WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) announced she has written to Mr. Howard Elliot, the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, expressing concern about the recent news and the delays in the enforcement of energy pipeline safety regulations. There are several energy pipelines that run through Pennsylvania’s 6^th district, including the Mariner East II pipeline which is under construction.

“Over the past several years, I have heard from members of my community who are concerned about the safety of energy pipelines running through our area,” said Houlahan. “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how many of us work, but it has not changed our collective responsibility to keep our community safe. I urge the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to increase its oversight of pipeline projects in order to better ensure their safety.”

In the letter, Houlahan expressed concern that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Pipeline Safety Program has issued a Notice of Enforcement Discretion to gas transmission pipeline operators, delaying the start of enforcement a critical safety regulation (Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: MAOP Reconfirmation, Expansion of Assessment Requirements, and other Related Amendments Final Rule) by six months from July 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021. This rule, which includes important provisions, such as the assessment of pipelines in “moderate consequence areas” or MCAs, is vital to ensuring the safety of workers and the communities which host these pipelines. Houlahan urged the Administrator to rescind the Notice of Enforcement Discretion and begin enforcement of the rule as originally planned.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

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