BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 480 By: Armbrister Natural Resources 02-22-95 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND The federal government preempted all state and local natural gas pipeline safety regulation when it enacted the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968. Since that time, the federal government has authorized the Railroad Commission of Texas to have sole regulation of natural gas pipeline safety regulation in this state. Any attempt by a county or municipality to set safety guidelines for natural gas pipelines is an attempt to supersede the state's regulatory power. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 480 prohibits a municipality or county from adopting or enforcing an ordinance, resolution, or other requirement that establishes safety standards or practices applicable to transportation of gas and gas pipeline facilities. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Article 6053-1, V.T.C.S., as follows: Article 6053-1. TRANSPORTATION OF GAS AND GAS PIPELINE FACILITIES; SAFETY STANDARDS. (A) Makes nonsubstantive changes. (B) and (C) Make no changes. (D) Prohibits a municipality or county from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that establishes safety standards or practices applicable to facilities that are regulated under this article or another state or federal law. Prohibits anything in this article, except as provided herein, from being construed to reduce, limit, or impair any power vested by law in any incorporated city, town, or village, or its ability to adopt ordinances that establish conditions for mapping, inventory, installing, or relocating pipelines over, under, along or across public streets and alleys or private residential areas within boundaries of the city, or its ability to establish conditions for these same activities in areas within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.