Florida House considers upping state civil penalties for interrupting the transmission and distribution of natural gas

Share
pipeline
Pipeline under construction by tibu via iStock for WMNF News.

©2023 The News Service of Florida

A House panel on Wednesday approved a proposal that would increase state civil penalties for interrupting the transmission and distribution of natural gas.

Under what is known as the Gas Safety Law of 1967, the Florida Public Service Commission can impose penalties from a maximum of $25,000 for a single violation to $500,000 for a related series of violations.

The proposal (HB 81), sponsored by Rep. Robbie Brackett, R-Vero Beach, would increase the fines to be on par with a federal law, which includes a maximum civil penalty of $257,664 for each pipeline safety violation and $2,576,627 for any related series of violations.

The federal law gives states authority over intrastate gas pipelines.

But a state House staff analysis said the Public Service Commission was notified this year that the authorization was in jeopardy because of Florida’s lower penalties.

The analysis said the federal government’s position is that the state’s lower fines “may reduce the PSC’s enforcement capabilities.”

Brackett said his proposal would “allow the Public Service Commission to maintain full delegated inspection enforcement authority over the natural gas utilities within the state.”

The bill, approved Wednesday by the House Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee, needs approval from the Commerce Committee before it could go to the full House during the 2024 legislative session, which will start in January.

Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, has filed an identical measure (SB 366) in the Senate.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Counterspin
Player position: