HAZARDOUS LIQUID PIPELINE SAFETY ACT OF 1979 (Title II of the Pipeline Safety Act of 1979) AN ACT to amend the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 to provide for the safe operation of pipelines transporting natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, to provide standards with respect to the siting, construction, and operation of liquefied natural gas facilities, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. (a) This Act may be cited as the "Pipeline Safety Act of 1979". (b) The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 201. Short title. Sec. 202. Definitions. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE II-LIQUID PIPELINE SAFETY Sec. 203. Regulations governing hazardous liquid pipeline facilities. Sec. 204. Technical Hazardous-Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee. [Title I amended the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, which appears in part B of this volume.] TITLE II-LIQUID PIPELINE SAFETY SHORT TITLE SEC. 201. This title may be cited as the "Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979". [49 U.S.C. 2001 note] DEFINITIONS SEC. 202. As used in this title (1) "person" means any individual, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, State, municipality, cooperative association, or joint stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof; (2) "hazardous liquid" means (A) petroleum or any petroleum product, and (B) any substance or material which is in liquid state (excluding liquefied natural gas) when transported by pipeline facilities and which, as determined by the Secretary, may pose an unreasonable risk to life or property when transported by pipeline facilities; (3) "transportation of hazardous liquids" means the movement of hazardous liquids by pipeline, or their storage incidental to such movement, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce; except that it shall not include any such movement through gathering lines in rural locations or onshore production, refining, or manufacturing facilities or storage or in-plant piping systems associated with any of such facilities; (4) "pipeline facilities" includes, without limitation, new and existing pipe, rights-of-way, and any equipment, facility, or building used or intended for use in the transportation of hazardous liquids but "rights-of-way" as used in this title does not authorize the Secretary to prescribe the location or the routing of any pipeline facility; (5) "interstate pipeline facilities" means the pipeline facilities used in the transportation of hazardous liquids in interstate or foreign commerce; (6) "intrastate pipeline facilities" means pipeline facilities which are not interstate pipeline facilities; (7) "interstate or foreign commerce" means commerce_between any point in a State and any point outside thereof, or between points within the same State but through any place outside thereof; (8) "State" includes each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; (9) "municipality" means a city, county, or other political subdivision of a State; (10) "national organization of State commissions" means the national organization of the State commissions referred to in subchapter III of chapter 103 of title 49, United States Code; and (11) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Transportation. [49 U.S.C. 2001] REGULATIONS GOVERNING HAZARDOUS-LIQUID PIPELINE FACILITIES SEC. 203. (a) The Secretary shall, by regulation, establish minimum Federal safety standards for the transportation of hazardous liquids and pipeline facilities. The standards shall apply to each person who engages in the transportation of hazardous liquids or who owns or operates pipeline facilities. The standards shall be practicable and designed to meet the need for safe transportation of hazardous liquids. (b) In prescribing standards under this section, the Secretary shall consider (1) relevant available pipeline data; (2) whether the standards are appropriate for the particular type of pipeline transportation or facility; (3) the reasonableness of any proposed standards; and (4) the extent to which the standards will contribute to public safety. (c) Standards under this section may apply to the design, installation, inspection, emergency plans and procedures, testing, construction, extension, operation, replacement, and maintenance of pipeline facilities. Any standard issued under this section affecting the design, installation, construction, initial inspection, and initial testing shall not be applicable to pipeline facilities in existence on the date such standard is adopted. (d) Any State agency may adopt additional or more stringent safety standards for intrastate pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with such facilities, if such standards are compatible with the Federal standards issued under this title. No State agency may adopt or continue in force any safety standards applicable to interstate pipeline facilities or the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with such facilities. (e) The Secretary may provide that the Federal minimum safety standards established under this section include a requirement that any operator of pipeline facilities (1) participate in any public safety program (A) which provides for notice to pipeline facility operators of proposed demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction near or affecting such facility; (B) which requires such operators to identify specific pipeline facilities which may be affected by the proposed demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction, for the purpose of preventing damage to such facilities; and (C) which the Secretary determines is being carried out in a manner adequate to assure protection against the hazards to that operator's pipeline facilities created by such demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction; or (2) establish and carry out a damage prevention program which provides services to the public with respect to that operator's pipeline facilities which are comparable to those which would be available to the public under a program described in paragraph (1). (f) Any standards prescribed under this section, and amendments thereto, shall become effective thirty days after the date of issuance of such standards unless the Secretary, for good cause recited, determines an earlier or later effective date is required as a result of the period reasonably necessary for compliance and such date is specified in the regulation establishing or amending such standard. (g) The provisions of subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5 of the United States Code shall apply to all actions establishing, amending, revoking, or directing or waiving compliance with, any standard established under this Act. The Secretary shall afford interested persons an opportunity to participate fully in the establishment of such safety standards through submission of written data, views, or arguments with opportunity to present oral testimony and argument. 