Washington, DC – The American Gas Association (AGA) today commended the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power for passage of the “Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011.”
“Pipeline safety is our top priority and the industry is consistently focused on helping to ensure the safe and reliable production, transport and delivery of natural gas to the millions of Americans who rely on it for their energy needs every day,” said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of AGA. “The passage of this bill by the Energy and Power Subcommittee represents a constructive first step towards getting a reauthorization of the pipeline safety program completed this year, and we are eager to continue working with the committee to improve the bill.”
Natural gas is delivered to customers through a safe, 2.4-million mile underground pipeline system. This includes 2.1 million miles of local utility distribution pipelines and 300,000 miles of transmission pipelines that stretch across the country, providing service to more than 175 million Americans.
McCurdy continued, “Natural gas pipelines, which transport approximately one-fourth of the energy consumed in the United States, are an essential part of the nation’s infrastructure. We are committed to working with all key stakeholders—from legislators and regulatory bodies to the public—to help make sure we are advancing safety and meeting the needs of customers across the country.”
The bill will now go to the full U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for markup.