President Obama signed the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act or the SAFE PIPES Act into law on June 22, 2016.  The Safe Pipes Act reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) through 2019 as well as its associated programs, including the one-call notification program, the pipeline integrity program, and state damage prevention programs.  (PHMSA’s authorization previously expired in 2015.)  Also, the SAFE PIPES Act authorizes several initiatives and studies to strengthen existing safety procedures and programs; invites States with a pipeline safety program certification, at their request, to participate in the inspection of interstate pipeline facilities; and requires the U.S. Department of Transportation to analyze the potential for leaks to occur at underground natural gas storage facilities in the United States, similar to the Aliso Canyon gas leak in southern California in 2016.  Importantly, the SAFE PIPES Act mandates the PHMSA provide a report to Congress within eighteen months studying the risks and safety recommendations for existing hazardous liquid pipelines.  PHMSA’s findings have the potential to increase inspection, monitoring, and repair requirements for liquid pipelines, especially for the United States’ aging pipeline infrastructure.

The full text of the SAFE PIPES Act can be found here.

Disclaimer: This Blog/Web Site is made available by the law firm of Liskow & Lewis, APLC (“Liskow & Lewis”) and the individual Liskow & Lewis lawyers posting to this site for educational purposes and to give you general information and a general understanding of the law only, not to provide specific legal advice as to an identified problem or issue.  By using this blog site you understand and acknowledge that there is no attorney client relationship formed between you and Liskow & Lewis and/or the individual Liskow & Lewis lawyers posting to this site by virtue of your using this site.  The Blog/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state regarding a particular matter.

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Photo of Cheryl M. Kornick Cheryl M. Kornick

Cheryl Kornick is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, and a fellow in the American College of Trial lawyers, an organization composed of preeminent member of the trial bar and recognized as the leading trial lawyers organization in the United States and Canada. …

Cheryl Kornick is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, and a fellow in the American College of Trial lawyers, an organization composed of preeminent member of the trial bar and recognized as the leading trial lawyers organization in the United States and Canada.  She is experienced in helping clients with claims and disputes, often in the energy sector, including both upstream and midstream matters.  She also is experienced in alternative dispute resolution, including AAA arbitrations and mediations.  Cheryl regularly appears in Louisiana’s state and federal courts and before the Louisiana Supreme Court, often involving pipeline, royalty, land acquisition, joint operating agreements, and other complex claims and disputes.

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Photo of Matt Simone Matt Simone

Matt is an experienced trial and appellate litigator assisting clients with claims and disputes primarily in the energy sector. Matt’s practice is largely focused on pipeline related matters, including servitudes (easements) and expropriation suits, involving pipeline and underground storage projects from inception to…

Matt is an experienced trial and appellate litigator assisting clients with claims and disputes primarily in the energy sector. Matt’s practice is largely focused on pipeline related matters, including servitudes (easements) and expropriation suits, involving pipeline and underground storage projects from inception to conclusion for natural gas, crude oil, and refined product pipelines.  His pipeline practice also includes assisting midstream companies in the defense of claims for breach of contract or environmental damage claims. Matt’s pipeline practice encompasses the representation of midstream companies before local and state agencies, including the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

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