In January of 2001, natural gas escaped from an underground storage cavern and exploded in Hutchinson, claiming two lives.This week, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) announced the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bipartisan, Pipeline Safety Act of 2016, H.R. 5050, to improve the safety and regulation of underground natural gas storage facilities. The bill passed by unanimous consent.It’s about time. The federal government doesn’t regulate underground natural gas storage facilities, and the courts will not allow states to monitor their own storage fields if the gas in them is in interstate transportation.In Kansas, there are 11 interstate underground storage sites containing over 270 billion cubic feet of gas.