[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 6, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H4592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    YELLOWSTONE RIVER PIPELINE SPILL

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, last weekend while most Americans were 
celebrating the Fourth of July, Montanans were, unfortunately, immersed 
in what has become a new American tradition: cleaning up oil spills.
  After Exxon's Silvertip pipeline failed and spewed 40,000 gallons of 
toxic oil into the Yellowstone River, Exxon quickly labeled the 
incident a ``freak accident''--a phrase commonly used by the oil 
industry after major spills. But an exhaustive history of Big Oil's 
spills makes it clear that these incidents are not ``freak accidents'' 
but evidence of Big Oil's neglect.
  Perhaps the most blatant, recent exhibit of empty safety promises 
belongs to TransCanada, who dubbed the Keystone pipeline ``the safest 
pipeline ever built.'' A year and 12 spills later, Keystone was shut 
down and deemed an ``imminent threat to life, property, and the 
environment.''
  Before we permit the Keystone XL pipeline--another deadly TransCanada 
pipeline--we need to reauthorize our pipeline safety legislation 
because our pipelines need to be as consistent as Old Faithful.

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