Tammy Story
- Democratic
- Representative
- District 25
Primary
The act declares that, due to recent dramatic increases in both the extraction and transportation of natural gas and the construction of new homes and businesses in close proximity to these activities, as well as the environmental risks posed by methane leakage, it is appropriate to strengthen and streamline Colorado's laws governing gas pipeline safety.In furtherance of strengthening and streamlining those laws, the act updates and clarifies the duty of the public utilities commission (PUC) to collaborate with the United States department of transportation (DOT) on pipeline safety issues by:Formally accepting responsibility to enforce DOT pipeline safety rules; and Adopting rules at the state level as needed to comply with federal requirements. The PUC's rules may be more stringent than required by federal standards in specified areas. In particular, the PUC is directed to assemble maps of all pipelines within its jurisdiction, increase the frequency of inspections, and employ advanced leak detection technology. Additionally, the act amends existing penalty provisions for pipeline safety violations by:Increasing the penalty cap from $100,000 per violation to $200,000, and increasing the maximum aggregate total for a series of violations from $1 million to $2 million; Allowing the PUC to recover court costs if it must sue to recover any penalty assessed against a violator; and Requiring any compromise of a penalty to be based on objective metrics and factors, including the severity of the violation, the extent to which the violator has remedied the conditions that led to the violation, and the amount the violator agrees to spend on approved measures to reduce future risk. Any such compromise may not reduce the amount payable as a penalty below $5,000 per violation. The act appropriates $423,448 from the general fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the public utilities commission to implement the act, with $53,170 reappropriated to the department of law for legal services provided to the commission.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Governor Signed
Sent to the Governor
Signed by the Speaker of the House
Signed by the President of the Senate
Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
House Second Reading Special Order - Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
House Committee on Energy & Environment Refer Amended to Appropriations
Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor
Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 05/06/2021 - No Amendments
Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole
Senate Committee on Transportation & Energy Refer Unamended to Appropriations
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Transportation & Energy
| Bill Text Versions | Format |
|---|---|
| Signed Act (07/06/2021) | |
| Final Act (06/11/2021) | |
| Rerevised (05/28/2021) | |
| Revised (05/27/2021) | |
| Reengrossed (05/07/2021) | |
| Engrossed (05/06/2021) | |
| Introduced (02/18/2021) | |
| PA2 (05/24/2021) | |
| PA1 (05/21/2021) | |
| Committee Amendment |
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| Fiscal Note SA1 (04/29/2021) | |
| Fiscal Note SA2 (05/22/2021) | |
| Fiscal Note FN1 (03/08/2021) | |
| Fiscal Note FN2 (05/18/2021) | |
| Fiscal Note FN3 (08/30/2021) |
Data on Open States is updated periodically throughout the day from the official website of the Colorado General Assembly.
If you notice any inconsistencies with these official sources, feel free to file an issue.