Lee Metcalf: “On June 10, 1999, a liquid gasoline pipeline owned by the Olympic Pipeline Company ruptured and spilled over 200,000…”

“On June 10, 1999, a liquid gasoline pipeline owned by the Olympic Pipeline Company ruptured and spilled over 200,000 gallons of gasoline at Whatcom Falls Park, a 241-acre park in my district in the city of Bellingham. Gasoline was carried into Whatcom Creek, where it reportedly filled the creek at depths of up to 10 feet. The spilled fuel was inadvertently ignited by two 10-year-old boys, Wade King and Stephen Tsiorvas, who were playing with bottle rockets at the creek. The resulting fireball raced down the length of the creek for a mile and a half, killing King, Tsiorvas, and an 18-year-old fly fisherman named Liam Wood. Swaths as wide as 200 feet along the creek were burned within minutes. The explosion of June 10 caused millions of dollars in property damage and did immeasurable harm to the families and friends of Wade King, Stephen Tsiorvas, and Liam Wood. I have long held reservations about our system of pipeline safety regulations. In 1996, I voted against the pipeline deregulation bill because I felt it removed too many essential safeguards. Since the tragedy, I have redoubled my efforts to improve the regulatory climate.”