Rep. Weldon Blasts BP For Failing To Maintain Pipeline & Govt For Failed Oversight

REP. WELDON BLASTS BP FOR FAILING TO MAINTAIN PIPELINE & GOVT FOR FAILED OVERSIGHT

U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) today urged the Departments of Energy and Transportation to fully investigate the neglect of British Petroleum's (BP) pipeline running from the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska. The detection of leaks and corrosion forced the pipeline to be shut down - sending oil prices to near historic levels and leaving a major deficit in the domestic oil supply.

Citing serious concerns for America's security and the average consumer, Weldon wrote, "The very mention of such a problem (at Prudhoe Bay) contributed to the rise of oil prices - already at their highest in many decades - putting pressure on prices at the pump and robbing American consumers of 400,000 barrels of oil a day." He predicted, "This news will continue to hurt the average consumer even more, as August is the peak summer driving season."

Weldon questioned Energy Secretary Bodman and Acting Transportation Secretary Cino on the lack of effective government oversight of the BP pipeline. "Where are the guarantees that your Departments can cooperate with the nations' oil companies to oversee pipeline safety and inspection," Weldon wrote. "It would be logical to assume that regular inspections are carried out by both private and federal agencies to comply with safety and environmental standards of our oil-carrying pipelines. This is an atrocious neglect of basic safety and commercial responsibility."

In addition to his letter to Secs. Bodman and Cino, Weldon also sent a strongly worded letter to BP's CEO Peter Sutherland and his American counterpart Robert Malone. Pointing out their company's gross negligence, Weldon exclaimed, "What is most shocking are the reports that the damaged section of the pipeline was not inspected since 1992." He continued, "I strongly feel that there is no way British Petroleum - with all its cutting edge technology and expertise - can be excused for failing to maintain such an active pipeline segment."

Congressman Weldon's letter to Sutherland and Malone also questioned the timing of BP's decision to shut down the pipeline despite the evidence that its disrepair has been building for some time. "I would like to know what potential problems, if any, were known, until the pipeline shutdown, and why nothing was ever done about them." Weldon also inquired about other motivations for shutting down the pipeline at this time. In particular, he asked whether BP's involvement with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline - which recently became operational to pump oil from the Caspian Sea to the world oil market - had something to do with the timing of the pipeline shut down.

Weldon urged the BP officials to aggressively investigate their company's failure to detect and repair these problems, saying "the American people deserve nothing less."

http://curtweldon.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=48349