"Three Democratic lawmakers are raising concerns about the state of coastal U.S. oil and gas pipelines.
Reps. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Alan Lowenthal (Calif.) and Joe Cunningham (S.C.) on Tuesday asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the Department of Interior’s ability to “ensure the integrity of older oil and gas pipeline infrastructure in federal offshore waters, and the increasing risk of leaks caused but hurricanes, corrosion, accidental damage, or other factors.”
The pipelines of specific concern run under the Gulf of Mexico, California coast and the Arctic.
In their letter, the lawmakers specifically asked the government watchdog to look into the known condition of the pipelines and any environmental risks associated with them, as well as for details about the level of responsibility that Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has for pipeline safety."