Here’s one interesting revelation from today’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the Michigan pipeline spill: the agency in charge of pipeline safety currently only has 110 inspectors, even though Congress has authorized funds for 137.
The difference may not seem significant, but every little bit counts for an agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, that pipeline safety experts say does not have the inspectors necessary to adequately oversee the country’s 2.3 million miles of pipelines.
For more on today’s hearing, see my story. The White House asked lawmakers for 40 more inspectors for the agency in draft legislation it sent to Congress today.