[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6398-S6400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL PIPELINE SAFETY DAY

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, this morning I rise to remind all of us 
of a promise our government has made to the American people. It is an 
unspoken trust that certain things in our lives and communities are 
taken care of, that we don't have to think much about because we trust 
our government to keep us safe.
  I think most Americans turn on the tap each day and expect the water 
they drink to be safe, and they probably do not think a lot about it. 
We expect if there is an emergency we will be able to pick up the phone 
and dial 9-1-1 and someone will answer and send help to us.
  That is exactly what the people who lived in Bellingham, WA, used to 
think about oil and gas pipelines, if they thought about them at all. 
But all of our senses of safety and innocence were shattered 10 years 
ago today when tragedy struck for three families, and an entire 
community came together to

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grieve and to learn and eventually stand up and say: Never again.
  June 10, 1999, was a quiet sunny day in Bellingham, WA. For a lot of 
the students there it was the last day of school for the year. That 
should have been how it remained--as a day when kids played and 
celebrated about the coming of summer. Unfortunately, due to a series 
of mistakes and neglectful actions, it is now remembered as a day of 
fear and loss that the community still grieves.
  Ten years ago today, around 3:30 in the afternoon on the west coast, 
a gasoline pipeline that ran through Bellingham, underground and near 
Whatcom Falls Park, ruptured, releasing more than a quarter of a 
million gallons of gasoline into Whatcom Creek. That gas ignited, 
sending a huge fireball racing down the entire creek, destroying 
everything in its path for more than a mile. It created this huge plume 
of smoke that rose more than 20,000 feet into the air.
  The photo behind me was taken just moments after that explosion. 
Minutes before this, it was just a quiet creek, and this is what it 
looked like. That dramatic explosion took the lives, tragically, of 
three young people. Stephen Tsiorvas and Wade King were playing along 
the banks of the creek when this tremendous fireball ran across the 
water and set everything around them ablaze. They were both badly 
injured, and Stephen threw Wade into the creek and jumped in himself to 
try to soothe their burns. The boys were burned over 90 percent of 
their bodies and both died the next day. They were both just 10 years 
old.
  The same afternoon, the same time, 18-year-old Liam Wood, who had 
just graduated from high school 5 days earlier, was fly fishing along 
this creek. He was overcome by the fumes, lost consciousness, and 
drowned. Stephen, Wade, and Liam were innocent victims of a horrific 
accident. But it was an accident that could have been and should have 
been prevented.
  Pipeline networks stretch across the entire country. They run under 
our homes, they run by our schools, and our offices. Most people do not 
even know they are there. In fact, former Bellingham Police Chief Don 
Pierce, who was on this scene that day back in 1999, was recently 
quoted as he said:

       As I was standing there none of it made any sense because 
     creeks don't catch on fire. I don't think I knew that there 
     was a gas pipeline that ran under there.

  The chief of police didn't know there was a gas pipeline underneath.
  Nationwide, the Office of Pipeline Safety oversees more than 2.3 
million miles of pipeline that transports hazardous liquids and natural 
gas under communities across the country. They perform a very important 
service, bringing oil and essential products to our homes and 
businesses.
  Prior to this accident in Bellingham, WA, I rarely heard about them 
myself and, like most Americans, I just assumed they were safe. At 
first I thought the Bellingham explosion was a fluke, something that 
never happens. Then, when I started to investigate this issue, I was 
astonished by what I learned. It turned out that what happened in 
Bellingham that day was not an isolated occurrence. In fact, it was not 
even rare.
  According to the Office of Pipeline Safety, from 1986 until the time 
of this accident in 1999, there had been more than 5,500 incidents 
resulting in 310 deaths and 1,500 injuries.
  Not only had these accidents destroyed families, they had destroyed 
the environment. At that time, 6 million gallons of hazardous liquid 
were being released by these incidents every year--6 million gallons. 
That is like having an oil spill the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster 
every 2 years. The environmental damage was estimated to cost $1 
billion.
  In addition to this horrific loss that was sustained by these three 
Bellingham families, this explosion caused massive environmental 
damage. In fact, I had been scheduled to be at this exact site just a 
few weeks later to dedicate a great, newly restored, salmon spawning 
ground. When I went there and saw the damage after the explosion, I was 
shocked. That blast had destroyed all the plant and animal life in the 
creek, and a once very lush and diverse habitat had been burned to 
ashes.
  Again, our community was not unique. At that time, on average, our 
Nation was suffering one pipeline accident every single day. While 
Bellingham may not have been unique in our tragedy, we were one of a 
kind in our response. Today, 10 years after the unthinkable happened, 
the story of the Bellingham natural gas explosion is also a story of 
how a community came together to tackle a nationwide problem and 
protect other Americans from coast to coast. As we together learned 
about the problems with inspection and oversight of our national 
pipeline system, the community channeled their grief into action.
  Through research, I found out there were inadequate laws, 
insufficient oversight, too few inspections, and not enough trained 
inspectors, as well as a lack of awareness about these pipeline 
dangers. I learned one of the most important public safety offices, the 
Office of Pipeline Safety, was underfunded and neglected.
  I asked the inspector general of the Department of Transportation to 
investigate the Office of Pipeline Safety and provide recommendations 
for how we could make this system work better, and I got to work 
writing a bill to improve pipeline safety in America.
  It turned out to be a very long, hard fight to convince Congress this 
was something we had to do something about. The people of Bellingham 
stood with me every single step of the way. The parents of the young 
victims who were tragically lost on this date came to Washington, DC, 
to testify. So did Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmundson, and Carl Weimer, 
who is now head of the Pipeline Safety Trust.
  That trust came into being thanks to the efforts of families and a 
group called SAFE Bellingham, that had organized to fight for the 
better pipeline safety and accident prevention measures.
  So together with them and the great support of colleagues here in the 
Senate--Senator John McCain took a tremendous lead as chair of the 
committee, and I thank him for that; former Senators Slade Gorton and 
Fritz Hollings came together; Senator Cantwell; Congress Members Jack 
Metcalf, Rick Larsen; many others--together we worked very hard and 
passed and President Bush finally signed into law our legislation in 
2002 to give the Office of Pipeline Safety the resources and the muscle 
it needed to keep Americans safe. That law improved the training of 
pipeline personnel. It raised the penalty for safety violations. It 
invested in new technology that was badly needed so we could improve 
pipeline safety. It improved the inspection practices and, importantly, 
expanded authority to our States to conduct their own safety 
activities.
  So children today in every corner of our State are safer because the 
people of Bellingham stood up and said: We do not want this to happen 
ever again.
  But I am here today to remind us, 10 years later, that the work is 
not done. While our law has greatly reduced the number of pipeline 
tragedies, there still are accidents every year. That is why I am on 
the floor today to introduce a Senate resolution designating June 10 as 
National Pipeline Safety Day. I am introducing this resolution to 
remind all of our communities to remain vigilant and to encourage their 
State and local governments to continue to promote pipeline safety and 
to create public awareness of the pipelines that run under and through 
every one of our communities.
  For me, this 10-year anniversary is a reminder of a day of terrible 
pain we must never forget. But it is also a reminder that we cannot 
just assume someone else is taking care of things. We cannot slip back 
to where we were before. We have to stay vigilant and continue to work 
to improve the safety of our pipeline system. That is the best way we 
can continue to celebrate and honor Steven, Wade, and Liam.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of S. Res. 181 which was submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 181) designating June 10, 2009, as 
     ``National Pipeline Safety Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to,

