[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 3609

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, with the passage of H.R. 3609 
pipeline safety legislation, Congress has completed a critical step in 
improving the safety and reliability of the nation's interstate natural 
gas pipeline system. The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), within the 
Department of Transportation has principal responsibility for 
developing, applying, and enforcing the pipeline safety rules that 
enhances the safety of the nation's pipelines and protects the public.
  OPS is required to enforce these rules without regard to market 
conditions or commercial considerations. It must diligently seek to 
promote safety above any competing objectives. Among the most important 
of existing pipeline safety rules is the requirement that natural gas 
pipelines not exceed maximum allowable operating pressure, or MAOP. A 
pipeline's MAOP is established on the basis of engineering principles, 
testing, historical operations, and experience. Pipeline operators who 
exceed MAOP violate the Department of Transportation's pipeline safety 
regulations and may be fined for such violations.
  No agency other than OPS should be allowed to re-interpret or water 
down pipeline safety regulations based on its view of market or 
commercial concerns. Allowing any other agency to usurp OPS's function 
will undermine the hard work the Congress has completed to enhance 
pipeline safety and minimize the risks of pipeline ruptures that may 
cause serious injury and death.

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