Comment from David Inouye
David InouyeSupportAdvocacy
Summary: Dr. David W. Inouye, representing an NGO and academic affiliations, supports the proposed rule to strengthen pipeline safety. He emphasizes the need for robust emergency response plans that prioritize public health, environmental justice, and the involvement of multiple stakeholders to prevent disasters.
I'm an ecologist and also Board member of a NGO focused on the consequences of oil and gas infrastructure. I am writing to express my support for strengthening PHMSA's Docket No. PHMSA-2021-0046. I am particularly concerned about the environmental and health consequences of pipeline leaks. This proposal will protect both health and the environment, by reducing (they can probably never be eliminated) large and small leaks that threaten citizens' health and that of our environment. Emergency response plans must be updated, and it is crucial to involve multiple parties, including but not limited to: pipeline operators, first responders, relevant government actors from the local to federal agency level, and local hospital systems. We have seen some major disasters recently from transport and transmission of fossil fuels that illustrate the importance of emergency response plans. I would like to see PHMSA finalize this rulemaking in such a way that public health, occupational safety, and environmental justice are at the forefront. This should be done as soon as possible to avert another disaster where policy has been lacking.
Thank you for proposing this rule and for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Dr. David W. Inouye, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and University of Maryland