75-905 O - 81 7 (h) Upon application by any person engaged in the transportation of hazardous liquids or the operation of pipeline facilities, the Secretary may, by order, after notice and opportunity for hearing and under such terms and conditions and to such extent as he deems appropriate, waive in whole or in part compliance with any standard established under this title, if he determines that a waiver of compliance with such standard is not inconsistent with pipeline safety. The Secretary shall state his reasons for any such waiver. A State agency, with respect to which there is in effect a certification pursuant to section 205(a) or an agreement pursuant to section 205(b), may waive compliance with a safety standard in the same manner and to the same extent as the Secretary, provided such State agency gives the Secretary written notice at least sixty days prior to the effective date of the waiver. If, before the effective date of a waiver to be granted by a State agency, the Secretary objects in writing to the granting of the waiver, any State agency action granting the waiver will be stayed. After notifying such Štate agency of his objection, the Secretary shall afford such agency a prompt opportunity to present its request for waiver, with opportunity for hearing, and the Secretary shall determine finally whether the requested waiver may be granted. [49 U.S.C. 2002] TECHNICAL HAZARDOUS-LIQUID PIPELINE SAFETY STANDARDS COMMITTEE SEC. 204. (a) Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a Technical Hazardous-Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee and appoint the initial members of the Committee. The Committee shall be appointed by the Secretary, after consultation with public and private agencies concerned with the technical aspect of the transportation of hazardous liquids or the operation of pipeline facilities, and shall be composed of fifteen members each of whom shall be experienced in the safety regulation of the transportation of hazardous liquids and of pipeline facilities or technically qualified by training, experience, or knowledge in more fields of engineering applied in the transportation of hazardous liquids or the operation of pipeline facilities to evaluate pipeline safety standards, as follows: (1) five members shall be selected from governmental agencies, including State and Federal Governments, two of whom, after consultation with representatives of the national organization of State commissions, shall be State commissioners; (2) four members shall be selected from the hazardous liquids industry after consultation with industry representatives, not less than three of whom shall be currently engaged in the active operation of pipeline facilities; and (3) six members shall be selected from the general public. (b) After the Committee has been established and its members appointed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee any proposed standard under this title, or any proposed amendment to a standard under this title, for its consideration. Within 90 days after receipt by the Committee of any proposed standard or amendment, the Committee shall prepare a report on the technical feasibility, reasonableness, and practicability of such standard or amendment. The Secretary may prescribe a final standard or a final amendment to a standard at any time after the 90th day after its submission to the Committee, whether or not the Committee has reported on such standard or amendment. Each report by the Committee, including any minority views, shall be published by the Secretary and, if timely made, form a part of the proceedings for the promulgation of standards. In the event that the Secretary rejects the conclusions of the majority of the Committee, he shall not be bound by such conclusions but shall publish his reasons for rejection thereof. The Committee may propose safety standards for pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids to the Secretary for his consideration. The Committee shall meet with the Secretary (or his designee) not less frequently than once every 6 months. All proceedings of the Committee shall be recorded and the record of each proceeding shall be available for public inspection. (c) Members of the Committee other than Federal employees may be compensated at a rate to be fixed by the Secretary at not to exceed the daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay then currently payable under the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including traveltime) when engaged in the actual duties of the Committee. All members, while away from their homes or regular places of business, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, for persons in the Government service employed intermittently. Payments under this section shall not render members of the Committee employees or officials of the United States for any purpose. [49 U.S.C. 2003] STATE CERTIFICATIONS AND AGREEMENTS SEC. 205. (a) Except for section 215 and except as otherwise provided in this section, the authority of the Secretary under this Act to prescribe safety standards and enforce compliance with such standards shall not apply to intrastate pipeline facilities or the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with those facilities, when the safety standards and practices applicable to same are regulated by a State agency which submits to the Secretary an annual certification that such State agency (1) has regulatory jurisdiction over the safety standards and practices of intrastate pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with those facilities; (2) has adopted, as of the date of the certification, each Federal safety standard established under this title which is applicable to intrastate pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with those facilities or, with respect to each such Federal safety standard established within 120 days before the date of certification, is taking steps pursuant to State law to adopt such standard; (3) is enforcing each such standard; (4) is encouraging and promoting programs designed to prevent damage to pipeline facilities as a consequence of demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction activity; and |