Washington Watch

Integrity Management Expansion Stirs Controversy In Congress
November 2011, Vol. 66 No. 11

Two House committees are attempting to combine slightly different pipeline safety bills while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is preventing a Senate vote on a bill passed by the Commerce Committee last May. All three bills are moderate, and make changes around the edges of current law, both with regard to natural gas and oil pipelines.

NTSB Recommendations On San Bruno Put Pressure On Congress, Administration; Keystone XL Decision Coming
October 2011, Vol. 66 No. 10

The pipeline safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Aug. 30 puts significant pressure on both Congress and the Obama administration to respond to the problems discovered as part of the NTSB investigation of the PG&E San Bruno explosion in December 2010.

NLRB Pushing Pro-Union Agenda; EPA Proposal Affects Pipeline Compressors
September 2011, Vol. 66 No. 9

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has picked up the pro-union cudgel from Democrats in Congress. In the last session of Congress, Democrats had tried and failed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) which would have expanded union organizing rights.

4G Satellite May Threaten GPS; EPA cedes some ground on GHG monitoring
August 2011, Vol. 66 No. 8

Proposed 4G satellite service raises GPS Interference questions
A critical report from a Federal Communications Commission advisory committee on June 30 was the latest hitch in the plans of a company called LightSquared to offer new 4G wireless service to broadband users.

House panel to debate Keystone XL Pipeline
August 2011, Vol. 66 No. 8

On Capitol Hill, the House Energy and Commerce Committee debated whether to accelerate a decision by the Obama administration on the Keystone XL Pipeline and the plan to send oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Voters looking for leadership, action to rebuild infrastructure
July 2011, Vol. 66 No. 7

In a meeting held in May with Senators at the U.S. Capitol, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), called on Congress to address the urgent need to rebuild America’s infrastructure and to actively pursue innovative funding approaches to finance this critical investment without increasing the deficit.

Federal Fracking Initiatives Starting To Gel; PHMSA Reforms Uncertain; DOE Allowing More LNG Exports
July 2011, Vol. 66 No. 7

The fracking debate is moving forward on two separate stages in Washington. The Department of Energy's natural gas subcommittee is expected to make recommendations on fracking liquid disclosure in August.

New Underground Construction Standards Imminent From OSHA; Pipeline Bill In Congress; Wetland Gas Repairs
June 2011 Vol. 66 No. 6

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) appears ready to propose a new standard on silica exposure which would have a major impact on underground construction companies.

Administration Weighs Review Of Formaldehyde, Styrene Science
June 2011 Vol. 66 No. 6

Officials from the Obama administration are discussing whether the administration should review the data being used to support a forthcoming Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessment that could label formaldehyde as a carcinogen in the wake of industry and other concerns, including a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel that criticized similar EPA claims.

SRF Budgets Take Beating, Pipeline Safety In Focus, Fracing Initiative Announced
May 2011, Vol. 66 No. 5

The EPA sewer and drinking water construction budgets for the current fiscal 2011 year dropped precipitously in the final budget passed by Congress. Fiscal 2011 actually started last Oct. 1 but Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate had been unable to agree on a budget.

Syndicate content