Jon S. Corzine: “I rise today, however, because of concerns about some of the important aspects of this legislation. In its current form…”

“I rise today, however, because of concerns about some of the important aspects of this legislation. In its current form, I believe the bill does not go far enough to ensure the safety and integrity of gas and oil pipelines around our Nation, particularly in New Jersey; and does not do enough to provide information to the communities living near those pipelines. Several years ago, my own State of New Jersey was the site of a major pipeline explosion. On March 24, 1994, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Edison, NJ, at 12 midnight. Families living in the nearby Durham Woods apartment complex awoke to a deafening roar. They ran out of their homes and saw a wall of flame several hundred feet high. These flames were so high they were visible in both New York City and Pennsylvania. I ask you to think about that--flames were visible in both New York and Pennsylvania. Many of the residents who awoke that night thought a nuclear bomb had detonated. Miraculously, only one person died.”