Pipeline agency criticized in aftermath of California oil spill

WASHINGTON – The federal agency that oversees the safety of the nation’s pipelines failed to follow through on congressional reforms that could have made a difference in a May break that created the largest coastal oil spill in California in 25 years, a House committee chairman said Tuesday.

In a rare display of agreement on Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats on the Energy and Power Subcommittee expressed frustration with inaction by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which has yet to complete more than a dozen requirements outlined in a 2011 federal law.

Among the unfinished work is revising regulations to establish specific time periods for notification of authorities after an accident is confirmed. The new rule would require notice as quickly as possible and always within an hour.

The owner of the California line, Plains All American Pipeline, has been criticized for taking about 90 minutes to alert federal responders after confirming the spill near Santa Barbara.

“Some of these provisions I am convinced would have made a difference in the recent oil spill in Santa Barbara had they been implemented in a timely manner,” said Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Other incomplete requirements include issuing regulations on shut-off valves for new lines that can quickly stop the flow of gas or oil in an accident and regulations that would require leak detection systems on hazardous liquid pipelines and establish leak-detection standards, according to the committee.

The agency has completed 26 of 42 reforms from the 2011 law, but the California spill has given new urgency to questions about the agency’s effectiveness and its progress on the remaining requirements.

The failed line in California released up to 101,000 gallons of oil after a breach along a heavily corroded section of pipe. An estimated 21,000 gallons reached the Pacific Ocean and goo washed up on beaches as far as 100 miles away.