text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
  
      (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Pipeline 
  Improvement and Preventing Spills Act of 2015''.
      (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
  follows:
  
  Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
                     TITLE I--INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY
  
  Sec. 101. References to title 49, United States Code.
  Sec. 102. Notice to property owners and residents.
  Sec. 103. Facility operation information standards.
  Sec. 104. Availability of industry standards and procedures adopted in 
                              regulations by reference.
  Sec. 105. Considerations for identification of high-consequence areas.
                    TITLE II--PIPELINE SPILL PREVENTION
  
  Sec. 201. Assessment of oil spill impacts and response in the Great 
                              Lakes.
  Sec. 202. Great Lakes Basin water crossing study and alternatives 
                              assessment.
  Sec. 203. Prohibition on transport of crude oil on Great Lakes.
  Sec. 204. Definition of worst case discharge.
  
                     TITLE I--INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY
  
  SEC. 101. REFERENCES TO TITLE 49, UNITED STATES CODE.
  
      Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
  amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or a 
  repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be 
  considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 49, 
  United States Code.
  
  SEC. 102. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS AND RESIDENTS.
  
      Section 60102(c)(4) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                      ``(C) Notice to property owners and residents.--
                              ``(i) In general.--Not later than 1 year 
                          after the date of enactment of this 
                          subparagraph, the Secretary shall prescribe 
                          minimum standards to require the owner or 
                          operator of a pipeline facility to notify all 
                          owners and residents of property located within 
                          2,000 feet of a transmission line of the 
                          facility of--
                                      ``(I) the proximity of the property 
                                  to the transmission line; and
                                      ``(II) in the case of a 
                                  transmission line located on private 
                                  residential property, the specific 
                                  location of the line on the property.
                              ``(ii) Required information.--The notice 
                          under clause (i) shall include, at a minimum--
                                      ``(I) a method for electronic 
                                  access to the information described in 
                                  clause (i) through the Geospatial 
                                  Platform or such other Federal data 
                                  archive as the Secretary considers 
                                  appropriate;
                                      ``(II) information on how to obtain 
                                  a map of the pipeline system through 
                                  the National Pipeline Mapping System; 
                                  and
                                      ``(III) such other information as 
                                  the Secretary considers appropriate.
                              ``(iii) Deadlines.--The notice under clause 
                          (i) shall be provided not later than 2 years 
                          after the date of enactment of this 
                          subparagraph and at least once every 3 years 
                          thereafter.''.
  
  SEC. 103. FACILITY OPERATION INFORMATION STANDARDS.
  
      Section 60102(d) is amended--
              (1) in paragraph (2), by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
          and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and indenting 
          appropriately;
              (2) in paragraph (3), by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
          and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and indenting 
          appropriately;
              (3) in paragraph (5), by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
          through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and 
          indenting appropriately;
              (4) by designating paragraphs (1) through (6) as 
          subparagraphs (A) through (F), respectively, and indenting 
          appropriately; and
              (5) by striking ``The Secretary'' and all that follows 
          through ``shall include--'' and inserting the following:
              ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), not later than 
          1 year after the date of enactment of the Pipeline Improvement 
          and Preventing Spills Act of 2015, the Secretary shall 
          prescribe minimum standards under this section requiring an 
          operator of a pipeline facility subject to this chapter--
                      ``(A) to maintain information related to operating 
                  the facility as required by the standards prescribed 
                  under this chapter; and
                      ``(B) to provide that information, including any 
                  updates and changes, to the Secretary, State regulatory 
                  officials, State and local emergency responders, and 
                  such other entities as the Secretary considers 
                  appropriate.
              ``(2) Local emergency responders.--In the case of a local 
          emergency responder, the Secretary shall provide the 
          information described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (E), and (F) 
          of paragraph (4) only to the extent applicable to the local 
          district.
              ``(3) Maintenance.--The Secretary shall keep on file the 
          information submitted to the Secretary under paragraphs (1) and 
          (2).
              ``(4) Information.--The information shall include--''.
  
