S-1907

AN ACT Relating to funding hazardous liquid and gas pipeline safety; amending RCW 19.122.055, 81.88.010, 81.88.060, and 81.88.090; adding a new section to chapter 80.24 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 81.24 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 81.88 RCW; creating a new section; repealing RCW 81.88.050 and 81.88.130; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The intent of this act is to ensure a sustainable, comprehensive, pipeline safety program, to protect the health and safety of the citizens of the state of Washington, and maintain the quality of the state's environment. The legislature finds that public safety and the environment are best protected by securing permanent funding for this program through establishment of a regulatory fee imposed on hazardous liquids and gas pipelines.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 80.24 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Every gas company and every interstate gas pipeline company subject to inspection or enforcement by the commission shall pay an annual pipeline safety fee to the commission. The commission shall by rule establish the methodology it will use to set the appropriate fee for each entity subject to this section and may require reasonable and pertinent reports from those entities in the form and at such time as necessary to set the fees. After considering the reports supplied by the entities, the commission shall set the amount of the fee payable by each entity by general order entered before July 1st of each year. The aggregate amount of fees set must be sufficient to recover the reasonable, directly related costs of administering the pipeline safety program, taking into account federal funds used to offset the costs. The commission shall collect the pipeline safety fee as part of and not in addition to the fee under RCW 80.24.010. The commission shall allocate the moneys collected under RCW 80.24.010 between the pipeline safety program and the other regulatory programs for public service companies. The commission shall adopt rules that assure that fee moneys related to the pipeline safety program are maintained separately from other moneys collected by the commission under this chapter. Any payment of the fee imposed by this section made after its due date must include a late fee of two percent of the amount due. Delinquent fees accrue interest at the rate of one percent per month.

(2) The commission shall keep accurate records of the costs incurred in administering its gas pipeline safety program and the records are open to inspection by interested parties. The records and data upon which the commission's determination is made shall be prima facie correct in any proceeding to challenge the reasonableness or correctness of any order of the commission fixing fees and distributing regulatory expenses.

(3) If any entity seeks to contest the imposition of a fee imposed under this section, that entity shall pay the fee and request a refund within six months of the due date for the payment by filing a petition for a refund with the commission. The commission shall establish by rule procedures for handling refund petitions and may delegate the decisions on refund petitions to the secretary of the commission.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 81.24 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Every hazardous liquid pipeline company as defined in RCW 81.88.010 shall pay an annual pipeline safety fee to the commission. The commission shall by rule establish the methodology it will use to set the appropriate fee for each entity subject to this section and may require reasonable and pertinent reports from those entities in the form and at such time as necessary to set the fees. After considering the reports supplied by the entities, the commission shall set the amount of the fee payable by each entity by general order entered before July 1st of each year. The aggregate amount of fees set must be sufficient to recover the reasonable, directly related costs of administering the pipeline safety program, taking into account federal funds used to offset the costs. The commission shall collect the pipeline safety fee as part of and not in addition to the fee under RCW 81.24.010. The commission shall allocate the moneys collected under RCW 81.24.010 between the pipeline safety program and the other regulatory programs for public service companies. The commission shall adopt rules that assure that fee moneys related to the pipeline safety program are maintained separately from other moneys collected by the commission under this chapter. Any payment of the fee imposed by this section made after its due date must include a late fee of two percent of the amount due. Delinquent fees accrue interest at the rate of one percent per month.

(2) The commission shall keep accurate records of the costs incurred in administering its hazardous liquid pipeline safety program and the records are open to inspection by interested parties. The records and data upon which the commission's determination is made shall be prima facie correct in any proceeding to challenge the reasonableness or correctness of any order of the commission fixing fees and distributing regulatory expenses.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 81.88 RCW to read as follows:

The commission shall review staff use, inspection activity, fee methodology, and costs of the hazardous liquid and gas pipeline safety programs and report to the appropriate legislative committees by November 15, 2002.

Sec. 5. RCW 19.122.055 and 2000 c 191 s 24 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person who fails to notify the one-number locator service and causes damage to a hazardous liquid or gas pipeline is subject to a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each violation.

