More Information, Please

BY CARL WEIMER

The Pipeline Safety Trust came into being because a string of unfortunate events convinced powerful people within the U.S. Justice Department, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Washington State Governor's office, the Federal District Court, local government, and the Washington Utilities and

Photo copyright Patrick J. Endres/ Alaskaphotographics.com

Transportation Commission that what pipeline safety advocates around the country had been saying for years was true. Namely that because pipelines are, for the most part out of sight and out of mind, one valuable way to prevent pipeline regulators and pipeline operators from becoming complacent regarding pipeline safety is by creating a permanent pipeline safety advocacy group to continually push for ongoing safety improvements and demand that claimed "progress" is publicly verifiable.

The Trust is now the only organization we know of with paid staff and a national scope providing such pipeline safety oversight. In less than a year we have plugged into many important processes, provided information to many, and become somewhat overwhelmed by requests for assistance from those who previously did not know where to turn. We have successfully partnered with activists, regulators, industry, and elected officials to further pipeline safety. For example:

• When a pipeline company in Michigan attempted to push a self-serving bill through the state legislature that would have undermined local government's zoning efforts to control where pipelines are located, we stepped in and provided those elected officials with information that tipped the balance back in favor of local control.
• When the Secretary of Transportation proposed a well thought out reorganization of the administration that houses the Office of Pipeline Safety, we worked with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines to ensure a quick passage of that proposal through Congress.
• When 82,000 gallons of crude oil was dumped into the Kentucky River we provided the media and activists there with data that helped push the Governor to appoint a Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee (see story on page 1).
• The Trust helped the Office of Pipeline Safety review their new "Stakeholder" website to help ensure it was valuable to the general public and pipeline safety advocates. We also assisted them by organizing a "public" panel at their recent LNG Community Awareness Workshop to ensure that affected public views were included.
• When the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on the Office of Pipeline Safety they chose the Trust to testify about still needed improvements in pipeline safety laws.

As you read the articles in this newsletter you will see that the Trust tries to provide accurate information to help further pipeline safety. Unfortunately much of the information needed to independently verify industry and agency accomplishments and pipeline safety claims is still not available to groups like the Trust or the public. We will continue to partner with all those who can move pipeline safety forward, but we will also continue to request that our partners provide information so progress on pipeline safety can be verified.