(Washington, D.C.)- Today, Congressman Sires voted in favor of H.R. 4937, the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2016 in a Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure markup. The legislation authorizes $696 million over four years for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration’s (PHMSA) pipeline safety program, including $211 million in grants to States.

“I am pleased that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure came together to pass this important bill with robust improvements to our pipeline safety program,” said Congressman Sires. “New Jersey is home to over 35,000 miles of pipeline that connect over 8.9 million residents to their energy needs. Ensuring the integrity of our pipeline infrastructure in high density areas like ours is vital to ensuring the safety of our communities.”

Specifically, the PIPES Act would provide the Secretary of Transportation with new authority to impose emergency safety measures on pipeline operators to address an imminent hazard. The bill would boost funding for grants to States to help administer pipeline safety programs and provide $1.5 million annually for grants to local communities and safety groups to conduct pipeline studies and public awareness campaigns. It would also direct DOT to establish safety standards for underground natural gas storage tanks.

“I remember the 1994 incident in which a pipeline carrying natural gas ruptured catastrophically in Edison, New Jersey, not far from my home,” said Congressman Sires.

“Within one to two minutes, the gas ignited and flames shot in the air. The fire destroyed eight buildings, forced 1,500 apartment residents to evacuate, left 100 homeless, and left one dead. Sadly, these incidents continue to occur, but I believe that legislation like the PIPES Act will improve the state of our pipeline infrastructure.”

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