[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H612-H613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OIL PIPELINE SAFETY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, oil and gas pipeline accidents happen more 
often than we might think. Just within

[[Page H613]]

the past few weeks, two major pipeline spills have occurred.
  On February 5, an oil pipeline spilled approximately 70,000 gallons 
of crude oil into a lake in the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge near 
Philadelphia. The refuge incorporates the largest freshwater tidal 
marsh in the State and is habitat to two endangered species.
  On January 27, approximately 500,000 gallons of oil leaked from a 
pipeline near Winchester, Kentucky. Officials are unsure how much of 
the oil will make its way into the Kentucky River, the main drinking 
water source for Lexington and other towns.
  Thankfully, neither of these spills were ignited, like the spill 
which occurred in my district last June. The accident in my district 
resulted in three deaths, millions of dollars in property damage. How 
many more spills do we need to have before we act to improve our system 
of pipeline safety?
  Recently, I introduced H.R. 3558, the Safe Pipelines Act of 2000. My 
bipartisan bill, which has been cosponsored by the entire Washington 
State House delegation, will enact much needed reforms to our Federal 
pipeline regulations, and will give the States a role in pipeline 
regulation, which they currently lack.

                              {time}  1445

  Under my bill, pipelines will be required to be inspected both 
internally and with hydrostatic tests. Pipelines with a history of 
leaks will be specially targeted for more strenuous testing. All 
pipeline operators will be tested for qualifications and certified by 
the Department of Transportation.
  The results of pipeline tests and inspections will be made available 
to the public and a nationwide map of all pipeline locations will be 
placed on the Internet where every citizen can easily access it. All 
pipeline ruptures and spills of more than 40 gallons will be reported 
to the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety and States will be able to set 
up their own pipeline safety programs for interstate pipelines, 
provided that the States have the resources and expertise necessary to 
carry out the programs and that State standards are at least as 
stringent as Federal standards.
  In addition, the bill requires studies on a variety of technologies 
that may improve safety such as external leak detection systems and 
double-walled pipelines. I urge my colleagues to join with me in 
support of this bipartisan legislation.

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