A new report –prepared for the Great Lakes Business Network by the University of Michigan Law School—Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic– about federal pipeline oversight by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is very concerning.
The study analyzed all Notice of Proposed Safety Orders (NOPSO) since 2010. NOPSOs are used by the administration “to notify an operator that a particular pipeline facility has a condition or conditions that pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment.”
The findings show an “alarming track record, revealing that the agency is largely reactive rather than proactive in enforcement, requiring pipeline operators to follow regulations only after ruptures, leaks, and failures have already occurred.”
Read the full report here.