Upton Pushes For Renewal Of Pipeline Safety Law

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fredupton324431-2

Congressman Fred Upton is pushing for a renewal of the federal pipeline safety law. He tells WSJM News the current law will expire on September 30, and negotiations are ongoing between different House committees.

“Even if it does expire, I think that we’ll be OK, but what we’re trying to do is upgrade pipeline safety standards,” Upton said. “Probably increase fines, make sure that these are safe. We have more than 2 million miles of gas and oil pipelines across the country.”

Upton says the pipeline safety law has been updated on a regular basis for years, with some of the stricter standards coming after a pipeline break in the Kalamazoo River in 2010. He published an op-ed in The Washington Times last week calling for bipartisan action to re-approve the pipeline bill.