I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 22 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to enhance pipeline safety, to provide 
communities with access to improved information concerning the equip-
ment and operations of pipeline facilities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 5, 2011 
Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. STARK, Mr. HONDA, Ms. 
LEE of California, Mr. THOMPSON of California, and Mr. GARAMENDI) 
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 enhance pipeline 
safety, to provide communities with access to improved 
information concerning the equipment and operations of 
pipeline facilities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Pipeline Safety and Community Empowerment Act of 
2011’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. References to title 49, United States Code. 
Sec. 3. Notice to property owners and residents. 
Sec. 4. Facility operation information standards. 
Sec. 5. Required periodic inspection of pipelines by instrumented internal in-
spection devices. 
Sec. 6. Automatic or remote shut off valves. 
Sec. 7. Availability of industry standards and procedures adopted in regulations 
by reference. 
Sec. 8. Leak detection. 
Sec. 9. Considerations for identification of high consequence areas. 
Sec. 10. Public education programs. 
SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO 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. 
SEC. 3. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS AND RESIDENTS. 
Section 60102(c)(4) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(C) NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS AND RESI-
DENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one 
year after the date of enactment of this sub-
paragraph, the Secretary shall prescribe min-
imum standards to require the owner or oper-
ator of a pipeline facility to notify all owners 
and residents of property located within 2,000 
feet of a transmission line of the facility of— 
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‘‘(I) the proximity of the property to 
the transmission line; and 
‘‘(II) in the case of a transmission 
line located on private residential property, 
the specific location of the line on the 
property. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIRED
INFORMATION.—The no-
tice under clause (i) shall include, at a min-
imum— 
‘‘(I) a method for electronic access to 
the information described in clause (i) 
through an Internet Web site and toll free 
telephone number; 
‘‘(II) information on how to obtain a 
map of the pipeline system through the 
National Pipeline Mapping System; and 
‘‘(III) such other information as the 
Secretary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(iii) 
DEADLINES.—The 
notice 
under 
clause (i) shall be provided not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this sub-
paragraph and at least once every 3 years 
thereafter.’’. 
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SEC. 4. FACILITY OPERATION INFORMATION STANDARDS. 
Section 60102(d) is amended by striking the first 
sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘Not later than one 
year after the date of enactment of the Pipeline Safety 
and Community Empowerment Act of 2011, the Secretary 
shall prescribe minimum standards under this section re-
quiring an operator of a pipeline facility subject to this 
chapter to maintain information related to operating the 
facility as required by the standards prescribed under this 
chapter and to provide that information, including any up-
dates and changes, to the Secretary, State regulatory offi-
cials, State and local emergency responders, and such 
other entities as the Secretary considers appropriate (ex-
cept that in the case of a local emergency responder the 
Secretary shall provide the information described in para-
graphs (1), (2), (5), and (6) only to the extent applicable 
to the local district). The Secretary shall keep on file the 
information submitted to the Secretary under the pre-
ceding sentence.’’. 
SEC. 5. REQUIRED PERIODIC INSPECTION OF PIPELINES 
BY INSTRUMENTED INTERNAL INSPECTION 
DEVICES. 
Section 60102(f)(2) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) PERIODIC INSPECTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 270 
days after the date of enactment of the Pipeline 
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Safety and Community Empowerment Act of 
2011, the Secretary shall prescribe additional 
standards requiring the periodic inspection of 
each pipeline the operator of the pipeline identi-
fies under section 60109. 
‘‘(B) INSPECTION WITH INTERNAL INSPEC-
TION DEVICE.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clause (ii), the standards pre-
scribed under subparagraph (A) shall re-
quire that an inspection be conducted at 
least once every 5 years with an instru-
mented internal inspection device. 
‘‘(ii) 
EXCEPTION
FOR
SEGMENTS 
WHERE DEVICES CANNOT BE USED.—If a 
device described in clause (i) cannot be 
used in a segment of a pipeline, the stand-
ards prescribed in subparagraph (A) shall 
require use of an inspection method that 
the Secretary certifies to be at least as ef-
fective as using the device in— 
‘‘(I) detecting corrosion; 
‘‘(II) detecting pipe stress; and 
‘‘(III) otherwise providing for the 
safety of the pipeline. 
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‘‘(C) OPERATION
UNDER
HIGH
PRES-
SURE.—The Secretary shall prohibit a pipeline 
segment from operating under high pressure if 
the pipeline segment cannot be inspected— 
‘‘(i) with a device described in sub-
paragraph (B)(i) in accordance with the 
standards prescribed pursuant to such sub-
paragraph; or 
‘‘(ii) using an inspection method de-
scribed in subparagraph (B)(ii) in accord-
ance with the standards prescribed pursu-
ant to such subparagraph.’’. 
SEC. 6. AUTOMATIC OR REMOTE SHUT OFF VALVES. 
