Casey Statement on Gas Pipeline Safety After Meeting with UGI

Statement

U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today released the following statement after meeting with UGI Utilities President and CEO John Walsh to discuss pipeline safety in the wake of the pipeline explosion last month in Allentown:

"Today, I continued to impress upon UGI the need to conduct a thorough investigation of the tragedy in Allentown and to keep the public informed of the investigation. I also pressed UGI on taking every practicable step to prevent another tragedy from happening. Both the private sector and the public sector need to direct greater resources towards accelerating the replacement of aging pipelines. We can replace pipelines, but we cannot replace lives. Federal and state agencies as well as public utilities also need to perform ongoing, comprehensive inspections and provide information to consumers about pipeline safety.

"I will continue to push for an increased focus on pipeline safety by federal and state authorities and companies. And I will closely monitor the progress of UGI's investigation and its actions to correct problems with gas pipelines.

"If anyone has questions about gas pipes in their area, I encourage them to visit UGI's disaster response Web site at www.ugiresponse.com."

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