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the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 181) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 181

       Whereas there are more than 2,000,000 miles of gas and 
     hazardous liquid pipelines in the United States that are 
     operated by more than 3,000 companies;
       Whereas gas and hazardous liquid pipelines play a vital 
     role in the lives of people in the United States by 
     delivering the energy needed to heat homes, drive cars, cook 
     food and operate businesses;
       Whereas, during the last decade, significant new pipelines 
     have been built to help move North American sources of oil 
     and gas to refineries and markets;
       Whereas, on June 10, 1999, a hazardous liquid pipeline 
     ruptured and exploded in a park in Bellingham, Washington, 
     killing 2 10-year-old boys and a young man, destroying a 
     salmon stream, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in 
     damage and economic disruption;
       Whereas, in response to the pipeline tragedy on June 10, 
     1999, Congress enacted significant new pipeline safety 
     regulations, including in the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act 
     of 2002 (Public Law 107-355; 116 Stat. 2985) and the Pipeline 
     Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006 
     (Public Law 109-468; 120 Stat. 3486);
       Whereas, during the last decade, the Pipelines and 
     Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the Department 
     of Transportation, with support from a diverse group of 
     stakeholders, has instituted a variety of important new rules 
     and pipeline safety initiatives, such as the Common Ground 
     Alliance, pipeline emergency training with the National 
     Association of State Fire Marshals, and the Pipelines and 
     Informed Planning Alliance;
       Whereas, even with pipeline safety improvements, in 2008 
     there were 274 significant pipeline incidents that caused 
     more than $395,000,000 of damage to property and disrupted 
     the economy;
       Whereas, even though pipelines are the safest method to 
     transport huge quantities of fuel, pipeline incidents are 
     still occurring, including the pipeline explosion in Edison, 
     New Jersey, in 1994 that left 100 people homeless, the butane 
     pipeline explosion in Texas in 1996 that left 2 teenagers 
     dead, the pipeline explosion near Carlsbad, New Mexico, in 
     2000 that killed 12 people in an extended family, the 
     pipeline explosion in Walnut Creek, California, in 2004 that 
     killed 5 workers, and the propane pipeline explosion in 
     Mississippi in 2007 that killed a teenager and her 
     grandmother;
       Whereas the millions of miles of pipelines are still ``out 
     of sight'', and therefore ``out of mind'' for the majority of 
     people, local governments, and businesses in the United 
     States, a situation that can lead to pipeline damage and a 
     general lack of oversight of pipelines;
       Whereas greater awareness of pipelines and pipeline safety 
     can improve public safety;
       Whereas a ``National Pipeline Safety Day'' can provide a 
     focal point for creating greater pipeline safety awareness; 
     and
       Whereas June 10, 2009, is the 10th anniversary of the 
     Bellingham, Washington, pipeline tragedy that was the impetus 
     for many of the safety improvements described in this 
     resolution and is an appropriate day to designate as 
     ``National Pipeline Safety Day'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 10, 2009, as ``National Pipeline Safety 
     Day'';
       (2) encourages State and local governments to observe the 
     day with appropriate activities that promote pipeline safety;
       (3) encourages all pipeline safety stakeholders to use the 
     day to create greater public awareness of all the 
     advancements that can lead to greater pipeline safety; and
       (4) encourages individuals throughout the United States to 
     become more aware of the pipelines that run through 
     communities in the United States and to encourage safe 
     practices and damage prevention relating to gas and hazardous 
     liquid pipelines.

  Mrs. MURRAY. I thank my Senate colleagues.
  I remind all of us as Americans that we have to be vigilant about 
what is around us, and when we are, we can make a difference in the 
lives of many people. The tragedy that occurred in Bellingham, WA, 10 
years ago today will remain with me always and with the families of 
Bellingham and everyone else. But if we do our work and we remain 
vigilant and we fund the Office of Pipeline Safety and we insist on 
strong protections, we can protect families in the future. That is what 
is important about today.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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