May. 26, 2020
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Chris Quinn’s (R-Delaware) bill that would require that pipeline companies carrying natural gas liquids through highly populated areas to provide emergency response plans to local emergency management providers passed through the House Consumer Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
House Bill 2293 would require a pipeline operator to provide its emergency response plans to the secretary of the Public Utility Commission, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the emergency management director for each county where the pipeline runs through a densely populated area.
“In Delaware County, pipelines traverse across our landscape, often through populated neighborhoods and past schools and other areas where we need to ensure public safety,” Quinn said. “Too often, communication between pipeline operators and our local emergency management professionals breaks down, so this critical legislation will ensure that everyone has the information they need to properly respond should an issue arise.”
Since there are serious security concerns around pipelines, the bill would ensure that all officials that review the response plan must adhere to the Public Utility Confidential Security Information Disclosure Protection Act. Any pipeline operators that do not comply with the proposed law would be subject to enforcement action from the Public Utility Commission.
“This bill would be a great step to ensuring that our emergency responders know the best approach to dealing with an issue concerning our existing pipeline infrastructure,” Quinn said. “While there is more that we can do to ensure safety, this is a clear move in the right direction.”
The bill will now go to the full House for a vote.
Representative Chris Quinn
168th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Rene Morrow
717.260.6273
rmorrow@pahousegop.com
RepChrisQuinn.com /
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