I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 795 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on the eco-
nomic and environmental risks to the Great Lakes of spills or leaks 
of oil, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 25, 2019 
Mrs. DINGELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a 
study on the economic and environmental risks to the 
Great Lakes of spills or leaks of oil, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preserve Our Lakes 
and Keep Our Environment Safe Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) the Great Lakes are an invaluable national 
resource, containing one-fifth of the world’s fresh 
surface water and 95 percent of the United States 
freshwater supply; 
(2) over 40,000,000 people depend on the Great 
Lakes for fresh drinking water; 
(3) the Great Lakes provide 56,000,000,000 
gallons of water per day for municipal, agricultural 
and industrial use; 
(4) there are more than 3,500 species of plants 
and animals within the Great Lakes ecosystem; 
(5) hundreds of thousands of jobs, tied to the 
$7,000,000,000 
recreational 
fishing 
and 
$16,000,000,000 recreational boating industries, di-
rectly depend on the Great Lakes; 
(6) currently, several million gallons per day of 
hazardous liquids are transported by pipeline across 
various points along the Great Lakes; 
(7) modeling studies by the University of Michi-
gan in 2014 and 2016 have concluded that an oil 
spill originating from a pipeline under the Straits of 
Mackinac would present particularly severe con-
sequences, potentially impacting over 700 miles of 
Great Lakes shoreline; 
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(8) a joint NOAA-U.S. Coast Guard guidebook 
on oil spill response planning in marine environ-
ments states that, during the first 24 to 48 hours 
of open water exposure, most oil spills become dif-
ficult to recover, burn, or chemically disperse; 
(9) swift currents beneath the straits and wa-
terways which connect the Great Lakes could rapidly 
disperse oil spill contaminants following a pipeline 
breach; 
(10) certain pipelines on the Great Lakes are 
located in close proximity to municipal drinking 
water collection intakes for millions of people; and 
(11) the United States should seek to protect 
the Great Lakes, as a unique national asset, from 
unreasonable risk of environmental and economic 
harm. 
SEC. 3. STUDY ON ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS 
TO THE GREAT LAKES. 
(a) STUDY.—Notwithstanding a pipeline integrity 
management program, integrity management assessment 
schedule, or considerations by the Secretary of Transpor-
tation resulting in a corrective action order pursuant to 
section 60112 of title 49, United States Code, not later 
than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall, in consultation with the United States 
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Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and other agen-
cies as appropriate, conduct a study to determine the eco-
nomic and environmental risks to the Great Lakes of spills 
or leaks of oil or other hazardous liquids in the Straits 
of Mackinac from a rupture, breakage, or other failure of 
onshore, underwater pipeline facilities within the Straits. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The study required under sub-
section (a) shall— 
(1) meet the content requirements of an envi-
ronmental impact statement as described in part 
1502 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations; 
(2) describe the potential impacts of such spills 
or leaks to the public health or welfare, wildlife pop-
ulations, ecosystems, shorelines, public and private 
property, economic activity, and water quality in the 
Great Lakes and connecting waterways; 
(3) include an assessment of spill responses in 
a variety of likely and worst-case spill scenarios in 
those waters; and 
(4) include the supplemental study conducted 
under subsection (c). 
(c) SUPPLEMENTAL
STUDY.—The Secretary of 
Transportation shall conduct, in collaboration with pipe-
line facility operators and any necessary agencies, a sup-
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plemental study to evaluate the condition and structural 
integrity of onshore, underwater pipeline facilities in the 
Straits of Mackinac, taking into consideration the age, 
construction materials, external and internal corrosion, 
weld integrity, pressure, underwater currents, possible ex-
ternal damage caused by anchor strikes or dragging by 
recreational or cargo vessels, and the presence of in-line 
shutoff valves. Such supplemental study shall utilize both 
internal inspection technology and pipeline route surveys, 
depth of cover surveys, pressure tests, external corrosion 
direct assessment, or other technology that the operator 
demonstrates can further the understanding of the condi-
tion of the pipeline facility. 
(d) TERMINATION OF OPERATION.—Not later than 
12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration shall terminate the operations of an 
onshore, underwater pipeline facility located in the Straits 
of Mackinac if the Administrator determines that, based 
on the studies conducted under subsections (a) and (c), 
such facility poses a sufficient risk of hazard to life, prop-
erty, or the environment to necessitate the termination. 
Æ 
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