Pipeline safety bill passes with bipartisan support
The pipeline safety act signed by President Obama last week after being unanimously passed in both the House and Senate gives the secretary of Transportation the power to quickly issue emergency orders for the pipeline industry if an incident exposes a widespread problem.
The Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016, or PIPES Act reauthorizes the federal government’s pipeline safety program through 2019, increasing the agency’s funding 2 percent annually during that period and giving regulators new emergency authorities.