On the recordJanuary 26, 2015
I say to my colleague from North Dakota, of course, I agree with her. We don't agree on the tar sands pipeline, but we do look for common ground, and she has found it. The importance of inspecting the infrastructure can't be overstated. I say to my friend, before she leaves the floor, this is a picture of a recent spill. Actually, it was 2013. It still has not been cleaned up in Arkansas because the pipeline burst--200,000 gallons of tar sands burst from the pipeline, and it spilled all over the streets of a subdivision. Residents were exposed to high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, and hydrogen sulfite. They suffered from dizziness, nausea, and headaches--all classic symptoms of exposure to the chemicals found in tar sands. Rainfall causes oil to float to the top of the soil and off gas. What is happening here is it still has not been cleaned up. My friend has an amendment that would say: Let's inspect the infrastructure to make sure things such as this do not happen. Of course, I support it. I hope she will vote her conscience and hopefully vote to keep this amendment process open. I know my friend from Massachusetts has a question, and I yield to him if he does. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
