Keystone XL Pipeline Act -- Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, this is a very commonsense amendment based
on a simple premise. Before Congress intervenes to approve this new
pipeline that is before us, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, PHMSA, the Federal agency which oversees pipeline
safety, should certify that it has the resources required to carry out
its duty.

Specifically, the amendment before the Senate requires PHMSA to
confirm that it has the resources to oversee pipelines in the Great
Lakes and provide recommendations for special conditions for pipelines
in the Great Lakes just as it provided recommendations for special
conditions for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The people of Michigan know why it is so important that we ensure
these pipelines are safe. We had a pipeline spill in Kalamazoo, MI, in
2010 that spilled over 800,000 gallons of tar sands into the Kalamazoo
River. The cleanup has now taken over 4 years at a cost of over $1.2
billion. A pipeline accident in the Great Lakes, where we have some of
these pipelines located now, would be absolutely catastrophic. We have
to remind folks that the Great Lakes now provide drinking water to over
40 million people and support 1.5 million jobs. It would be a disaster
not just for folks in the State of Michigan, but throughout the Great
Lakes region and throughout the country, if there were a pipeline
break. We know it firsthand from what happened in Kalamazoo, the most
expensive pipeline break in the history of this country.

We have to ensure that the pipelines that operate in the Great Lakes,
particularly in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect the Upper
Peninsula with the Lower Peninsula, have the protections they need.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment to make
sure we protect the Great Lakes, not just for today but for future
generations.

I yield back.

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