Lois Capps: “My amendment is simple and straightforward. It would ensure that oil and gas pipeline safety rules and pipeline spill…”

“My amendment is simple and straightforward. It would ensure that oil and gas pipeline safety rules and pipeline spill prevention or mitigation rules are not considered ``major rules'' under this bill. By design, the REINS Act would likely delay or stop virtually all future Federal rulemaking. We could spend hours listening to some of the countless health and safety problems that this bill would cause. I commend my colleagues for raising some of these issues in the other amendments that are being offered today and debated. My amendment focuses on protecting oil and gas pipeline safety and spill mitigation rules from the needless and costly delays imposed by this bill. These rules are particularly important to me and to my constituents in the wake of the recent oil spill in my district. On May 19, line 901 of the Plains All American pipeline ruptured just north of Santa Barbara, California; and it spewed over 100,000 gallons of crude oil onto Refugio State Beach and the surrounding areas. At least 20,000 gallons of the oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean and spread along nearly 100 miles of pristine California coastline, devastating local wildlife, covering our beaches in thick tar, and closing valuable fisheries. One of the other tragedies of this spill is that it likely could have been prevented--or at least minimized--if the pipeline had been using state-of-the-art automatic shutoff and leak detection technologies.…”