Commerce Committee Passes Peters’ Bipartisan Bill to Improve Safety and Security of U.S. Pipeline Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to improve the safety and security of pipeline infrastructure in Michigan and throughout the United States. The Pipeline Integrity, Protection, and Enhancement for Leveraging Investments in the Nation’s Energy to Assure Safety (PIPELINE) Safety Act would reauthorize and significantly increase funding for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) safety programs for five years. These critical programs help Michigan effectively inspect and enforce safety standards for more than 100,000 miles of pipeline currently in operation throughout the state. The bill additionally requires pipeline operators to protect against the growing threat of cyberattacks, such as the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2023.

The bill also includes a provision led by Peters to pave the way for a PHMSA “National Center of Excellence for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection.” The center would conduct research into state-of-the-art pipeline leak detection technologies that can help efficiently identify a spill and improve our response to a potential incident. If passed into law, the center would be established in the Great Lakes region. The legislation now advances to the full Senate for consideration.

“This bill takes necessary steps to strengthen our pipeline infrastructure and help prevent potential accidents before they occur, keeping both pipeline operators and our environment safe,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety. “Michiganders also understand the importance of protecting our Great Lakes against an oil spill. That's why I fought for a provision in this bill to establish a Center of Excellence that would enhance our ability to detect and respond to potential hazardous pipeline leaks. I’ll keep working in a bipartisan way to get this bill passed in the Senate.”

Peters introduced the Pipeline Integrity, Protection, and Enhancement for Leveraging Investments in the Nation’s Energy to Assure Safety (PIPELINE) Safety Act alongside U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Todd Young (R-IN).

Peters has made it a priority to strengthen pipeline infrastructure and improve our response to pipeline spills. In 2018, he authored and passed legislation creating the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Center of Expertise to study the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments and help develop effective responses to protect the Great Lakes. Peters then announced that the Center would be dual headquartered in Michigan at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor to maximize its research and operational capabilities. Peters led the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Center for Freshwater Research and Education at LSSU, which is home to the Center of Expertise, in 2022.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Peters has continued to advocate for additional funding to support the Great Lakes Center of Expertise’s work. Peters also introduced legislation to help federal agencies more quickly and effectively respond to potential oil spills on the Great Lakes and elsewhere. In 2021, Peters applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to formally implement a provision of his PIPES Act, which designated the Great Lakes as an Unusually Sensitive Area, subjecting pipelines operating in the area to higher standards for operating safely.

As Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Peters plays a key role in uniting Great Lakes Basin states to coordinate legislative initiatives, funding priorities, and oversight efforts to address the most important issues facing the Great Lakes, such as invasive species, environmental contamination, shoreline erosion, water quality, infrastructure needs, and more.

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