[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 71 (Friday, June 9, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H4172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE SAFE PIPELINES ACT OF 2000

  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. Chairman, tomorrow marks the first anniversary of 
the tragic pipeline explosion that claimed three lives of people in my 
district. It has been a difficult week for all of us as the attention 
has been once again focused on that terrible accident a year ago and we 
remember the sad day when hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline 
suddenly erupted in flames in a quiet part of Bellingham, Washington.
  I have long held reservations about our system of pipeline safety 
regulations. Before I came to Congress, I worked to block construction 
of a pipeline in my home community. In 1996, I voted against a pipeline 
deregulation bill because I felt that it removed too many essential 
safeguards.
  Since last year's accident, I have redoubled my efforts to improve 
the regulatory climate. Earlier this year, I introduced H.R. 3558, the 
Safe Pipelines Act of 2000. Under my legislation:
  Number one, pipelines will be required to be inspected both 
internally and with hydrostatic tests. Pipelines with a history of 
leaks will be specifically targeted for more strenuous testing.
  Number two, all pipeline operators will be tested for qualifications 
and certified by the Department of Transportation.
  Number three, 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 so ordinary citizens can 
easily access it.
  Number four, all pipeline ruptures and spills of more than 40 gallons 
will be reported to the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety.
  Number five, 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 the 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.
  It has been difficult to get the attention of many of my colleagues 
on this issue. The phrase ``out of sight, out of mind'' certainly 
applies when pipelines are involved. Until a tragedy happens in a 
Member's own district, it is easy to ignore the many seemingly harmless 
pipelines which run underground.
  Yesterday, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) of the 
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agreed to hold a 
hearing on my legislation in the coming weeks. I thank him for his 
efforts, and I hope the hearing will help draw the attention of more 
Members as we continue to work to pass comprehensive pipeline safety 
legislation this year.
  The tragedy in my district was not the first deadly pipeline 
accident, and it will not be the last unless we come together to bring 
meaningful improvements to our pipeline safety regulations.

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