WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today praised the committee’s decision to include a provision that instructs the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to develop standards to keep Kansans and Americans safe as part of U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)’s SAFE PIPES Act (S. 2276).
“Development of standards for natural gas storage facilities is long overdue,” Sen. Moran said. “This provision is a positive step toward ensuring the integrity of our energy infrastructure system and is a common-sense way to add additional safety measures for Kansans and all Americans. I am thankful my colleagues on the Commerce Committee shared my concerns, and I look forward to advancing this bill in the full Senate.”
Sen. Moran sponsors legislation, Underground Gas Storage Facility Safety Act (S.1768), introduced by U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) that would allow states to monitor the wellbores in interstate underground gas storage facilities. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation may approve a state’s inspection plan.
Background
At issue is a 2009 District Court ruling that determined Kansas, through the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), could not monitor its own storage fields if the gas in those facilities is in interstate transportation. In the four years since the ruling, the state has been barred from inspecting storage sites, and the federal government, specifically, PHMSA has failed to act.
In Kansas, there are 11 interstate underground storage sites containing more than 270 billion cubic feet of gas.
YOUTUBE LINK:Click hereto watch Sen. Moran’s remarks on YouTube.