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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	December 11, 2018 09:35 AM
From:	Senator Thomas H. Killion and Sen. Andrew E. Dinniman
To:	All Senate members
Subject:	Pipeline Safety and Advanced Leak Detection

In the near future, we will be introducing legislation requiring Pennsylvania and the Department of Environmental Protection to develop clear permit conditions and siting guidelines to increase the focus on pipeline safety and pipeline infrastructure siting to reduce the dangers of improper siting, improper safety management and wasted American resources—ensuring that as a state we are, at a minimum, ensuring the pipelines are built and operated in the safest way possible that minimizes the impacts to communities and sensitive environmental areas. Public policy leadership is essential to ensuring that Pennsylvania puts in place an oversight framework that is consistent with the pace and scale that science demands to avoid the worst effects of bad pipeline management – a framework flexible enough to adapt to technology innovation and advanced leak detection. The purpose of the legislation is to catalyze leadership-- reducing the risks pipelines pose to communities while allowing for the responsible development only the most essential and safest pipelines for the Commonwealth that can benefit all citizens. This legislation would boost Pennsylvania’s competitiveness and leadership in deploying advanced technologies. Today, more than 1 million Pennsylvanians live or work near oil and gas infrastructure. A clear commitment to require transparent safety management and siting plans will signal to communities that Pennsylvania is taking steps to reduce potential risks while working to make Pennsylvania energy development as safe as possible by requiring advanced leak detection that will not only reduce community impacts, but will also cut down on the waste of precious American natural gas or otherwise known as methane. It is imperative that Pennsylvania act to reduce the risks pipelines pose to our communities now, in order to secure the greatest benefits for our communities, our economy, and the climate at the lowest cost. Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation.

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