Trent Lott: “recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the…”

“recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the findings of a comprehensive study it conducted to assess the safety initiatives undertaken by industry and government and private organizations to prevent excavation damage to underground pipelines. As a result of the study, the NTSB adopted twenty-seven safety recommendations to reduce the risks posed by excavation damage. I want to take this opportunity to commend the NTSB for its proactive stance on this important safety issue. Excavation damage poses serious safety risks to our Nation's critical infrastructure. This infrastructure, among other things, transports natural gas, petroleum, and other chemical products through pipelines and enables telephone and Internet access through a vast network of fiber optic cables and communication lines. Damage to this infrastructure not only exposes people and the environment to safety risks, but impedes economic development. The NTSB agrees. In a press release issued on the study, the NTSB states "a single pipeline accident has the potential to cause a catastrophic disaster that can injure hundreds of persons, affect thousands more, and cost millions of dollars in terms of property damage, loss of work opportunity, community disruption, ecological damage, and insurance liability.”