Calif. lawmakers want better pipeline laws

VIDEO: Explosions in San Bruno

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A proposal to strengthen federal oversight of U.S. oil and gas pipelines would increase penalties while ensuring residents are safe, California lawmakers said.

U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., introduced a bill that would strengthen oversight mechanisms for the nation's pipelines and impose more penalties for violations.

Feinstein said in a statement that last year's disaster in San Bruno, Calif., was a wake-up call for federal regulators to make sure underground oil and gas pipelines are safe.

"Americans shouldn't have to worry that the pipes beneath their feet will suddenly explode and no neighborhood should have to endure the tragedy that befell San Bruno," she said.

A natural gas pipeline owned by Pacific Gas & Electric burst Sept. 9, sparking a massive fireball that ripped through a San Bruno neighborhood. The explosion killed eight people and destroyed 37 homes.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it found weld issues along the San Bruno pipeline that may have led to the rupture.

The proposed bill calls for a doubling of the number of pipeline safety inspectors, new shut-off mechanisms, pressure restrictions and uniform national standards for leak detections, among other things.

"While the residents of San Bruno work to recover and rebuild, we must do everything we can to protect our communities by increasing inspections of our nation's pipelines while setting tougher penalties for safety violations," said Boxer.