. 

7 ‘‘(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing uniform safe8 ty standards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) consider the economic impacts of the regu10 lations on individual gas customers to the extent 

11 practicable; 

12 ‘‘(2) ensure that the regulations do not have a 

13 significant economic impact on end users to the ex14 tent practicable; and 

15 ‘‘(3) consider existing consensus standards. 

16 ‘‘(c) USER FEES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A fee shall be imposed on 

18 an entity operating an underground natural gas 

19 storage facility to which this section applies. Any 

20 such fee imposed shall be collected before the end of 

21 the fiscal year to which it applies. 

22 ‘‘(2) MEANS OF COLLECTION.—The Secretary 

23 shall prescribe procedures to collect fees under this 

24 subsection. The Secretary may use a department, 

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1 ernment or of a State or local government to collect 

2 the fee and may reimburse the department, agency, 

3 or instrumentality a reasonable amount for its serv4 ices. 

5 ‘‘(3) USE OF FEES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) ACCOUNT.—There is established an 

7 underground natural gas storage facility safety 

8 account in the Pipeline Safety Fund established 

9 under section 60301, in the Treasury of the 

10 United States. 

11 ‘‘(B) USE OF FEES.—A fee collected under 

12 this subsection— 

13 ‘‘(i) shall be deposited in the under14 ground natural gas storage facility safety 

15 account; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) if the fee is related to an under17 ground natural gas storage facility, may be 

18 used only for an activity related to under19 ground natural gas storage safety under 

20 this section. 

21 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—Amounts collected 

22 under this subsection shall be made available 

23 only to the extent provided in advance in an ap24 propriation law for an activity related to under25 ground natural gas storage safety. 


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1 ‘‘(d) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section 

3 may be construed to affect any Federal regulation 

4 relating to gas pipeline facilities that is in effect on 

5 the day before the date of enactment of this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.—Nothing in this section 

7 may be construed to authorize the Secretary— 

8 ‘‘(A) to prescribe the location of an under9 ground natural gas storage facility; or 

10 ‘‘(B) to require the Secretary’s permission 

11 to construct a facility referred to in subpara12 graph (A).’’. 

13 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

14 for chapter 601 is amended by inserting after the item 

15 relating to section 60103 the following: 

‘‘60103A. Standards for underground natural gas storage facilities.’’. 

Æ 


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