"A report issued on Monday by the National Wildlife Federation asserts that federal laws regulating oil pipelines are inadequate in several crucial areas and that local regulations do not provide sufficient protection against safety and environmental risks."
"The report, which focuses on the Great Lakes region, said that current federal rules do not take into account the long-term risks and environmental impacts of new pipeline routes.
It also found that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which oversees pipelines in the United States, gives companies too much discretion in how they manage their own pipelines.
'We concluded that current laws leave the door open to future spills,' said Sara Gosman, an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School who researched pipeline regulation and wrote the report with three law students.'Oil pipelines are out of sight, but that doesn’t mean the risks of these pipelines should be out of mind.' "
Dan Frosch reports for the New York Times' Green blog April 30, 2012.
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