Updated on June 3 to reflect Gov. Abbott's signing of House Bill 866 into law.

AUSTIN — Natural gas pipeline operators will be required to remove some of the most dangerous pipes in Texas under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed Sunday.

House Bill 866 by Dallas Democrat Rafael Anchia requires pipeline operators to remove all cast-iron pipes from their systems by Dec. 31, 2021.

Safety experts have warned that this material was used in the oldest energy pipelines constructed in the country and is more prone to leaks as a result of its age. The bill also requires operators to increase from 5% to 8% the amount of the riskiest pipes they replace in their systems annually. That constitutes a 60% increase in the replacement of riskiest pipe statewide, Anchia's office said.

The bill was prompted by a Dallas Morning News investigation that found more than two dozen homes across North and Central Texas have blown up since 2006 because of leaking natural gas lines operated by Atmos Energy Corp. Nine people died and at least 22 were badly injured, The News found. In some cases, the cast-iron pipe running underneath homes was nearly 90 years old.

The bill also prohibits the future use of cast iron, wrought iron or bare steel pipeline in the state.

The death of Linda "Michellita" Rogers in a Northwest Dallas gas leak explosion put a face to the need for additional safety measures for pipeline operators. Two other explosions on her block in as many days preceded the one that killed her.

“Nothing can alleviate the pain and sadness we feel from losing young Michellita far too early. We can, however, work to reduce the risk of tragedies like this happening again. I am proud to have fought hard to pass this legislation in Michellita's memory,” Anchia said. “It will increase transparency, make our communities safer, and save lives."

In the year since Rogers' death, Anchia became the family's biggest advocate in Austin. He invited them to the House floor for a resolution commemorating Linda's life on the anniversary of her death and guided her mother and father through testimony when his bills came up for debate in committee.

In February, during a visit to the Capitol, Linda’s mother thanked Anchia for his efforts.

"He has taken the time to look into our case and to file this resolution so that our daughter's death isn't in vain," Maria Rogers said. "Above all, he's filed these bills so that everyone can vote for them so that companies like Atmos don't allow the deaths of other boys or girls, like my daughter."

Anchia, who represents Rogers' neighborhood and has daughters around her age, made it his top legislative priority to push for change at the Capitol. He filed a package of 11 bills, most of which were shut down by the powerful oil and gas lobby and state lawmakers who benefit financially from it.

But the deadline for the replacement of cast-iron pipes was a victory for Anchia.

Another of his bills the Legislature approved would codify into law that pipeline operators are required to report to a federal agency when a problem with a pipeline leads to a death or injury requiring hospitalization, property damage greater than $50,000, or a gas leak of 3 million cubic feet or more.

Operators would also be required to notify the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees natural gas operators, within an hour of finding a major problem with a pipeline and to maintain records on those reports in perpetuity. That bill has not been signed by Abbott, who has until June 16th to veto bills.

Even the two bills were a tall order for Anchia. When he first introduced the bill dealing with a replacement for some of the most dangerous pipe, he included wrought iron and bare steel as materials that needed to be replaced and had the deadline for their removal at Dec. 31, 2020. But representatives from the multi-billion-dollar natural gas industry asked him to revise his bill to be more narrow and give them more time, which he eventually agreed to.

Anchia's other efforts to do away with perceived conflicts of interest between the Railroad Commission and the natural gas industry went nowhere. Anchia proposed limiting when the three members of the commission, which oversees natural gas operators in the state, could accept campaign contributions. The News' investigation found that the commission, whose members received donations from the natural gas industry, repeatedly let Atmos off the hook.

He also filed a simple bill to rename the commission, which has not overseen trains since 2005, to something that more accurately reflected its function. The bill never received a committee hearing.