Starting Tuesday, U.S. regulators will hold regular meetings on
oil and natural gas pipeline safety standards. A series of
pipeline issues, ranging from a deadly gas pipeline explosion in
California, to a massive oil spill in Michigan, have brought
pipeline safety to the forefront of the American energy debate.
The safety meetings, scheduled in Virginia, come days after
environmental regulators in Nebraska end a public comment period
for Keystone XL, one of the most contentious U.S. pipeline
issues. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration scheduled hearings beginning Dec. 11 in Virginia.
During those meetings, safety committees are expected to review
proposed rules related to pipeline damage prevention. PHMSA
described the committees as " statutorily mandated advisory
committees that advise PHMSA on proposed safety standards, risks
assessments, and safety policies for natural gas pipelines and
for hazardous liquid pipelines." In October, the Nebraska
Department of Environmental Quality