HR 4339 Introduced – Pipeline Repair

As I noted two weeks ago Rep. Rangel (D,NY) introduced HR 4339, the Pipeline Revolving Fund and Job Creation Act. With the bill now published by the GPO it is clear that this is a delayed companion bill to S 1768 introduced last November by Sen. Markey (D,MA). With the recent explosion in New York City that was apparently caused by old and leaking natural gas lines, there may be more impetus for this bill to be considered in the House.

We will have to wait and see if it is considered by either the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee or the House Energy and Commerce Committee, both of which have been assigned to look at provisions of the bill. Dual committee assignments, while necessary when there is an overlap of jurisdiction, frequently doom the bill to a silent death.