As the U.S. House of Representatives considers reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act (PSA), a House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee requested input from the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on ways to enhance the enforcement of criminal pipeline safety laws under the PSA.  In a letter dated March 8, 2016, DOT Inspector General (IG) Scovel provided two recommendations: (1) that the mental state required for prosecutions under the Pipeline Safety Act be reduced from “knowingly and willfully” to “recklessly;” and (2) that the law provide for greater whistleblower incentives, such as the one recently enacted by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act).
Continue Reading DOT IG Recommends Lowering Pipeline Safety Criminal Liability Standard to ‘Reckless’

The U.S. House of Representatives convened a Hearing last week regarding reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act (PSA) and is now considering draft legislation.  In light of the recent methane leak in Aliso Canyon, California, House Subcommittee members echoed support for many of the provisions in the Senate reauthorization bill, S 2276, including

As the September 30th deadline for the Pipeline Safety Act reauthorization draws near, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation convened a pipeline safety field hearing in Billings, Montana and recently scheduled a second hearing for September 29th in Washington, DC.
Continue Reading Pipeline Safety Field Hearing Provides Insight to PHMSA Priorities; Second Hearing Scheduled