WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas),
Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee,
today said it was important to focus on the safety of the nation’s oil and gas
pipelines during a Commerce Committee hearing on pipeline safety.
“The ongoing Deepwater Horizon crisis in the Gulf is an urgent
safety wake-up call not only for offshore drilling rigs, but for the nation’s
vast oil and gas pipeline system,” said Senator Hutchison. “While the
safety record for pipelines has continued to improve, it is important for our
Committee to consider what more needs to be done as we begin the process of
reauthorizing the pipeline safety program.”
Senator Hutchison noted that the oil and gas industry plays
an important role in the Texas economy, and contributes greatly to the
quality of life for all Americans. She said that Texas produces one
quarter of the nation’s refined petrochemical products, and 30 percent
of the nation’s natural gas supplies, and it has more miles of pipeline than any other state – over
220,000 miles, located both on-shore and in the Gulf of Mexico.
“In just the past few weeks, there have been two deadly gas
pipeline accidents in Texas, both of which resulted from pipeline damage during
excavation work,” Senator Hutchison said. “The accidents highlight the
need to focus more attention on the national One-Call program. Every
accident caused by excavation is a preventable accident, and I want to see that
the Texas Excavation Safety System, and the One-Call systems in other
states, are consulted by all developers, construction companies, and
others with a need to dig in the vicinity of a pipeline.”
The One-Call notification program was designed to provide
grants to states that establish notification systems to enhance public safety,
protect the environment, minimize risks to excavators, and prevent disruption
of vital public services by reducing the risk of damage to underground
facilities during excavation.
Senator Hutchison said the last two reauthorizations of the
pipeline safety program have transformed how pipelines are regulated in this
country, from a system of traditional enforcement by federal and state
inspectors, to a system built on “integrity management,” under which
pipeline owners are responsible for inspecting and making repairs to critical
portions of their lines on a scheduled basis.
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You can view Senator Hutchison’s statement here.