William Tauzin: “Of course, if we have the time, we could perhaps resolve all the problems in pipeline safety. But this Senate bill…”

“Of course, if we have the time, we could perhaps resolve all the problems in pipeline safety. But this Senate bill, passed by unanimous consent, is what we have. It is a strong and effective bill. It makes some very important steps in favor of pipeline safety. It improves and expands the public's right to know about pipeline hazards. It requires pipeline operators to test and inspect. It requires the operators to qualify and test their personnel. It requires spills as small as 5 gallons to be reported. It significantly raises the penalties for safety violations. It invests in new technologies to improve pipeline safety. It provides protections for whistle blowers, an important part of this process. It increases State oversight and local government input. Finally, it increases funding for safety efforts. Mr. Speaker, if one looked at a map of my State, and my district in particular, the third district in Louisiana, a map of pipelines across my district and the State, it looks like spaghetti. We are just absolutely covered with pipelines that carry all sorts of hazardous and very important products for America, oil, gas, liquids of all kinds. Pipeline safety is incredibly important to the people of my State.”