WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10), a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today made the following statement during a hearing to investigate the Enbridge pipeline rupture in Marshall, Michigan, as well as the rest of the pipeline which runs under the St. Clair River:
“Today’s hearing is being held so that Congress can not only provide appropriate oversight to make certain that Enbridge is held accountable for the oil spill in Marshall, but also to ensure that the regulatory agency has done its job. The Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has direct responsibility to ensure the security of our pipeline system.
“I was hoping today to question the Administrator of PHMSA, Cynthia Quaterman, about issues associated with Line 6B, about problems associated with pipeline under the St. Clair River and any regulatory actions being taken. I was surprised to find that Administrator Quarterman recused herself from this issue due to the fact that she had served as a Washington attorney for Enbridge working on regulatory issues. I find this fact amazing due to President Obama’s previous commitment that he would not appoint people in his Administration with deep industry ties as regulators of those same industries. As we saw with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a too cozy relationship between the oil company and the regulators led to a tragedy.
“I have serious concerns about the status of this pipeline under the St. Clair River and it is vital that the regulators have the safety of the community as their top priority. Unfortunately, today we will hear nothing from Administrator Quaterman. I was also appalled to learn in this hearing that Department of Transportation has not hired all the pipeline inspectors for which they are authorized. This lack of inspectors limits the amount of pipeline problems that can be investigated and makes one wonder if that has contributed to the rash of incidents that we have experienced in recent weeks and months.”
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