Political Quotes

“Impelled by an explosion last year in Bellingham, WA, that took three young lives and shook that community to its core, and given force by another recent tragedy in New Mexico, the Senate today is adopting the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2000. The bill brings much-needed reforms to the regulation and oversight of the pipelines that wind invisibly beneath our homes, parks, and schools, most notably by providing more information to local governments and to the public about the location and condition of pipelines and pipeline accidents; by requiring more accountability from the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety and by authorizing more funding for that Office and for States willing to assume additional oversight responsibility; by requiring operators to assess the risks to their lines and develop plans to address threats to their integrity; by giving willing States a clearer and larger role in the oversight of interstate pipelines; by directing additional attention and resources to research and development programs to improve pipeline integrity; by increasing civil penalties for violations of pipeline safety standards; and by requiring Federal attention to recommendations for improvements to pipeline safety by state citizen advisory committees.”