{ "id": "R41536", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R41536", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 416281, "date": "2013-01-09", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:42:32.320852", "title": "Keeping America\u2019s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "Nearly half a million miles of pipeline transporting natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids crisscross the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage. The nation\u2019s pipeline networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack. Recent pipeline accidents in Marshall, MI, San Bruno, CA, Allentown, PA, and Laurel, MT, have heightened congressional concern about pipeline risks and drawn criticism from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Both government and industry have taken numerous steps to improve pipeline safety and security over the last 10 years. Nonetheless, while many stakeholders agree that federal pipeline safety programs have been on the right track, the spate of recent pipeline incidents suggest there continues to be significant room for improvement. Likewise, the threat of terrorist attacks, especially cyberattacks on pipeline control systems, remains a concern.\nThe federal pipeline safety program is authorized through the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, under the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-90), which was signed by President Obama on January 3, 2012. The act contains a broad range of provisions addressing pipeline safety and security. Among the most significant are provisions that could increase the number of federal pipeline safety inspectors, require automatic shutoff valves for transmission pipelines, mandate verification of maximum allowable operating pressure for gas transmission pipelines, increase civil penalties for pipeline safety violations, and mandate reviews of diluted bitumen pipeline regulation. \nBoth government and industry have taken numerous steps to improve pipeline safety and security over the last 10 years. Nonetheless, the NTSB has identified improvement of federal pipeline safety oversight as a \u201ctop ten\u201d priority for 2013. The leading pipeline industry associations have concurred. Whether renewed efforts by industry, combined with additional oversight by federal agencies, will further enhance the safety and security of U.S. pipelines remains to be seen.\nAs Congress oversees the federal pipeline safety program and the federal role in pipeline security, key issues of focus may be pipeline agency staff resources, automatic pipeline shutoff valves, penalties for safety violations, safety regulations for oil sands crudes, and the possible need for pipeline security regulations, among other concerns. In addition to these specific issues, Congress may assess how the various elements of U.S. pipeline safety and security activity fit together in the nation\u2019s overall strategy to protect transportation infrastructure. Pipeline safety and security necessarily involve many groups: federal agencies, oil and gas pipeline associations, large and small pipeline operators, and local communities. Reviewing how these groups work together to achieve common goals could be an oversight challenge for Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41536", "sha1": "116a75de9e4a4c8b7af4447db57a370aeddd28ea", "filename": "files/20130109_R41536_116a75de9e4a4c8b7af4447db57a370aeddd28ea.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41536", "sha1": "f07425fe85e0de5bc2a9660a9d1d97c72b14910e", "filename": "files/20130109_R41536_f07425fe85e0de5bc2a9660a9d1d97c72b14910e.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc86570/", "id": "R41536_2012Mar13", "date": "2012-03-13", "retrieved": "2012-06-15T10:07:48", "title": "Keeping America's Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "Nearly half a million miles of pipeline transporting natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids crisscross the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage. The nation's pipeline networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack. As it oversees the federal pipeline safety program and the federal role in pipeline security, Congress may wish to assess how the various elements of U.S. pipeline safety and security fit together in the nation's overall strategy to protect transportation infrastructure. Pipeline safety and security necessarily involve many groups: federal agencies, oil and gas pipeline associations, large and small pipeline operators, and local communities. Reviewing how these groups work together to achieve common goals could be an oversight challenge for Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120313_R41536_6d159ca22fa0233fdb927c43f2370d4fc021380a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120313_R41536_6d159ca22fa0233fdb927c43f2370d4fc021380a.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Pipelines", "name": "Pipelines" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Transportation", "name": "Transportation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87161/", "id": "R41536_2012Feb13", "date": "2012-02-13", "retrieved": "2012-07-03T07:51:21", "title": "Keeping America's Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "Nearly half a million miles of pipeline transporting natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids crisscross the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage. The \r\nnation's pipeline networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack. As it oversees the federal pipeline safety program and the federal role in pipeline security, Congress may wish to assess how the various elements of U.S. pipeline safety and security fit together in the nation's overall strategy to protect transportation infrastructure. Pipeline safety and security necessarily involve many groups: federal agencies, oil and gas pipeline associations, large and small pipeline operators, and local communities. Reviewing how these groups work \r\ntogether to achieve common goals could be an oversight challenge for Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120213_R41536_29d1f57ab1e671ff23307f8bebafc97cbf021633.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120213_R41536_29d1f57ab1e671ff23307f8bebafc97cbf021633.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Pipelines", "name": "Pipelines" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Transportation", "name": "Transportation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy transportation", "name": "Energy transportation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807661/", "id": "R41536_2012Feb08", "date": "2012-02-08", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Keeping America\u2019s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120208_R41536_d2ed30a98318f677bbc4dc254defaf6a3b1b96f2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120208_R41536_d2ed30a98318f677bbc4dc254defaf6a3b1b96f2.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc96681/", "id": "R41536_2011Jul11", "date": "2011-07-11", "retrieved": "2012-08-07T13:52:45", "title": "Keeping America's Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110711_R41536_79f612d41ce624d14f3dedac89314d91d12c7ebe.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110711_R41536_79f612d41ce624d14f3dedac89314d91d12c7ebe.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Pipelines", "name": "Pipelines" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Transportation", "name": "Transportation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy transportation", "name": "Energy transportation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc98961/", "id": "R41536_2011Mar17", "date": "2011-03-17", "retrieved": "2012-08-31T21:48:36", "title": "Keeping America\u2019s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110317_R41536_b8c07066ff5b8e186af9c4d8481d940024d26fa6.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110317_R41536_b8c07066ff5b8e186af9c4d8481d940024d26fa6.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Pipelines", "name": "Pipelines" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Transportation", "name": "Transportation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy transportation", "name": "Energy transportation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc490918/", "id": "R41536_2010Dec13", "date": "2010-12-13", "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46", "title": "Keeping America's Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses new legislation being considered by the 111th Congress to improve the safety and security of the U.S. pipeline network. H.R. 6008 would require pipeline operators to provide immediate telephonic notice of a pipeline release to federal emergency response officials and would increase civil penalties for pipeline safety violations. S. 3824 would increase the number of federal pipeline safety inspectors, would require automatic shutoff valves for natural gas pipelines, and would mandate internal inspections of transmission pipelines, among other provisions", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20101213_R41536_65db23c4428f7f955d7a603e596bca097176c5c8.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20101213_R41536_65db23c4428f7f955d7a603e596bca097176c5c8.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Pipelines", "name": "Pipelines" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Transportation", "name": "Transportation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy transportation", "name": "Energy transportation" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy", "Intelligence and National Security" ] }