Oil pipeline safety rule scaled back after cost objections

Oil pipeline safety rule scaled back after cost objections | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - This Dec. 10, 2016, file photo, provided by the North Dakota Department of Health shows an oil spill from the Belle Fourche Pipeline that was discovered Dec. 5, 2016 in Ash Coulee Creek, a tributary of the Little Missouri River, near Belfield, N.D. President Barack Obama's administration has scaled back new safety measures for the sprawling network of fuel pipelines that crisscross the United States after complaints from industry over the potential cost. The administration on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, finalized new regulations for almost 200,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, gasoline and other hazardous liquids. A proposed requirement for companies to immediately repair problems discovered on their lines was dropped. (Scott Stockdill/North Dakota Department of Health via AP, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. – President Barack Obama’s administration has scaled back new safety measures for the sprawling network of fuel pipelines that crisscross the United States after oil industry complaints over the cost.

The administration has released long-delayed regulations for almost 200,000 miles of pipelines that transport oil, gasoline and other hazardous liquids.

The changes Friday include more rigorous inspections of lines in rural areas and new requirements for leak detection systems.

But an earlier proposal for companies to immediately repair cracks and other problems in their lines was dropped. Documents show the change followed a meeting last month between officials from the Transportation Department, the White House and the oil industry.

Thousands of pipeline accidents over the past decade caused $2.5 billion in damages nationwide and dumped almost 38 million gallons of fuels.

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