In the wake of last summer’s pipeline mishaps in Arizona, the federal Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) agreed earlier this month to allow unlimited inspections on Kinder Morgan pipelines in the state, according to an announcement Wednesday from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

As a result, the ACC will be permitted to inspect the Kinder Morgan pipelines after federal OPS inspectors complete work on other interstate pipelines in the state. The initial three-day requirement allowed only the newest Kinder pipeline between Phoenix and Yuma, AZ, to be inspected, according to the ACC.

“With unlimited inspections, the older Tucson-Phoenix and Tucson-El Paso lines can also be thoroughly examined,” an ACC spokesperson said.

The ACC earlier this year decided to cut back the state regulatory unit’s inspections from 10 to three days, prompting two of the five commissioners, Kris Mayes and Bill Mundell, to ask OPS to increase the number of days. They said the new inspection total exceeds the 20-day plan requested by the head of Arizona’s state pipeline safety department. The new decision means all 671 miles of Kinder Morgan pipe in the state will be inspected this year.

While reiterating the need to remain “vigilant in regulating and ensuring the safety of all Arizona pipelines,” Commissioner Mayes said the unlimited inspections give confidence to Arizona’s citizens “that these pipelines will receive the attention they deserve.”

Commissioner Mundell called it a “major victory” for the state.

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