(2) All civil penalties recovered under this section ((~~relating to hazardous liquid pipelines~~)) shall be deposited into the ((~~hazardous liquid pipeline safety account~~)) public service revolving fund created in RCW ((~~81.88.050~~)) 80.01.080. ((~~All civil penalties recovered under this section relating to gas pipelines shall be deposited in the general fund and expended for the purpose of enforcement of gas pipeline safety laws.~~))

Sec. 6. RCW 81.88.010 and 2000 c 191 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Commission" means the utilities and transportation commission.

(2) ((~~"Department" means the department of ecology.~~

~~(3)~~)) "Failsafe" means a design feature that will maintain or result in a safe condition in the event of malfunction or failure of a power supply, component, or control device.

((~~(4)~~)) (3) "Gas" means natural gas, flammable gas, or toxic or corrosive gas.

((~~(5)~~)) (4) "Gas pipeline" means all parts of a pipeline facility through which gas moves in transportation, including, but not limited to, line pipe, valves, and other appurtenances connected to line pipe, pumping units, fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units, metering and delivery stations and fabricated assemblies therein, and breakout tanks. "Gas pipeline" does not include process or transfer pipelines.

((~~(6)~~)) (5) "Gas pipeline company" means a person or entity constructing, owning, or operating a gas pipeline for transporting gas. A "gas pipeline company" does not include: (a) Distribution systems owned and operated under franchise for the sale, delivery, or distribution of natural gas at retail; or (b) excavation contractors or other contractors that contract with a gas pipeline company.

((~~(7)~~)) (6) "Hazardous liquid" means: (a) Petroleum, petroleum products, or anhydrous ammonia as those terms are defined in 49 C.F.R. Part 195 in effect March 1, 1998; and (b) carbon dioxide.

((~~(8)~~)) (7) "Local government" means a political subdivision of the state or a city or town.

((~~(9)~~)) (8) "Person" means an individual, partnership, franchise holder, association, corporation, a state, a city, a county, or any political subdivision or instrumentality of a state, and its employees, agents, or legal representatives.

((~~(10)~~)) (9) "Pipeline," "pipeline system," or "hazardous liquid pipeline" means all parts of a pipeline facility through which a hazardous liquid moves in transportation, including, but not limited to, line pipe, valves, and other appurtenances connected to line pipe, pumping units, fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units, metering and delivery stations and fabricated assemblies therein, and breakout tanks. "Pipeline" or "pipeline system" does not include process or transfer pipelines.

((~~(11)~~)) (10) "Pipeline company" or "hazardous liquid pipeline company" means a person or entity constructing, owning, or operating a pipeline for transporting hazardous liquid. A "pipeline company" does not include: (a) Distribution systems owned and operated under franchise for the sale, delivery, or distribution of natural gas at retail; or (b) excavation contractors or other contractors that contract with a pipeline company.

((~~(12)~~)) (11) "Reportable release" means a spilling, leaking, pouring, emitting, discharging, or any other uncontrolled escape of a hazardous liquid in excess of one barrel, or forty-two gallons.

((~~(13)~~)) (12) "Safety management systems" means management systems that include coordinated and interdisciplinary evaluations of the effect of significant changes to a pipeline system before such changes are implemented.

((~~(14)~~)) (13) "Transfer pipeline" means a buried or aboveground pipeline used to carry oil between a tank vessel or transmission pipeline and the first valve inside secondary containment at the facility provided that any discharge on the facility side of that first valve will not directly impact waters of the state. A transfer pipeline includes valves, and other appurtenances connected to the pipeline, pumping units, and fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units. A transfer pipeline does not include process pipelines, pipelines carrying ballast or bilge water, transmission pipelines, or tank vessel or storage tanks.

((~~(15)~~)) (14) "Transmission pipeline" means a gas pipeline that transports gas within a storage field, or transports gas from an interstate pipeline or storage facility to a distribution main or a large volume gas user, or operates at a hoop stress of twenty percent or more of the specified minimum yield strength.

