Washington, DC – Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made an opening statement at the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing “Pipeline Safety Oversight and Legislation.” Michigan Congressman Mark Schauer (D-MI07) testified at the hearing and discussed his bill, H.R. 6008, the CLEAN Act, the time a company has to report an incident to the National Response Center, and increase fines for failure to notify the National Response Center within that time limit and increase transparency of reportable incidents.
Below are portions of the Congressman’s remarks as prepared:
“In late July, Enbridge’s pipeline, known as 6B ruptured just south of Marshall, Michigan. The end result of the rupture was the release of nearly 1 million gallons of crude oil. The oil flowed into the Kalamazoo River, a tributary to Lake Michigan.
“Again, on September 9 Enbridge reported a second pipeline spill – this time in Illinois. This time, 256,000 gallons of oil were released before the pipeline was shut down.
“On the same day, a natural gas pipeline operated by PG&E exploded in San Bruno, California. Like far too many pipeline explosions over the years, with this one we witnessed the tragic loss of lives.
“I have spent much time over the years on the issue of pipeline safety. We, and I mean this Committee specifically, have made tremendous improvements and we have done so in a bipartisan manner.
“I am pleased to be a cosponsor of Mr. Schauer’s bill which is scheduled for floor consideration on the suspension calendar today. This legislation moves the ball forward some more. This commonsense legislation does three simple things:
- A company must report a leak within 1 hour of discovery.
- Increases fines for failure to report.
- Requires DOT to maintain a searchable database of all reportable incidents involving hazardous liquids.
“While I strongly support this legislation, I want to be clear – it is no replacement for reauthorization and reform of the Pipeline Safety Act.
“I remain concerned about the historical lax enforcement by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration. I look forward to hearing from PHMSA about their actions with regard to the aforementioned incidents.
“The Administration recently released a draft proposal for reauthorization. It may be a good starting point, but should be viewed as no more than a starting point.
“As it currently stands, only about 7 percent of natural gas pipelines are subject to the integrity management program this committee put in place in 2002 – this is simply insufficient. The Administration draft does nothing to address this matter. The granting of waivers remains an all too real possibility. The draft lacks sufficient improvements on the matter of inspections and repairs. Finally, it does nothing to address issue that should have been dealt with years ago including requiring remote shut off valves for natural gas and making more pipelines able to accommodate smart pigs, which is still the best technology for accurately inspecting pipelines.
“I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today. Moreover, Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with you on a reauthorization that will make significant improvements to the law.”
