SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PG&E today issued the following statement from Chairman, CEO and President Tony Earley regarding the pipeline safety legislation passed last night by the U.S. Senate and earlier this week by the U.S. House of Representatives:
The new pipeline safety requirements at the heart of this legislation represent an important step forward in protecting public safety. We fully support it and we thank the broad bi-partisan group that came together to move this important legislation to the President's desk. The fact that this legislation received such wide support on both sides of the aisle in Congress is a reflection of how timely and critical these new standards are to assuring the public of the integrity of pipelines that serve their communities.
We especially applaud the bill's rules setting tougher standards for testing and verifying the integrity of older pipelines. Over the past year, we've already launched an unprecedented effort to test the integrity of thousands of miles of pipelines and validate safe operating pressures across PG&E's system. As a result, we expect to be among the first utilities in the country—if not the first—to meet the new requirements.
PG&E also recognizes that meeting the basic rules and requirements set by policymakers is just the starting point for safe operations. We will continue to assess our system and operations with a focus on doing whatever it takes—including going above and beyond what's required—to run our business safely for the public and our employees.
In keeping with that commitment, we will also continue to work with state and national policymakers to identify further opportunities to raise the bar on safety going forward.
SOURCE PG&E
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