During a House Energy Committee hearing before the Congressional Recess, Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) asked Executive Director of the Pipeline Safety Trust Bill Caram about old pipelines that are set to be replaced.
00:00Yields back and the chair now recognizes the gentlelady from North Dakota for five minutes for questions
00:10Excellent, thank you. I wasn't expecting to be up so soon. I'm usually the very last so guess it pays to stick around
00:19Well, thank you all for being here. I appreciate you lending your expertise to this very very important subject
00:25I've been a pipeline proponent for many years. I spent 12 years as a utility regulator and permitted a lot of pipelines
00:33Myself in the state of North Dakota. I'm so I want to talk a little bit about
00:37the state role first
00:41Recognize that I have recognized the challenges of FIMS in terms of staffing for four years
00:47One of the challenges is they don't operate a state inspection
00:51Training program as effectively as they could to help get more state inspectors out there. It takes too long to certify these people
00:59so
01:00what
01:01What do you think they could be doing to help and what are you guys focusing on in terms of encouraging FIMS that to use like remote training programs and really?
01:11Get the training
01:13System up to speed so that the state inspectors can hit the ground running sooner
01:17Mr.. Black may meet you and mr. Karam. It's great to have you on the committee given your role in North Dakota. Thank you and welcome
01:25State inspectors
01:27With quality experience and knowledge on pipeline inspections is very important
01:30I've been to FIMS those training center in Oklahoma City and you're right
01:33It's important to be able to expand the capacity of that training. It's in the industry's interest
01:38Anybody inspired inspecting a pipeline is quality knows what they're doing and is working in concert with others. We'd like to do that
01:45We'd like to also see states reduce
01:47Damage prevention exemptions so that we can protect pipeline safety and then to work in their inspections with FIMS that to make sure that they're not
01:56Duplicative when FIMS that has approved a state to inspect interstate transmission
02:02I would encourage you to encourage FIMS that to do online training for state inspectors at least for some of the programs
02:09They don't have to be present. I'll make that call today. Thank you. Yes, mr. Kim. Yeah, I'll echo mr. Black's comment
02:16I welcome your expertise and experience to the subcommittee and and I think the quality of your question
02:22Really shows the that expertise that you bring and so thank you for it
02:27it is a you've identified a real issue
02:32With state programs I
02:34Think in addition to how long training takes
02:38I think you know increasing FIMS is ability to attract and retain talent. I know there's a lot of competition for
02:46These inspectors once they're trained to be you know paid more by the industry
02:51And so giving FIMS a more flexible well giving the state programs more flexibility under the FIMS a program
02:58And in their ability to attract and retain
03:00Through the funding and their agreements. I think would go a long way in keeping that talent on the state programs longer
03:07Okay, very good. Thank you. I'd also encourage you to make those comments to FIMS. I will do so the
03:14I'm curious about this
03:17demonstration program that was
03:19kind of
03:21choked off by the last administration
03:24Mr. Black I mean everybody here has talked about the use of technology and that's something that we can should be able to agree on on a
03:30Bipartisan manner. Let's use the technology for better purpose. What do we need to do to to reinvigorate this
03:37This pilot program so we can test some of this stuff and and get it in the field
03:42First Congresswoman reauthorized the program in this upcoming reauthorization it lapsed nobody use it
03:48It was because of FIMS applied
03:50Rules that you all didn't tell them to do so tell them to do it without bureaucratic hurdles
03:55I don't think they will apply it the special permit process to it or
03:58NEPA to these decisions, but show FIMS are the importance that you have in
04:04Demonstrating new technologies and how they can improve pipeline safety
04:08Okay, very good and then my last question. It'll have to be
04:12quick
04:14All right our infrastructure is aging it but it's really really hard for companies to build new tech new pipelines
04:21I mean so this one goes to you Mr.
04:23You've got kind of a bully pulpit to talk about these issues in terms of a public safety
04:29position and talk about the value of
04:32Pipelines in terms of being the safest method to transport a lot of these products
04:37What are you doing to help educate the public about the need for?
04:42Replacing old aging pipelines that are more prone to leaks with the new stuff to and to help advocate for
04:49permitting processes that are certain and and in the construction of new pipeline after that
04:56Well, we don't necessarily see the you know permitting reform as part of our mission on pipeline safety
05:02But we do advocate for
05:05You know the pipe replacement program that was in the bipartisan infrastructure act and has been some draft legislation on this round of
05:14And of reauthorization and we continue to support that program to replace that aging leak prone problematic pipe, okay?
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