[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 82 (Friday, May 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4234-H4235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REFUGIO OIL SPILL

  (Mr. CARBAJAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, this week marks 3 years since the Refugio/
Plains pipeline failure spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil 
along the Gaviota coast in my district. Black oil slick coated our 
beaches and marine life, costing over $96 million to clean up and 
hurting our local economy.
  That spill occurred 3 years after Congress unanimously passed the 
Pipeline Safety Act of 2011. This law directed PHMSA to update key 
pipeline safety standards, requiring the installation of automatic and 
remote control shutoff valves, including leak detection technology.
  However, nearly 7 years later, 20 of the pipeline safety directives 
in that legislation have not been enacted. During the Plains oil spill, 
it took operators over 2 hours to find the source of the leak.

[[Page H4235]]

  Yesterday I joined Senator Feinstein, directing the agency to answer 
why these requirements have not been implemented to date to ensure we 
are improving pipeline safety.

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