WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives that ensured companies are held responsible for oil and gas pipeline accidents, a U.S. lawmaker said.
A pipeline safety bill would double safety violations fines to $2 million and advocates automatic shutoff valves and more inspectors where "feasible."
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House energy committee, said, in a statement, that energy security depends on the safe transportation of oil and natural gas.
"This bill does much to hold those responsible for pipeline accidents accountable, while also taking measurable steps to prevent pipeline failures from happening in the first place," he said.
An oil pipeline carrying oil from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, ruptured last year in Michigan. Crews there are still cleaning up from the spill. Meanwhile, California utility Pacific Gas and Electric is coping with the fallout from a gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif., last year that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.
The bill is expected to move quickly through the Senate.
