[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 194 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PIPELINE SAFETY, REGULATORY CERTAINTY, AND JOB CREATION ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. PATRICK MEEHAN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2011

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, in Pennsylvania and across the country, we 
are moving forward to develop American sources of energy. This 
development will reduce energy prices for hardworking taxpayers, create 
jobs for Americans and lessen our dependence on foreign oil. As this 
important development moves forward, we must remain strongly committed 
to protecting our environment and ensuring these operations are safe 
and responsible.
  The production of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in 
Pennsylvania is an economic driver for our State but it also presents 
unique challenges. Thousands of wells have already been drilled in 
Pennsylvania, and many more and thousands of miles of Marcellus-related 
pipeline are planned in the Keystone State alone. Most of these 
facilities are unmanned and spread across rural areas, making 
monitoring and data communication difficult. Critical failures of these 
systems can cause untold environmental and economic damage, yet we may 
not know of these failures until far too much damage has been done. 
There is an urgent need for better systems to monitor wells and 
pipelines for leaks, damage and anomalies to protect the environment 
and the public.
  The House has taken a step to address these deficiencies in passing 
H.R. 2845, the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation 
Act of 2011. Among other provisions, the bill requires the Secretary of 
Energy to continue evaluating industry safety standards and readiness 
to respond to infrastructure failures. In performing these evaluations, 
I encourage the Secretary to investigate the utility of secured, meshed 
wireless networks. These meshed networks--multi-antenna, no-root 
meshed-radio systems--can provide continuous monitoring and then alert 
operations personnel and first responders to leaks and damage in real-
time. They can be expanded as new operations are brought online and 
added to exploration vehicles like ships and trucks, improving 
communications potential in the critical first minutes after an 
incident.
  As the Secretary moves forward with his safety review and evaluations 
pursuant to the bill, I encourage the consideration of secured, meshed 
wireless networks as a possible means of ensuring both real-time 
monitoring of remote energy infrastructure and swift, seamless response 
and communication in the event of leaks or other critical failures.

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