1997 Minnesota Statutes

     299J.15 Disposal of pipeline; penalty; enforcement. 

    Subdivision 1.    Disposal prohibited.  (a) After an 
 emergency release has occurred, a pipeline operator, or its 
 employee or agent, may not dispose of, destroy, or alter the 
 part of a pipeline or LNG facility that was involved in the 
 emergency release until approval is granted by the 
 commissioner.  The authority of the commissioner to grant 
 approval may not be delegated.  

    (b) This subdivision does not prevent the repair of a 
 pipeline in the ground without the approval of the commissioner, 
 or the excavation and removal from the ground of a pipeline or 
 part of a pipeline without the approval of the commissioner.  
 However, the pipeline may not be altered with the intent to 
 prevent or hinder a determination of the cause of the emergency 
 release. 

    Subd. 2.    Criminal penalty.  A person who knowingly 
 violates subdivision 1, or who denies the director or the 
 director's designee access to the pipeline or LNG facility for 
 the purposes of inspection, is guilty of a felony and may be 
 sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to 
 payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. 

    HIST: 1987 c 353 s 36; 1992 c 386 s 10