article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Durham Woods Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1994''. SEC. 2. INCREASED INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS IN HIGH-DENSITY POPULATION AREAS. (a) Instrumented Internal Inspection Devices.--Section 3(g)(2) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1672(g)(2)) is amended by inserting ``, not less than once every 7 years,'' after ``requiring the periodic inspection''. (b) Additional Inspections.--Section 3 of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1672) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: ``(l) Additional Inspection Requirements.--Within 2 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue regulations requiring that each operator of transmission pipelines-- ``(1) establish a program for observing from the air, or inspecting from the ground, or both, at least once every month, the surface conditions on and adjacent to the right-of-way of all of such operator's transmission pipelines identified pursuant to subsection (i) for indications of leaks, construction, and other circumstances affecting safety or operation; and ``(2) place line markers along the rights-of-way of all of such operator's transmission pipelines identified pursuant to subsection (i), unless such placement is impractical.''. SEC. 3. DAMAGE REPORTING. Section 20(g)(2) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1687(g)(2)) is amended-- (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (A); (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph: ``(B) a natural gas pipeline facility and does not report the damage promptly to the operator of the pipeline facility or other appropriate authorities; or''. SEC. 4. INCREASED PENALTIES. (a) Criminal Penalties.--(1) Section 20(g) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1687(g)) is amended by striking ``5 years'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``10 years''. (2) Section 11(c) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1679a(c)) is amended-- (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$25,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 5 years'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$100,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 10 years''; (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``$25,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 15 years'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$100,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 years''; and (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``$5,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 1 year'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$50,000, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 5 years''. (b) Civil Penalties.--Section 11(a) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1679a(a)) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1)-- (A) by striking ``or section 20(h)'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``, section 20(h), or section 22(a)''; (B) by striking ``$25,000'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$50,000''; and (C) by striking ``$500,000'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$1,000,000''; and (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``$50,000'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$100,000''. SEC. 5. PUBLIC AWARENESS. Section 18(a) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1685(a)) is amended-- (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``Each person who''; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(2) The Secretary shall, to the extent provided in advance in appropriations Acts, make grants to States for the promotion of public awareness of the dangers of excavating near natural gas pipelines by advertising in the media and other means.''. SEC. 6. PIPELINE SAFETY STUDY. (a) Study.--The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a comprehensive study on the safety of all natural gas transmission pipelines in the State of New Jersey. Such study shall address, at a minimum-- (1) increasing population encroachment on pipeline rights- of-way; (2) environmental concerns; (3) financial pressures on the pipeline industry to control their costs; and (4) the feasibility of utilizing remotely operated or automatic shut-off valves, and their appropriate spacing. (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall transmit to the Congress a report containing the results of the study conducted under subsection (a). SEC. 7. RISK ASSESSMENT. (a) Assessment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct an assessment of the risks to public safety and the environment posed by the transportation of natural gas by pipeline. Such assessment shall-- (1) rank the risks identified by the Secretary in terms of their probability of occurrence and the severity of their likely consequences, and in terms of any other factors the Secretary considers relevant; (2) identify and prioritize technically feasible and economically justified actions that should be taken to lessen the risks identified; and (3) address, at a minimum-- (A) inspection by instrumented internal inspection devices; (B) installation of emergency flow restricting devices; (C) inspection and burial of underwater pipelines; and (D) inspection and replacement of cast iron pipelines. (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall transmit to the Congress a report including the assessment required under subsection (a) and a plan for actions proposed by the Secretary to address each risk identified in the assessment. SEC. 8. MAPPING. The National Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1671- 1688) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ``SEC. 22. MAPPING. ``(a) Location of Transmission Pipelines.--The owner or operator of each of the Nation's transmission pipelines shall inform the Secretary of the specific location of such transmission pipelines. ``(b) Comprehensive Mapping Program.--The Secretary, using the information received under subsection (a) and any other information available to the Secretary, shall develop a comprehensive mapping program to identify the specific location of all of the Nation's transmission pipelines. The program shall include information on the proximity of transmission pipelines to high-density population areas, environmentally sensitive areas, water intakes, and other appropriate areas or facilities. The Secretary shall establish an electronic data base for the comprehensive mapping program, and shall ensure that such data base is available to the public in an appropriate manner. ``(c) Security.--The Secretary shall ensure the security of the program developed under subsection (b) against terrorism, sabotage, and other threats.''.
summary: Durham Woods Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1994 - Amends the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 to instruct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring: (1) periodic inspections of natural gas pipeline facilities with the use of instrumented internal inspection devices at least once every seven years in high-density population areas; and (2) transmission pipeline operators to institute a monthly inspection program for hazards and line markers along pipeline rights-of-way. Declares it is a criminal offense to knowingly damage a natural gas pipeline facility and subsequently fail to report such damage. Increases the civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to the States to promote public awareness programs regarding the dangers of excavating near natural gas pipelines; (2) study and report to the Congress on the safety of all natural gas transmission pipelines in the State of New Jersey and on an assessment of the risks to public safety and the environment posed by natural gas pipeline transportation; and (3) develop a comprehensive mapping program to identify the specific location of all transmission pipelines in the country.