A unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate on June 13 to approve reauthorization of the pipeline safety bill sends the measure to President Obama, who is expected to sign it into law.

The legislation, Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act, or the SAFE PIPES Act of 2016, gained bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. Sponsored by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., it is intended to add transparency to the regulatory process administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

The bill also strengthens the hand of the U.S. Department of Transportation in issuing emergency energy pipeline shutdown orders and mandates a study of pipeline operators’ management plans.

“We were pleased to work closely with committee leadership and staff in crafting a reauthorization bill that furthers our member companies’ commitments to safety,” Matthew Hite, GPA Midstream Association’s vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Congress on its implementation.”

The bill also grants additional protections in the Great Lakes region following efforts by two lawmakers from Michigan—Democrat Sen. Gary Peters and Republican Rep. Candice Miller. The pair had expressed concerns about Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5, a pair of lines that move oil and natural gas at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.

Environmental groups have lobbied to shut down the lines, claiming that it poses an environmental threat. Enbridge maintains the pipelines are safe and have been thoroughly inspected.

The bill designates the Great Lakes as a high-consequence area in terms of pipeline review, meaning that companies operating in the region will be required to meet higher standards and craft specific plans to respond to environmental issues in the case of a spill.

Don Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), lauded the Senate’s passage of the act.

“This legislation meets several key goals, including directing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to regulate underground natural gas storage, something INGAA has advocated for several years,” he said in a statement. “S. 2276 also sets reasonable PHMSA authorization levels and directs PHMSA to complete the regulatory mandates under the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011.”

Joseph Markman can be reached at jmarkman@hartenergy.com and @JHMarkman.

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