Sec. 7. RCW 81.88.060 and 2000 c 191 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A comprehensive program of hazardous liquid pipeline safety is authorized by RCW 81.88.010, 81.88.040, ((~~81.88.050,~~)) 81.88.090, 81.88.100, ((~~81.88.130,~~)) 48.48.160, and this section to be developed and implemented consistent with federal law. ((~~Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section,~~)) The commission shall administer and enforce all laws related to hazardous liquid pipeline safety.

(2) The commission shall adopt rules for pipeline safety standards for hazardous liquid pipeline transportation that:

(a) Require pipeline companies to design, construct, operate, and maintain their pipeline facilities so they are safe and efficient;

(b) Require pipeline companies to rapidly locate and isolate all reportable releases from pipelines, that may include:

(i) Installation of remote control shut-off valves; and

(ii) Installation of remotely monitored pressure gauges and meters;

(d) Require reporting of emergency situations, including emergency shutdowns and material defects or physical damage that impair the serviceability of a pipeline; and

(e) Require pipeline companies to submit operations safety plans to the commission once every five years, as well as any amendments to the plan made necessary by changes to the pipeline system or its operation. The safety plan shall include emergency response procedures.

(3) The commission shall approve operations safety plans if they have been deemed fit for service. A plan shall be deemed fit for service when it provides for pipelines that are designed, developed, constructed, operated, and periodically modified to provide for protection of public safety and the environment. Pipeline operations safety plans shall, at a minimum, include:

(a) A schedule of inspection and testing within the pipeline distribution system of:

(i) All mechanical components;

(ii) All electronic components; and

(iii) The structural integrity of all pipelines as determined through pressure testing, internal inspection tool surveys, or another appropriate technique;

(b) Failsafe systems;

(d) Emergency management training for pipeline operators.

(4) The commission shall coordinate information related to pipeline safety by providing technical assistance to local planning and siting authorities.

(5) The commission shall evaluate, and consider adopting, proposals developed by the federal office of pipeline safety, the national transportation safety board, and other agencies and organizations related to methods and technologies for testing the integrity of pipeline structure, leak detection, and other elements of pipeline operation.

(((6) The authorities of RCW 81.88.010, 81.88.040, 81.88.050, 81.88.090, 81.88.100, 81.88.130, 48.48.160, and this section relating to hazardous liquid pipeline safety shall be transferred from the commission to the department pursuant to RCW 81.88.130 upon the occurrence of either:

~~(a) Amendments to federal pipeline safety laws to eliminate preemption of state authority to regulate safety requirements for such pipelines; or~~

~~(b) The granting of federal authority to the state to enforce or adopt any safety requirements for interstate hazardous liquid pipelines.~~))

Sec. 8. RCW 81.88.090 and 2000 c 191 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The commission ((~~and the department~~)) shall apply for federal delegation for the state's program for the purposes of enforcement of federal hazardous liquid pipeline safety requirements. If the secretary of transportation delegates inspection authority to the state as provided in this subsection, the ((~~department~~)) commission, at a minimum, shall do the following:

(a) Inspect hazardous liquid pipelines periodically as specified in the inspection program;

(b) Collect fees;

(d) File reports with the United States secretary of transportation as required to maintain the delegated authority.

(2) The commission ((~~and the department~~)) shall also seek federal authority to adopt safety standards related to the monitoring and testing of interstate hazardous liquid pipelines.

(3) Upon delegation under subsection (1) of this section or under a grant of authority under subsection (2) of this section, to the extent authorized by federal law, the ((~~department~~)) commission shall adopt rules for interstate pipelines that are no less stringent than the state's laws and rules for intrastate hazardous liquid pipelines.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:

(1) RCW 81.88.050 (Hazardous liquid pipeline safety account) and 2000 c 191 s 4; and

(2) RCW 81.88.130 (Transfer of powers, duties, and functions of commission to department--Delegation of federal authority--Determination by office of financial management) and 2000 c 191 s 13.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect July 1, 2001.