Rep. DeGette Highlights Dramatic Drop in Pipeline Safety Reviews Under Trump Administration

Pipeline Safety Concerns

• 💡 Pipeline safety is a critical concern for the country, especially as more material is transported through aging pipelines.
• 🎯 The goal is to ensure pipelines are safe, preferably through a bipartisan statutory approach.

Declining Safety Reviews

• 📉 An article in the Wall Street Journal indicated a 95% drop in violation reviews during the first four months of Trump's second term compared to Biden's administration.
• ⚠️ There was also a 93% drop compared to Donald Trump's first term, suggesting fewer reviews, not necessarily fewer incidents.
• 🚫 This trend is concerning given the President's stated disinterest in enforcement in some areas and layoffs across government agencies.

Significant Pipeline Incidents

• ⚠️ Significant pipeline incidents have not decreased over the past 20 years.
• 💥 The Keystone pipeline leak in Kansas was the largest offshore oil spill in nearly a decade and the third major spill in five years.
• 💧 Last year, a pipeline in Louisiana leaked for two hours due to a lack of operators on-site and malfunctioning monitoring equipment, delaying resident notification.
• 🌊 A million-gallon spill off the coast of Louisiana was recently investigated.

FIMSA Understaffing and Funding

• 📉 Before the Trump administration, FIMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) was already understaffed and underfunded.
• 💼 Since Trump took office, over half of FIMSA's senior executive roles became vacant due to a hiring freeze and buyout offers.
• 💰 The Trump administration's budget request proposed flat funding for FIMSA, $16 million less than the Biden administration's proposal.

Risks of Reduced Funding and Staffing

• ⚠️ Flat or reduced funding and staffing for FIMSA pose a significant risk to public safety.
• 🚒 While inspectors may have been protected from some reductions, the entire agency supports safety, regulations, and enforcement, making any reduction impactful.
• 📈 Increased funding is needed to improve safety inspections and adequately manage the 3 million miles of pipelines.