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Pipeline Safety Bills Cross the Finish Line

The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (H.R. 2845) final language was agreed on last week and the bipartisan, bicameral work of the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction resulted in swift house passage Monday. The legislation authorizes funding for programs of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through FY 2015.  PHMSA oversees safety programs for the 2.3 million miles of natural gas, petroleum and other hazardous liquid pipelines in the United States.  The federal government and construction industry have taken steps to improve pipeline safety, and this legislation ensures the continuation of the downward trend in pipeline damages despite increased volume of energy transported. After passage of the House by voice vote, the measure was quickly taken up by the Senate, where it passed by unanimous consent. The bill now goes to the president, where he is expected to sign the measure into law. For more information, please contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5321 or berrys@agc.org.