California senators introduced a new bill on pipeline safety – The Strengthening Pipeline Safety and Enforcement Act of 2011. A few key elements in the proposed legislature are:

• Double the number of federal pipeline safety inspectors.
• Deployment of electronic or remote-control valves capable of automatically shutting off the gas in a fire or other emergency.
• Mandates the use of “smart pigs” or an inspection method certified by the Secretary of Transportation as equally effective at finding corrosion.
• Prohibits natural gas pipelines from operating at high pressure if they cannot be inspected using the most effective inspection technology.
• Prioritizes old pipelines in seismic areas for the highest level of safety oversight.
• Directs Department of Transportation to set standards for natural gas leak detection equipment and methods. Today there are no uniform national standards for how to detect leaks.

For complete press release, click on the link below: http://boxer.senate.gov/en/press/releases/013111.cfm