Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, this week I was pleased that the Senate acted unanimously to pass a pipeline safety bill that will help ensure the safety of our Nation's vast energy pipeline network.

The bipartisan bill, known as the PIPES Act of 2016, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. Safely transporting energy to our communities and businesses is a goal that we all share. It was encouraging to see my colleagues come together on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Capitol, as well, to come up with a final product that will improve pipeline safety and oversight.

With more than 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipelines across this Nation, the energy industry must work together at all levels of government in order to protect lives, communities, and our environment. Pipelines can be one of the safest ways to move oil and gas products; however, we have seen truly devastating explosions and spills with pipelines, including in my home State of Michigan. The cost to clean up an oil spill from a pipeline break near Marshall, MI, into the Kalamazoo River has totaled over $1.2 billion. A similar spill in the Great Lakes would be devastating to our economy, environment, and drinking water supply.

The transition to a clean energy economy is one of my top priorities, but in the meantime, as we push this transition forward, we cannot accept that pipeline spills are simply the cost of doing business. Our safety regulators must be equipped with the tools and equipment to better prevent pipeline accidents, protect public safety, and demand accountability when things invariably go wrong.

Our pipeline transportation system must be more transparent, and technology will continue to provide better insight into the pipeline network without compromising national security and proprietary information. Our land, air, water, and wildlife must be safeguarded against leaks and spills. By enhancing safety standards, we can reduce waste and cleanup costs while making sure we can proudly pass down a strong outdoor heritage to the next generation. We can also create jobs for our construction workers, pipefitters, steelworkers, and utility workers as we upgrade pipelines and fit them with state-of-the-art technology.

The PIPES Act will make strides in these and many other areas. I was especially focused on creating measures to safeguard against the catastrophic consequences of an oil spill in our precious waterways, especially the Great Lakes. Thanks to a provision I originally worked on with my colleague Senator Stabenow, the entire Great Lakes Basin will be designated as an unusually sensitive area. This will make any pipeline that could spill in and around the Great Lakes area subject to higher standards for operating safety. The bill also adds coastal beaches and maritime coastal waters as areas that should be considered when making an ``unusually sensitive'' determination.

We also must recognize the unique regional challenges our Nation's far-reaching pipeline network present. In Michigan, we get serious winters. Lakes and rivers freeze, and even the Great Lakes end up under very thick ice cover. To address these challenges, I worked to include a provision requiring pipeline operators to prepare response plans that address cleanup of an oilspill in ice-covered waters. The Coast Guard has stated that it does not have the technology or the capacity for worst-case discharge cleanup under solid ice and that its response activities are not adequate in ice-choked waters. We need to address this problem now before a spill under ice-covered water happens.

Any oil pipeline that is deeper than 150 feet underwater will be required to undergo an inspection every year as a result of this bill. This requirement would be especially relevant for pipelines running through the Great Lakes, especially the twin oil pipelines resting on the lakebed in the Straits of Mackinac. The bill also establishes emergency order authority so that PHMSA can take quick action to ensure safety when pipelines pose an imminent threat.

This bill goes beyond just addressing pipelines; it also directs the Department of Transportation to issue minimum safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities. The dangers of a leak from an underground storage facility was illustrated in a massive methane leak at a facility in California just a few short months ago which resulted in evacuations and an emergency declaration. These new standards are especially important for my home State of Michigan because we have more underground natural gas storage facilities than almost any other State in the Union.

Other sections of the PIPES Act encourage collaboration on research, development, mapping, and technology between Federal agencies, public stakeholders, and industry leaders. All of these constituencies were key to providing input into this bill.

I would like to thank Senators Fischer, Booker, and Daines, and of course Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson for their hard work on the PIPES Act. The Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the House were also instrumental in making changes and important improvements.

As we continue to move forward and find better ways to meet our energy needs, it is my hope that we can learn from past catastrophes and prevent future ones before they ever occur.

The bipartisan PIPES Act can be a model for how we work together to improve performance and raise our standards in the energy sector.

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