PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 5, 1995
Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 1995- Amends Federal pipeline safety law to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to recover from any person engaged in the transportation of gas or hazardous liquids, or from the owner or operator of pipeline facilities, the costs incurred in: (1) investigating an accident; and (2) overseeing the person's response to the accident. Sets a limit upon the amounts recoverable. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to: (1) the States for the development and establishment of a one-call notification system; and (2) one-call notification systems for promoting their use. Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary may develop an electronic data base on pipeline facilities in order to facilitate risk assessment and safety planning. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review its practices and guidelines for siting natural gas interstate transmission facilities in urban areas in order to determine whether changes are needed in route selection and right-of-way widths. Authorizes appropriations. Instructs the Secretary to make educational information available to local governments over whose lands pass: (1) natural gas interstate transmission facilities; and (2) hazardous liquid interstate pipeline facilities. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits excavation and solid waste disposal activity within pipeline rights-of-way, or within a limited area in the vicinity of an interstate pipeline facility. Modifies the deadline for the Secretary to issue regulations for periodic pipeline inspections by instrumented internal inspection devices (smart pigs). Instructs the Secretary to prescribe a schedule for such inspections. Requires the owner or operator of an interstate transmission facility to notify annually all residents within certain distances of such facility of procedures for reporting instances of dumping and excavation. Directs the Secretary to develop public service announcements governing pipeline safety. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations requiring the use of remotely or automatically controlled valves for shutting off gas flow in the event of an accident or a loss of the primary power source. Requires the owner or operator of certain pipelines to obtain baseline pipeline safety information through the use of smart pigs.
People & committees
Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6] · D–NJ
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
See H.R.1323.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.432 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.432 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.432 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.432 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.