Section 60102(j) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(4) AUTOMATIC OR REMOTE SHUT OFF VALVES.— 
‘‘(A) MINIMUM
STANDARDS.—Not later than 
one year after the date of enactment of this para-
graph, the Secretary shall prescribe minimum stand-
ards to require an owner or operator of a covered 
pipeline facility to install and use automatic or re-
mote shut off valves to reduce risks in the event of 
a rupture. 
‘‘(B) APPLICABILITY
OF
MINIMUM
STAND-
ARDS.— 
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‘‘(i) NEW
FACILITIES.—The minimum 
standards shall apply to a covered pipeline facil-
ity that is newly constructed or entirely re-
placed after the date of issuance of the stand-
ards. 
‘‘(ii) EXISTING FACILITIES.— 
‘‘(I) 
FACILITIES
LOCATED
NEAR 
EARTHQUAKE
FAULTS.—The 
minimum 
standards shall apply to a covered pipeline 
facility that exists as of the date of 
issuance of the standards and is located 
within 10 miles of a significant earthquake 
fault beginning on the earliest date that 
the Secretary determines is technically fea-
sible and not later than 2 years after the 
date of issuance of the standards. 
‘‘(II) OTHER FACILITIES.—The min-
imum standards shall apply to a covered 
pipeline facility that exists as of the date 
of issuance of the standards (other than a 
facility described in subclause (I)) not later 
than 5 years after the date of issuance of 
the standards. 
‘‘(C) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph, the fol-
lowing definitions apply: 
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‘‘(i) COVERED
PIPELINE
FACILITY.—The 
term ‘covered pipeline facility’ means a pipeline 
facility that is located in a Class 3 or 4 loca-
tion, as described in section 192.5 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the 
date of enactment of the Pipeline Safety and 
Community Empowerment Act of 2011. 
‘‘(ii) SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKE FAULT.— 
The term ‘significant earthquake fault’ means 
an earthquake fault for which there is a 1 in 10 
chance or greater of a magnitude 6.7 or greater 
earthquake in the next 50 years, as determined 
by the Secretary based on information compiled 
by the United States Geological Survey.’’. 
SEC. 7. AVAILABILITY OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND PRO-
CEDURES ADOPTED IN REGULATIONS BY 
REFERENCE. 
Section 60102 is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(n) AVAILABILITY OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND 
PROCEDURES
ADOPTED
IN
REGULATIONS
BY
REF-
ERENCE.—The Secretary shall ensure that industry stand-
ards and procedures adopted by reference as part of the 
Federal pipeline safety regulatory program under this 
chapter are easily available to the public free of charge. 
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This subsection shall apply to regulations issued before, 
on, or after the date of enactment of this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 8. LEAK DETECTION. 
Section 60102 (as amended by section 7 of this Act) 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(o) LEAK DETECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An owner or operator of a 
pipeline facility shall ensure that the facility is 
equipped with a leak detection system capable of 
promptly detecting a leak. 
‘‘(2) PERFORMANCE
STANDARDS.—Not later 
than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 
subsection, the Secretary shall issue a final rule es-
tablishing performance standards for such leak de-
tection systems. In establishing the performance 
standards, the Secretary shall consider, at a min-
imum, requiring— 
‘‘(A) hazardous liquid pipeline facilities to 
have the continuous capability to detect a daily 
discharge equal to not more than one percent of 
daily throughput; 
‘‘(B) natural gas transmission pipeline fa-
cilities to provide for flow verification through 
an accounting method such as volume balance 
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and rate of pressure at least once every 24 
hours; 
‘‘(C) in the case of a remote pipeline, in-
creased aerial surveillance of the pipeline; and 
‘‘(D) owners and operators of pipeline fa-
cilities to meet other requirements as the Sec-
retary determines necessary and practicable to 
enhance the ability of such owners and opera-
tors to promptly detect a leak.’’. 
SEC. 9. CONSIDERATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH 
CONSEQUENCE AREAS. 
Section 60109 is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(g) CONSIDERATIONS
FOR
IDENTIFICATION
OF 
HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREAS.—In identifying high con-
sequence areas under this section, the Secretary shall con-
sider— 
‘‘(1) the seismicity of the area; 
‘‘(2) the age of the pipe; and 
‘‘(3) whether the pipe at issue can be inspected 
using the most modern instrumented internal inspec-
tion devices.’’. 
SEC. 10. PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 
Section 60116 is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(d) APPROVAL PROCESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ap-
prove or disapprove a public education program sub-
mitted to the Secretary by the owner or operator of 
a pipeline facility under subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) CONTEXT
OF
REVIEW.—The Secretary 
may conduct the approval process under paragraph 
(1) as an element of the Secretary’s inspection of an 
owner or operator. 
‘‘(3) INADEQUATE
PROGRAMS.—If the Sec-
retary determines that a public education program 
does not comply with the requirements of this sec-
tion or regulations issued under this section or has 
not been adequately implemented, the Secretary may 
conduct proceedings under this chapter. 
‘‘(e) EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) ASSESSMENT.—The Comptroller General 
shall conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of 
the public education programs carried out under this 
section. 
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
one year after the date of enactment of this sub-
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