May 9, 2012

SAN MATEO, CA - Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) issued the following statement on an advisory bulletin issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday, May 7, 2012 to gas pipeline operators urging them to keep existing safety record up-to-date:

"PHMSA's new advisory bulletin to the nation's natural gas operators is old news in California, but a welcomed safety reminder for areas where the San Bruno PG&E pipeline explosion was only a distant headline. The bulletin reinforces the critical need for operators to maintain verifiable and traceable records on a transmission line’s maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP). The key issue for the nation are proposed PHMSA rules that will ultimately require pipelines installed before 1970 to be tested for MAOP if the pipes have never been tested in the field, an action already underway by PG&E."
 
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