[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2258-E2259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PIPELINE SAFETY, REGULATORY CERTAINTY, AND JOB CREATION ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2011

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker. I support the Pipeline Safety, 
Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act. This bill has been improved 
since it was marked up by the Energy and Commerce and Transportation 
and Infrastructure Committees. I know that there are residual issues 
that some in the industry and some in the environmental community still 
have. No legislation will make everyone happy all the time, but I think 
my colleagues Representatives Upton and Dingell, have worked hard to 
come as close as possible with the legislation before us today. I thank 
them for their leadership and I am pleased that they have set an 
example of bipartisan legislating that we should all follow.
  Pipeline safety is one that is particularly important to me. I 
represent parts of Houston and East Harris County, where virtually 
everyone either lives on, or in close proximity to, a

[[Page E2259]]

natural gas or oil pipeline. I also have thousands of constituents who 
rely on this industry for employment and their livelihood. I understand 
the need to pass a bill that addresses the dual priorities of ensuring 
safety along these pipelines and providing regulatory certainty for the 
operators in the years ahead.
  There are problems with the bill, for instance, this bill may lead to 
an attempt by this Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, PHMSA, or future PHMSAs to regulate offshore gathering 
lines in the same way that onshore lines are regulated. While not 
prescribed by this legislation, the door is left open. It is important 
that PHMSA carefully consider how to regulate these lines and not take 
a one-size fits all approach. There are other tweaks that would have 
been nice, but this is a good bill and represents a bipartisan 
compromise.
  Failure to pass a bill, or one side or another pursuing a partisan 
agenda over good policy, would have been far worse than the small 
problems I have with this bill. I commend Representatives Upton and 
Dingell for this bill and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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