China's top legislature Tuesday started discussing for the third time a draft law on the protection of oil and natural gas pipelines which spells out the responsibilities of pipeline companies.

The draft requires companies to take safety measures while constructing pipelines, ensure the quality of construction materials, have regular patrols of pipelines and place warning signs near pipelines.

The deliberation comes at a time when the Gulf of Mexico oil spill,the worst oil spill in the U.S. history, prompted governments worldwide to reconsider the protection measures of natural resources.

Legislators agreed that land resources should be used in an efficient way and environmental appraisal must be carried out to ensure the construction of pipelines conforms to environmental standards.

Relevant government departments should coordinate major issues regarding pipeline protection and supervise companies in fulfilling their responsibilities of protecting pipelines, lawmakers agreed.

A review for the first time a draft law on mediation, draft amendments to the law on officers in reserve service is also scheduled during the four-day meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee ending Friday.

Lawmakers will also discuss the 2009 central budget submitted by the State Council, or Cabinet, an audit report of the budget and reports on the implementation of the laws on women's rights protection and science and technology progress.

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