OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 10, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Employment and Affirmative Action Environment Natural Resources

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleagues Senators Fischer, Booker, and Peters to introduce the Securing America's Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety, SAFE PIPES, Act, reauthorizing the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, PHMSA. Safe and secure pipeline infrastructure is critical to our nation, and is especially important to Montanans--for economic opportunity and environmental protection.

We had a great bipartisan group of Senators working on this legislation. I would like to thank Senator Fischer for traveling to Billings, Montana to chair the first in a series of hearings on pipeline safety and coordinating efforts to write this important legislation. Additionally, I thank Senators Booker and Peters for their work drafting this legislation.

In Montana, we have some of the country's most pristine wild spaces along with an abundance on natural resources. Montana produces approximately 30 million barrels of crude oil, 63 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 42 million short tons of coal annually. We export 60 percent of this energy. The oil and gas industries support the employment of over 43,000 Montanans. Likewise, Montana's unspoiled mountains and streams is the main motivator for many visiting Montana. The tourism industry supports the employment of over 53,000 Montanans.

It is needless to say, but it is imperative that both jobs are protected. This legislation does just that, by improving pipeline inspection report turnaround times, increasing focus on pipeline river crossings, helping fill vacant inspector positions, facilitating communications between PHMSA and State agencies, and enabling PHMSA to conduct safety research with industry experts.

I look forward to continue my work, along with my colleagues, on enhancing pipeline safety, protecting our economic and environmental resources, and shepherding this legislation across the finish line.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward