Pipeline Safety And The Office Of Pipeline Safety

The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) administers the regulatory program to ensure the safe transport. of natural gas & haz. liquids by pipeline. In response to concern about the pipeline rupture that spilled 250,000 gallons of gas into a creek in Bellingham, WA in June 1999, killing 3 people, this report reviews the OPS's performance in regulating pipeline safety. It examined: the extent of major pipeline accidents from 1989-1998; OPS's implementation of the 1996 act's risk mgmt. demo. program; the OPS's inspection & enforcement efforts since the act's implementation; the OPS's responsiveness to recommendations from the Nat. Transport. Safety Board.

This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.