The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said it would sponsor four state legislative proposals to expand the regulatory panel’s safety enforcement authority, particularly as it relaters to pipeline safety. The CPUC said three of its proposals are the result of recommendations made by an independent review panel that the commission convened following the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. pipeline explosion in San Bruno. Assembly Bill 1514 would authorize the CPUC to issue civil penalties to a utility or excavator failing to comply with the state’s one-call law (dial 811) prior to beginning digging, and another measure (AB 1694) would permit the CPUC to employ a risk-based approach to determining the frequency of inspections for master-metered natural gas and propane systems. A third measure — still unnumbered in the legislative process — would provide gas utilities with expedited local permitting for pipeline inspection, remediation and replacement work. The fourth measure deals with the CPUC oversight of railroads.

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