Paul Tonko Calls Out GOP 'Dedication To Fossil Fuels' As Barrier To Pipeline Safety Reauthorization

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During a House Energy Committee hearing before the Congressional Recess, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) spoke about barriers to reauthorizing measures that would make pipelines safer.

Transcript

00:00Mr. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New York's 20th District for five minutes for questions.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chair, and welcome to our panelists.

00:08While I hope we can reach consensus on a bipartisan pipeline safety reauthorization,

00:13I have my doubts because recent history has shown that Republicans never miss an opportunity

00:17to promote fossil fuel industry interests, and we failed to reach agreement on a bipartisan bill

00:23last Congress, unlike our colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,

00:27because Republicans couldn't help themselves but to include extraneous provisions intended to promote oil and gas.

00:33And that dedication to fossil fuels led President Trump and Congressional Republicans

00:38to end critical tax credits for fossil fuels' biggest competitors,

00:42renewables in the electricity sector and EVs in the transportation sector.

00:47This happened despite the fact that numerous independent analyses found that

00:51the Republicans' proposal will raise Americans' energy bills by more than $100 annually in the near term,

00:56growing to more than $400 within a decade.

01:00So during our last markup of energy bills, members of the majority continued to invoke

01:04the Keystone XL pipeline, suggesting that the Obama and Biden administrations killed jobs.

01:10But after the big, ugly bill, it has become crissly clear who actually cares about American energy jobs.

01:18Don't take my word for it.

01:19Listen to the people who construct both renewable and pipeline projects.

01:23North America's building trade unions called the Republicans' big, ugly bill, and I quote,

01:28the biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country,

01:31is the equivalent of terminating more than 1,000 Keystone XL pipeline projects.

01:36So all of these years later, Republicans want to continue to relitigate Keystone

01:41while enacting a bill that will kill an estimated 1.75 million construction jobs,

01:45translating to $148 billion in lost annual wages and benefits for American workers.

01:52But Mr. Karam, I want to try to highlight a couple of issues at PHMSA

01:56that may affect its ability to ensure safe operations of pipeline infrastructure.

02:01Your testimony noted that insufficient resources have resulted in PHMSA lacking technical capabilities,

02:08causing the agency to be overly reliant on regulated entities' technical expertise to carry out its responsibilities.

02:14This is an extremely troubling trend being implemented across many agencies by the Trump administration.

02:22Starving important, life-saving regulatory agencies of skilled personnel and resources

02:27is a surefire way to allow corporate entities to cut corners at the expense of everyday Americans

02:32and our collective public interests.

02:36We're seeing this playbook be executed right now as the Trump administration works

02:41to eliminate EPA's Office of Research and Development

02:43and lay off hundreds of chemists, toxicologists, and other scientists.

02:48And that is because these public servants produce independent science

02:52that regulated industries often don't like.

02:55Polluters want their regulators to be toothless, to rely upon them for science,

02:59and to lack the capacity to verify industry, produce studies, or enforce rules.

03:04So, Mr. Karam, I think you might suggest that there has been an historic funding challenge at PHMSA

03:10limiting its ability to be an effective, independent safety regulator.

03:14But do you have a sense of whether things will get better or worse

03:17if Congress further reduces PHMSA funding authorization levels,

03:21as was proposed by committee Republicans just a few years ago?

03:25Yes, I'd have to imagine they would get worse.

03:28So I thank you for that.

03:29And I want to highlight another disturbing trend being advanced by the Trump administration

03:33and Republicans in Congress.

03:35Between the ongoing appropriations process and the big, ugly bill,

03:40federal budget cuts are pushing more and more costs onto state governments,

03:44which will require states to fill funding gaps or be forced to cut benefits and services.

03:49So, Mr. Karam, am I correct that states are partners in the effort

03:52to conduct inspections and oversight of pipelines?

03:55Yes, the vast majority of the pipeline mileage in this country

03:59are under state jurisdiction for inspections and enforcement.

04:03And if that commitment by the feds is reduced, what happens to the states?

04:08Yes, state programs, as we've heard throughout this hearing, are in need of that funding.

04:16They can get up to 80 percent of their pipeline safety program reimbursed by federal funds

04:21through that state grant program, and historically they have not come close to that 80 percent.

04:25So if states are unwilling or unable to cover more of the costs to be effective partners,

04:30will that make Americans more or less safe from potential pipeline risks?

04:35I would imagine safe, less safe.

04:37Less safe.

04:38So not an outcome that we should all be working towards.

04:40So if we can avoid that, we should do our best to do so.

04:44With that, I thank you and I yield back, Mr. Chair.

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