Wait until next year. That was the message from U.S. HouseDemocrats who derailed Senate-passed pipeline safety legislation(S. 2438) in the closing days of the 106th Congress. Opponents ofthe measure labeled it “soft” on safety.

“The Senate bill mandates nothing beyond the current inadequateprogram of the Office of Pipeline Safety,” Rep. James Oberstar(D-MN) said in leading opposition to the Senate measure in Housefloor debate Tuesday night. Oberstar noted that OPS had failed tocarry out previous congressional mandates for pipeline inspections,and questioned why telling them one more time would make anydifference. “OPS has not issued a single final regulation requiringinspections.”

Oberstar was backed by Rep. John Dingell, (D-MI), who pointedout that the families of the two boys who died in a Bellingham, WA,liquids pipeline accident had asked that their names be taken offthe bill because, “in their view, the legislation is so weak thatit is unworthy of being named after their sons.

“Who does support the bill? Pipeline companies and their tradeorganizations. They are the only ones supporting the bill. Why?Because it is a sweetheart deal, because it is not going to doanything,” Dingell continued. “I urge the legislation be rejected.We can do a better job next year. Certainly we cannot do a worsejob next year.”

Chairman Bud Shuster, (R-PA) of the House Transportation andInfrastructure Committee defended the measure as the bestlegislation possible in the time allowed. He noted it had thesupport of its Senate sponsor, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and ofWashington’s two senators, who have been campaigning for strongerlegislation following the accident in their state.

The legislation, Shuster said, “does indeed address all of themajor issues debated during the reauthorization effort on bothsides of the Capitol.” The vote, 232 in favor to 158 against, with42 not voting, was 58 votes shy of two-thirds of the House.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association, which strongly supportedthe Senate measure, was “severely disappointed” in the failure ofthe House to muster the two-thirds majority necessary to run thebill through under special accelerated “suspension of the rules”procedures. The American Gas Association also found the Houseaction Tuesday night “unfortunate.”

The bill would have amended and reauthorized the 1996 PipelineSafety Act, increasing fines, boosting state oversight, increasingfunds for the OPS, and requiring more inspections and detailedreports to regulators.

The measure sailed through the Senate three weeks after the El PasoNatural Gas explosion in New Mexico, which killed 12 people (see DailyGPI, Aug. 25; and Sept. 11).

Dingell and Oberstar had attempted to rally support for strongerHouse legislation, which notably would have given more power to thestates and less to OPS. Their efforts, however, were mounted too latein the session to seriously challenge the Senate-passed bill. Astrong safety bill offered by the administration earlier this year hadbeen bottled up in committee (see Daily GPI, April 14).

Current authorizations under the Pipeline Safety Act officiallyexpired last month, and while operations will continue to function,re-authorization will have to be addressed in the 107th Congress,which starts up in January.

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