104 STAT. 3038 PUBLIC LAW 101-599—NOV. 16, 1990 Public Law 101-599 101st Congress An Act Nov 16 1990 '^° improve navigational safety and to reduce the hazards to navigation resulting from vessel collisions with pipelines in the marine environment, and for other [H.R.4888] purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. OFFSHORE PIPELINE INSPECTION AND BURIAL. (a) NATURAL GAS PIPELINE SAFETY ACT OF 1968.— Section 3 of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C. App. 1672) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(h) OFFSHORE PIPELINE INSPECTION AND BURIAL.— "(1) INITIAL INSPECTION. — "(A) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than— "(i) 18 months after the date of enactment of this subsection; or "(ii) one year after the issuance of standards under subparagraph (D), whichever occurs first, the operator of each offshore pipeline facility in the Gulf of Mexico and its inlets shall inspect such pipeline facility and report to the Secretary on any portion of the pipeline facility which is exposed or is a hazard to navigation. This subparagraph shall apply only to pipeline facilities between the mean high water mark and the point where the subsurface is under 15 feet of water, as measured from mean low water. "(B) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may extend the time period for compliance under subparagraph (A) with respect to a pipeline facility for an additional period of up to six months if the operator of the pipeline facility demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that a good faith effort, with due diligence and care, has failed to enable compliance with the deadline under subparagraph (A). "(C) PRIOR INSPECTION RECOGNITION. — Any inspection of a pipeline facility which has occurred after October 8, 1989, may be used for compliance with subparagraph (A), if the inspection conforms to the requirements of that subparagraph. "(D) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS.— The Secretary shall, within six months after the date of enactment of this subsection, establish standards— "(i) for the purposes of this subsection, for what constitutes an exposed pipeline facility; and "(ii) for the purposes of this subsection, for what constitutes a hazard to navigation. "(2) HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. — Regulations. "(A) REPORTING PROCEDURE. —The Secretary shall, by regulation, establish a program to require pipeline facility operators described in paragraph (1)(A) to report potential
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