Tag: Rep. Nick Rahall

Pipeline safety funding announced

Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, along with Senator Joe Manchin and Congressman Nick Rahall, today announced more than $697,000 in federal funding for pipeline safety efforts in West Virginia.  
 
“West Virginia’s booming natural gas industry relies heavily on pipelines, which means they must be safe, reliable and durable. As Commerce Committee Chairman, I’ve worked hard to make sure there is oversight of our pipeline operations to prevent accidents that could harm both our communities and our economy,” said Rockefeller.

“The importance of establishing the strongest possible safeguards against future pipeline explosions was never more apparent than after the devastating explosion in Sissonville last December. This funding is an important investment in our work to make pipelines as safe and secure as possible.”
 
“In West Virginia, investing in natural gas is important for job creation and economic growth, but the bottom line is that we need to make sure drilling is done safely,” Manchin said. 

“We are fortunate that no one was seriously injured last year when a gas pipeline ruptured in Sissonville. This incident proved that we constantly need to be prepared and safety should always be our top priority. This funding will help ensure the pipelines are being operated safely, maintained properly and inspected regularly so that incidents like the rupture last December don’t happen again.”
 
“It would be pennywise but pound foolish not to invest in pipeline safety,” said Rahall, top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with jurisdiction over PHMSA. 

“Our State just witnessed the consequences of pipeline failure and a strong federal partnership is a good insurance policy against future failures.  Constant maintenance and consistent inspections are key ingredients in keeping our families, businesses and industries, our infrastructure and communities safe.”  
 
The funding comes from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and was awarded to two agencies in West Virginia in the following amounts:
 

  • $496,943 – West Virginia Public Service Commission – The Commission received this funding through PHMSA’s fiscal year 2013 Pipeline Safety Base Grant program as a reimbursement to help alleviate the cost of the State’s pipeline safety programs.
  • $200,717 – West Virginia Emergency Response Commission – The Commission received this funding through PHMSA’s Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant Program, which gives States assistance in performing hazardous materials response duties.

As Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Rockefeller is in charge of Congressional oversight of pipeline safety. Rockefeller authored legislation that was signed into law in 2011 to strengthen pipeline safety. He also held a field hearing on pipeline safety in Charleston earlier this year in response to the pipeline explosion in Sissonville, West Virginia on December 11, 2012.  The Commerce Committee has held four hearings on pipeline safety in the past three years.

W.Va. delegation weighs in on shutdown's effect on miners' safety

West Virginia’s congressional delegation is weighing in on the shutdown’s
effect on mine safety. Approximately 1,400 of MSHA’s 2,355 employees are
furloughed during the government shutdown. Three miners were killed
on three consecutive days this past weekend, including one from West
Virginia.

In his remarks Thursday from the House floor, Congressman Nick Rahall
urged his colleagues to “abandon this ridiculous political showdown that
is undercutting the safety in our mines, our industrial facilities, our
food chain, and so much more.”

“There is talk that the shutdown is causing no real pain.  The most extreme anti-government politicians even express the hope that such a cutback in government programs and services should be made permanent.  And too many others are content to hang back and let those with extreme views have their way for the time being. But I stand here today to remind my colleagues, and the public, that cuts in government funding and government programs have consequences –sometimes deadly. It is a lesson we learned in 2006 when annual coal mining deaths soared to 45, a 10-year high, reversing an 80-year trend of steadily falling fatalities – a trend attributed, in part, to years of underfunding the Mine Safety and Health Administration.”

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito introduced legislation Thursday to fund the Mine Safety and Health Administration through December 15, 2013.  The bill would fund MSHA at the same level that was in effect the day before the shutdown began.

“MSHA performs the critical role of making sure that West Virginia coal miners come home safely each day,” Capito said.  “This important legislation would allow MSHA to operate at full capacity, protecting our miners notwithstanding the government shutdown.”
 
In a news release issued Thursday, Capito says she voted for three Continuing Resolutions prior to September 30 that would have averted a government shutdown. 

Senator Jay Rockefeller also released a statement Wednesday on the matter:

"My heart goes out to the family of 62-year-old Roger R. King of Moundsville who was killed late last week at the McElroy Mine in Marshall County. Any time a miner perishes while working underground, we are reminded of the critical importance of keeping our miners safe on the job. While details are still forthcoming about this and other mining fatalities we’ve suffered in recent days, I cannot help but to express my deep frustration about the misguided government shutdown that has furloughed MSHA inspectors and prevented them from conducting the regular inspections that make sure coal companies are operating their mines as safely as possible. During this shutdown, I urge all coal operators to be vigilant about safety procedures in their mines that will prevent mining injuries and deaths. I also urge miners to report any behavior that you believe is putting you and your fellow miners in jeopardy. Even during a shutdown, MSHA has said it will continue to investigate complaints from miners about conditions that may pose serious safety problems.”

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