Cassidy, McAllister Urge Safety Verification of Midla Pipeline

Press Release

Congressmen Bill Cassidy and Vance McAllister sent a letter to Ms. Cynthia Quarterman, the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), asking for more information regarding the safety and physical integrity of the Midla "Mainline" pipeline, in light of the request by American Midstream Partners, LP (AMP) to abandon the pipeline.

The letter calls on PHMSA to provide greater transparency on the safety and soundness of the pipeline, in light of the fact that the abandonment of the pipeline could cause large rate hikes for energy customers across Louisiana. In particular, many rural and economically depressed areas are served by the Midla pipeline.

The letter requests the following:

The safety history based on the federal operation and inspection mandate of the Midla pipeline

The prospectus on retrofitting the pipeline (i.e. making the pipeline "piggable")

The feasibility of an alternative inspection protocol to determine the pipeline safety (i.e. hydrostatic tests)

Historical analysis or safety trends with pipelines of this vintage (i.e. safety anomalies of pipelines built during the 1920s).

Dr. Cassidy released the following statement:

"If the Midla pipeline is abandoned, natural gas customers across Louisiana would experience rate hikes. The Department of Transportation should examine the existing pipeline and explore alternatives to its abandonment before irreversible action is taken."

Additionally, Congressman McAllister released the following statement:

"Allowing this pipeline to shut down will be detrimental to thousands of people and businesses. Chairman LeFleur assured me that the commission will take this into consideration before allowing the company to shut down the pipeline. I can assure you I will do everything I can to prevent this from happening."

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