Bud Shuster: “This important legislation improves safety, enhances reliability, and provides the regulatory certainty necessary to…”

“This important legislation improves safety, enhances reliability, and provides the regulatory certainty necessary to create jobs. I am very proud of the work that has gone into this bill, both across the aisle and between the committees. This legislation represents a bipartisan and bicameral agreement reached by the House Transportation Committee, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. I am also proud this legislation is supported by both the pipeline industry and key safety advocates. The United States has the largest network of energy pipelines in the world, and pipelines are the energy lifelines that power nearly all of our daily activities. The hallmark of America's 2.5 million-mile pipeline network continues to be that it delivers extraordinary volumes of product reliably, safely, efficiently, and economically. Pipelines are the safest and the most cost-effective means to transport the natural gas and hazardous liquid products that fuel our economy. Since 1986, the volume of energy products transported through pipelines has increased by one-third, yet the number of reportable incidents has decreased by 28 percent. While the data show that Federal pipeline safety programs have been on the right track, recent pipeline incidents suggest there continues to be room for improvement. H.R.…”