PBS Exposes Egregious Lapses in Pipeline Safety - NO Gas Pipeline in Jersey City!

By Stephen Musgrave

"Safety is our number one priority." 

It's a the refrain from those who represent something that is inherently dangerous.  It's a claim that reveals that the truth of the matter, that a disaster is likely to happen over the life of a pipeline.  It's what we're told by Spectra Energy with regard to their planned pipeline through Jersey City:  Safety is our number one priority.

Tonight, PBS broadcast a stunning expose of pipelines being struck again and again due to mismarking and blatant negligence on behalf of the pipeline companies and their regulators.  The PBS Need to Know segment featured the work of Brett Shipp, an award-winning reporter for WFAA in Dallas, who investigated the cause of a fatal natural gas pipeline explosion in June of 2010. 

This particular operator, Enterprise Products Partners, has failed to pay their paltry fine from the Texas Railroad Commission, who themselves have received an amazing amount of campaign financing from the oil and gas industry – bought off to look the other way as they pad their political careers.  I will remind you that FERC, the agency that will either approve or deny the Jersey City pipeline, is funding by a portion of gas industry profits and is a reolving door for gas industry executives.

This is the climate that we're dealing with – MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT!

The segment is below.  Watch it and then call Governor Christie's office (609-292-6000) and insist that he seek intervenor standing with FERC to prevent this pipeline from coming through Jersey City.  Spectra Energy is filing their application any day now that starts the clock on a 30 day window to file for intervenor standing. 

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!