WASHINGTON, D.C.— Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today called on federal regulators to quickly and efficiently implement pipeline safety reforms in the wake of a rupture in ExxonMobil’s “Pegasus” pipeline that spilled thousands of barrels of crude oil and forced the evacuation of nearly two-dozen homes near Mayflower, Arkansas. These reforms are vital to avoiding future accidents and keeping the public out of harm’s way. 

“I remain concerned about the ongoing trend of pipeline incidents that continue to occur around our country.  The latest incident in Arkansas is yet another reminder of the need for effective and rigorous oversight of our nation’s pipelines – and I’m closely watching implementation of the 2012 pipeline safety law.  Whether they carry oil or, like the pipeline that ruptured in my state of West Virginia, they transport natural gas, pipeline accidents can have significant consequences.  The industry must do a better job, and we must hold it accountable.”

Background 

Chairman Rockefeller recently chaired a field hearing in Charleston, West Virginia following the December 11, 2012 transmission pipeline explosion in Sissonville, WV.  Chairman Debbie Hersman, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Administrator Cynthia Quarterman, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), were among those testifying.

He cosponsored legislation that formed the basis of a comprehensive pipeline safety bill, The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, signed into law in January 2012. 

###