Jeff Bingaman: “This bill overall is very important to the people of my State. Senator Domenici and I had the experience of learning…”

“This bill overall is very important to the people of my State. Senator Domenici and I had the experience of learning last August of a terrible rupture of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline coming through New Mexico on its way to California. It occurred on August 19 near Carlsbad, NM, at 5:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, the rupture occurred at a place where the pipeline crosses the Pecos River. It was a place where many people came to fish and camp. There was a large family there, an extended family and friends who were camped there that night and the next morning when the rupture occurred. The rupture did kill 12 people. Shortly thereafter, there was a 13th person who died later from injuries received at the site. It was a terrible tragedy for our State and for the entire country. After visiting the site with the personnel from the Office of Pipeline Safety, it became clear to me that that office did not have adequate resources to do what it needed to do and it did not have adequate authority to do what it needed to do.”