Arkansas Code Title 23. Public Utilities and Regulated Industries § 23-15-215. Legislative purpose

(1) Recent federal court decisions have specifically upheld the right of states to impose safety assessments upon interstate pipelines;

(2) The United States Department of Transportation has recently designated the commission as its agent for inspection of interstate pipeline facilities located in Arkansas;

(3) The Sixty-Ninth General Assembly, in House Concurrent Resolution No. 95, specifically recognized and declared that the commission can provide effective public safety inspections of interstate gas transmission facilities at far less cost than this service can be provided by federal inspectors and that the future safety of the residents of the State of Arkansas requires the support of the General Assembly to ensure a safety inspection program for such pipelines located in Arkansas; and

(4) Legislation enacted by the United States Congress authorizes federal funds for reimbursement of up to fifty percent (50%) of the annual cost to the state which initiates such a program.