  SEC. 104. AVAILABILITY OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES ADOPTED IN 
                REGULATIONS BY REFERENCE.
  
      Section 60102 is amended by adding at the end the following:
      ``(q) Availability of Industry Standards and Procedures Adopted in 
  Regulations by Reference.--
              ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that industry 
          standards and procedures adopted by reference as part of the 
          Federal pipeline safety regulatory program under this chapter 
          are easily available to the public free of charge.
              ``(2) Application.--This subsection shall apply to 
          regulations issued before, on, or after the date of enactment 
          of this subsection.''.
  
  SEC. 105. CONSIDERATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH-CONSEQUENCE AREAS.
  
      Section 60109 is amended by adding at the end the following:
      ``(g) Considerations for Identification of High-Consequence 
  Areas.--In identifying high-consequence areas under this chapter, the 
  Secretary shall consider--
              ``(1) the age of the pipe;
              ``(2) whether the pipe at issue can be inspected using the 
          most modern instrumented internal inspection devices;
              ``(3) whether the pipe at issue crosses open waters of the 
          Great Lakes; and
              ``(4) the type of commodity (including the type and grade 
          of petroleum product) being transported through the pipe.''.
  
                    TITLE II--PIPELINE SPILL PREVENTION
  
  SEC. 201. ASSESSMENT OF OIL SPILL IMPACTS AND RESPONSE IN THE GREAT 
                LAKES.
  
      (a) Assessment.--
              (1) In general.--The Interagency Coordinating Committee on 
          Oil Pollution Research, in consultation with the Secretary of 
          the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the 
          Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the 
          heads of other relevant agencies, shall--
                      (A) identify measures to respond to spills or leaks 
                  of oil in the Great Lakes; and
                      (B) conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of 
                  such measures in preventing significant or substantial 
                  harm to the public health or welfare, including fish, 
                  shellfish, wildlife, public and private property, 
                  shorelines, and beaches of the Great Lakes system.
              (2) Elements.--The assessment required under paragraph (1) 
          shall include--
                      (A) new scientific research on the impacts of a 
                  spill or leak of oil or a hazardous substance in fresh 
                  water under a wide range of meteorological and 
                  hydrological conditions, including an evaluation of the 
                  impacts of different types of petroleum, including 
                  synthetic oil from tar sands;
                      (B) an evaluation of oil spill or leak prevention 
                  and response plans (including techniques to address 
                  submerged oil recovery and recovery in ice-choked 
                  waters) in order to identify vulnerabilities and 
                  existing threats to the Great Lakes system; and
                      (C) recommendations to foster improvements to 
                  safety technologies, spill response planning, clean-up 
                  techniques, and environmental protection systems.
      (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
  enactment of this Act, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil 
  Pollution Research shall submit to Congress a report on the results of 
  the assessment required under subsection (a).
  
  SEC. 202. GREAT LAKES BASIN WATER CROSSING STUDY AND ALTERNATIVES 
                ASSESSMENT.
  
      (a) Survey Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
  enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, working with 
  pipeline facility owners, operators, and State governments, shall 
  conduct a comprehensive water crossing survey of all intrastate and 
  interstate hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that cross waterways in 
  the Great Lakes Basin in the waters of the United States (as defined in 
  the final rule of the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental 
  Protection Agency entitled ``Clean Water Rule: Definition of `Waters of 
  the United States''' (80 Fed. Reg. 37054; June 29, 2015)).
      (b) Elements.--The survey required under subsection (a) shall--
              (1) produce a comprehensive map of all hazardous pipeline 
          waterway crossings in the Great Lakes Basin, including lakes, 
          rivers, and streams;
              (2) evaluate the condition and structural integrity of 
          pipelines at each crossing, considering factors that include 
          pipeline thickness, diameter, weld integrity, internal and 
          external corrosion, age, pressure, control and shut-off valves, 
          burial depths, water depths, currents, and ice cover;
              (3) identify risks of leak and rupture resulting from 
          pipeline integrity failures, or any other vulnerability at the 
          pipeline water crossings;
              (4) identify gaps in data and information that exist in the 
          pipeline network in the Great Lakes Basin, and request 
          information related to pipeline integrity or risks from owners 
          and operators with facilities that cross lakes, rivers, and 
          streams; and
              (5) produce recommendations to prevent future leaks, 
          ruptures, and failures that could result in damage to waterways 
          and natural resources in the Great Lakes Basin.
      (c) National Research Council Study.--
              (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
          enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall 
          enter into a joint agreement with the National Research Council 
          of the National Academies of Sciences to conduct a study in 
          connection with the survey under this section.
              (2) Elements.--The study conducted under this subsection 
          shall include--
                      (A) a study covering the elements described under 
                  paragraphs (4) and (5) of subsection (b);
                      (B) consideration of ways in which review of 
                  facility response plans as required by the Oil 
                  Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and 
                  approval of permits under section 404 of the Federal 
                  Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) in 
                  accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
                  of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of future and existing 
                  pipelines that cross waterways in the Great Lakes Basin 
                  would help prevent spills in the Great Lakes; and
                      (C) a risk assessment analysis for alternative 
                  transportation options to the hazardous liquid pipeline 
                  facility that crosses from the Upper Peninsula of 
                  Michigan to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan through the 
                  Straits of Mackinac, including--
                              (i) no action (status quo);
                              (ii) rerouting;
                              (iii) decommissioning and abandoning;
                              (iv) replacing;
                              (v) modifying operations (such as limiting 
                          pipeline product transport to only natural gas 
                          liquids); and
                              (vi) other transportation means.
  
  SEC. 203. PROHIBITION ON TRANSPORT OF CRUDE OIL ON GREAT LAKES.
  
      Section 108 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
  1258) is amended--
              (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
              (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
      ``(e) Prohibition on Transport of Crude Oil on Great Lakes.--
  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective beginning on the 
  date of enactment of the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act 
  of 2015, crude oil (as that term is defined in section 2101 of title 
  46, United States Code) and crude oil derived from oil sands may not be 
  transported on the Great Lakes by vessel (as that term is defined in 
  section 3 of title 1, United States Code).''.
  
  SEC. 204. DEFINITION OF WORST CASE DISCHARGE.
  
      Section 311(a)(24)(B) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
  (33 U.S.C. 1321(a)(24)(B)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon 
  at the end the following: ``, including conditions in which waters that 
  may receive a discharge are covered in whole or in part by ice''.
target: Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe minimum standards to require the owner or operator of a pipeline facility to notify all owners and residents of property located within 2,000 feet of a transmission line of:  the property's proximity to the line, and the line's specific location if it is on private residential property.  DOT shall ensure that industry standards and procedures adopted as part of the federal pipeline safety regulatory program are easily available to the public free of charge.  In identifying high-consequence areas, DOT shall consider specified features of a pipe, including its age, whether it can be inspected using the most modern instrumented internal inspection devices, whether it crosses open waters of the Great Lakes, and the type of commodity it transports.  The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research shall:  identify measures to respond to spills or leaks of oil in the Great Lakes; and assess their effectiveness in preventing significant or substantial harm to the public health or welfare.  DOT shall:  conduct a comprehensive water crossing survey of all intrastate and interstate hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that cross U.S. waterways in the Great Lakes Basin; and  enter into a joint agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences to identify gaps in data and information in the Basin pipeline network, and make recommendations to prevent future leaks, ruptures, and failures that could result in damage to Basin waterways and natural resources.  The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended to:  prohibit vessel transportation of crude oil and crude oil derived from oil sands on the Great Lakes; and  include in the meaning of &quot;worst-case discharge,&quot; in the case of an offshore or onshore facility, the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions (as in current law) in which waters that may receive a discharge are covered by ice.     
feat_title: Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act of 2015