[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 68 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4542-S4543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ANNIVERSARY OF THE BELLINGHAM PIPELINE ACCIDENT

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to mark a solemn occasion in 
the lives of the people of my home State of Washington.
  Many of my colleagues have heard me talk on the Senate floor about 
pipeline safety.
  Today I want to remind everyone of the reason I have become such a 
strong advocate for improving pipeline safety.
  June 10--one year ago, coming up this Saturday--will be the first 
anniversary of a horrible pipeline accident in Bellingham, WA.
  In that accident, a gasoline pipeline ruptured and released more than 
275,000 gallons of gasoline into Whatcom Creek. That gasoline caught 
fire and sent a fireball racing 1\1/2\ miles down the creek side. It 
created a plume of black smoke that rose more than 20,000 feet into the 
air.
  Two 10-year-old boys and a young man were enjoying the outdoors on 
that quiet summer afternoon. Tragically, they died as a result of that 
pipeline rupture.
  Three families in Bellingham, WA, will never be the same because of 
the events that took place on June 10, 1999.
  As we mark this anniversary, we can never forget the lives that were 
lost.
  For just a moment I want to ask my colleagues and the American people 
to pay tribute to those young lives; Wade King, Stephen Tsiorvas, and 
Liam Wood. I also want to honor their parents--who have endured a loss 
that no family should have to experience.
  They have shown such strength and courage. They have led the charge 
for safer pipelines, and their advocacy has made a difference.
  Their courage was clear to everyone who attended the Senate Commerce 
Committee field hearing in Bellingham on March 13 and to everyone who 
heard them testify just last month here in Washington, DC, before the 
Commerce Committee.
  They came to Washington, DC, to ask for one thing. They want this 
Congress to improve pipeline standards this year. This Congress--this 
year.
  I believe we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to meet 
the parents' wishes and to protect everyone else from pipeline hazards. 
That is why I have been working to raise the safety standards for oil 
and gas pipelines.
  There are 2.2 million miles of pipelines running across the country. 
They run near our schools, our homes, and our communities.
  They perform a vital service. They bring us the energy we need to 
fuel our cars and heat our homes.
  But at the same time, they are not as safe as they could be. We have 
a responsibility to pass a bill this year that will protect families 
from the dangers of unsafe pipelines.
  To be honest, I--like many Americans--was not aware of those dangers 
until the accident in my State.
  But as I spent months learning about pipelines, I found that the 
accident in my State was not a rare event.
  Since 1986, there have been more than 5,700 pipeline accidents in 
this country, 325 deaths, 1,500 injuries, and almost $1 billion in 
environmental damage.
  On average there is one pipeline accident every day in this country, 
and 6 million hazardous gallons are spilled into our environment every 
year.
  That is why back in January I introduced my own pipeline safety 
bill--the Pipeline Safety Act of 2000. I want to thank the Members who 
have signed on as cosponsors--Senators Inouye, Gorton, Wyden, 
Lautenberg, and Bayh.
  I want my colleagues to know, in the 4 months since I introduced my 
pipeline safety bill, at least 20 States have experienced pipeline 
accidents. In addition to my bill, pipeline safety measures have been 
offered by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain and by the 
administration.
  I am pleased that all of the current proposals touch on five key 
areas of pipeline safety. First, all of these bills recognize the need 
to improve pipeline inspection and accident prevention practices, 
second, they recognize the need to develop and invest in new safety and 
inspection technology, third--and importantly--they expand the Public's 
right to know about problems with pipelines in their neighborhoods, 
fourth, they recognize that States can be better partners in improving 
pipeline safety. Finally, these bills increase funding for new State 
and Federal pipeline safety programs.
  I thank Senator McCain for the strong personal interest he has taken 
in this issue. I thank him for the very effective way he has worked to 
move this legislation forward. The Senate

[[Page S4543]]

Commerce Committee has tentatively scheduled a markup session for June 
15.
  Senator Gorton and I are working with both the majority and minority 
members of the Senate Commerce Committee to come up with a manager's 
package that will meet the standards we have outlined and will be 
acceptable to as many members as possible.
  As we work here in the Senate on this important legislation, I want 
to encourage my colleagues in the House of Representatives to move 
forward quickly on their legislation so this Congress can pass a bill 
this year.
  One of the things that has been so important over the past year is 
that so many people have come together to improve pipeline safety. And 
while I don't have time to thank them all, I do want to mention a few.
  First among them is Bellingham's Mayor Mark Asmundson, who has done 
more to educate the public and legislators about pipeline safety than 
anyone I know.
  I also want to recognize Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater who 
stationed a pipeline inspector in my State after the accident, and DOT 
Inspector General Kenneth Mead, who issued a report at my request on 
the Office of Pipeline Safety.
  I also thank the President and the Vice President for their 
leadership.
  In particular, the Vice President took the time to learn about this 
issue when he was in my State. He recognizes its importance, and he 
sent the administration's pipeline safety bill to the Senate.
  I also thank the rest of the Washington State delegation--which has 
come together across party lines to address this issue--particularly my 
colleague Senator Gorton, along with Representatives from our 
delegtion.
  And of course, I want to recognize Washington State Governor, Gary 
Locke, for the work he has done to raise pipeline standards in our 
State.
  Mr. President, one year has passed since the accident in Bellingham, 
WA, that you can see on the chart behind me.
  We have made some progress, but we need to finish the job.
  We need to pass a strong pipeline safety bill this year. We owe it to 
the people of Bellingham, the victim's families, and to the American 
people. As we mark the 1-year anniversary of the Bellingham explosion, 
we must answer the call of the families with a strong bill. Nothing can 
ease the pain of this anniversary for so many people in my State, but 
we can and we must use this occasion to enact stronger pipeline safety 
standards.
  I yield the floor.

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