Sam Brownback: “Therefore, today I rise to offer my support of S. 235, the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2001. I also come to the…”

“Therefore, today I rise to offer my support of S. 235, the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2001. I also come to the floor to strongly encourage my colleagues to pass a clean bill on this issue. We have worked a long time in a delicate set of negotiations to get a good bill through. It is well balanced. I think we need to move this through rapidly to get these safety issues out there dealing with the pipelines. I understand that the Senate is a body of amendments, but this issue is too important to be killed by hasty changes--and that is exactly what could happen if we clutter this carefully compromised bill with unnecessary changes or additions. The oil and gas industry is very important to my state of Kansas--but nothing is more important than securing the safety of all our citizens. I have worked hard alongside my friend from Arizona to find a way to strengthen safety precautions and provide strong incentives for better public and environmental protection without crippling a vital industry to our nation.”