Pete Domenici: “I am pleased to support the managers' amendment to S. 2438, the bill before the Senate, to modernize our Nation's…”

“I am pleased to support the managers' amendment to S. 2438, the bill before the Senate, to modernize our Nation's pipeline safety programs. The issue of our country's pipeline safety regime came to the forefront again last year after the death of three teenagers in a pipeline explosion near Bellingham, WA. Since that accident in 1999, the Senators from Washington State have worked tirelessly to bring this bill to the Senate floor for a vote. I want to commend Senator Gorton, Senator Murray, and the chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator McCain, for their efforts on this legislation. Without their work, patience and persistence, this bill would not be ready for passage in the Senate. As my colleagues know, in August of this year, New Mexico experienced its own tragic pipeline explosion. Just after midnight on August 19, an El Paso Natural Gas pipeline exploded on the Pecos River near Carlsbad, NM. Twelve members of an extended family were camping near the explosion, which sent a 350-foot high ball of flame into the air. Six of the campers were killed instantly, and the remaining six have since died from their injuries. The horrific accident is the largest pipeline disaster in the State's history and one of the worst in the United States.”