Page 12 - Texas811 Magazine 2020 Issue 3

7
If It Doesn t Include All
By Roger Cox
PIESWQHK
Acrs Now, mo.
fieelive enloreenienr is nol a inleresling dialogue. llowever, gzlling working. Fines are for Ihusz who refuse
new eoneepl. It is not even a all stakeholders involved was and is, In ebange their poor bebavior.
new eoneepl as it relatzs to sman for all the reasons you already Th 1], . I f _
the enforcement of a slatzs dig know. Try a operator ° ,° lJ:~‘=;“ ° F“ f“j'"°";°" “'3;

laws‘ sometimes rzferrzd to as ‘but that an exeavaror wbo damaged a “figs ‘'‘5‘ “Y5 '5 ‘ “r Y ‘° “F ‘ ‘3
eall laws: Tlne rrnlln is, several years gas line wilboiil a 8n liekei could be P“ “ 5‘ '3'

ago us. congress, reaeling to national fined, bin lbar same eneavamr who Enforcemznt also bas a crutial role In
rragedies involving nndergronnd gas da.naged a warer .nain without ealling play in line erirninal and eivil juslice
and pipelines and ar.ned with statistics in a so Iicket eonld not be lined systems ol a modern, delnocratic
sbowing more than se% or all da.nages bztause,‘T11aI's not .ny ynrisdielion: sociely; cmnsnqllently, lhzre mus! be

In imdergroimd laeiliiies were eansed Anolhzr immediare frustration onen wavs ro enforcz lbe rules.

by third parlies, made protecting zncountzred is the excavator being beld _ _

nndergronnd lines a bigb priorily, and accountable for not properly exposing Imagine if there Wm no -nsaus of
rightly so. lbe imdergroimd utility but bas no ‘°“°“'“g P'°P?“Y “mi ‘1"“ "‘PP°"‘

. . reeonrse if the utility line isn't marlred M15 9' €n‘°rr_-11: traffic lawsrsucli as
As a rzsultofthls eongressional in 3 mm [Simon speeding or driving nnder rbe mllnenee.
intzreslv lbe Pipeline and Hazardous V ‘ .
Marerials Safety Adminislralion Back in rbe earliesr days of sneb ”.°‘?P'“ °"*?"“d ‘° Pay 3 ‘°“"‘!“d3‘“°“"
(PHMSA) issued a rlireelive rbal rliseiissions, il didnl appear Io me ilnal “W1 Penalties» and <0-n_PmsaU°n
slalrebolders eome together to ereaie a any one stakeholder group was opposed 3‘Val‘d5v °r_|° mmply wul} 11“ -er-_ns of
measnrable and more zfieclive damage to acmllnlabilily. on the eonlrary, 3 ‘°"'¥""'“'¥ “"‘“‘"i ‘’i'" have W1“
prevzntion program in eaeb slale— everyone seemed to undzrstand and °‘‘ "D f“““‘“’‘ '11 do 50 lf lhzy know
one that is based on actounlability endorsed the prineiple ol aeeonnlabiliiy. {"95" '5 "° ‘““}‘V" ‘mans 0‘ en‘°rr_mg
and prelerably at rbe loeal stale In pan beeanse all srabeliolders were '1-“"1955 “W is info-npt and Effective
level. And again, llne loens was to aware of (raffic laws and bow rbey °“‘°“‘""“",‘~ P“"%“'%5 3"“ P“""‘,
pxoletl nndergronnd pipeline and gas workzd. ‘°““‘*’“‘,‘“ ‘“ "‘°l“““° ’Y“‘"“ ""“ 5“
inrrasn-nernre. . ““‘‘“‘“‘"*‘*>
[is not the line lhal eanses us In drwe ,

-rbe nine zlemznts of L-Hective damage wiibin ibe speed limit: its the lbreal ol Th“ "'°‘*“1 °‘ °“‘“'‘’“ “"‘‘"‘"''°'"
prevzntion programs were eired by the fine. If it were not llnere, most olns "*5 a"““‘-V W" ‘*°‘°P‘“‘ 3"“.

congress in Ihe Pipelinz Inspection, would drive mneb lasrer. Tbe lbreal of °'“b“““‘ “Y °}" 91"“ °’*‘“‘5- “
Proieelionv lznloreemenl and Safzly llie fine, speed limil signs‘ lbe palrol ear “Ems °"1y lnglcal and -jeasona|_=l2 llwal
(PIPES) Act of 2005. Nalurally, lbe on rbe side of the lnigbway, billboards 5‘a’<"h°ldm_ Charged W-th 1°_°1_“"€ out
activity at lbe lederal level ereaied and ulhzr adverlisernenis all worked ‘°“_”‘“ 1"“ '?‘“‘“5“ °‘ °‘" °‘“"'“r
attivily at lbe stale level, in part as lbe togzther Io remind us In drive safzly. W‘? lmvlzrung our undo-‘ground
rzsult of lzlemenls a and 7. lzlemenr z N h. h Hi . 1 1 1 H ‘d'“"f“'“°“,"°.'l‘V°“” E“? ‘’'‘'‘3’ “’

is v.FDm_mg “ppm and partnership do ig way o era wlzn s ad ne ns, eve op a slm| ar slan ar —one
o‘a11mkzhD]dm_.And “mum Elgyslmp yfwam os owns own. ‘ created by eonsensns rbal would proreel
E1Emen(7[s|lFa[r and mnsimm h eenve en oreerneni |S not now ncu rbose who do whats rigbl, edneale all
mmmm‘ D‘ me 1”. as |( ever been, abnut lines. us a mvolved so lbai lhn desired bebavior is

ebange in our bebavior that is expected known and bold accountable (hose wbo

oelining "support and parinersbip and if we slow down, iben rbe law is

olall stakzholderi crzalzd some

10 . Tzxsssll 2020 Issue 3