Because of the importance the Board places on this critical safety issue, all five Board Members will participate in this hearing over the next two days. The safe transportation of natural gas and liquid petroleum products is vital to meeting the energy needs of every community in our country.
Pipelines provide a vital transportation service to America.
Today, over 2.1 million miles of pipelines crisscross our country - many of them running under our cities and towns. In addition, the number of customers using natural gas in this country has exceeded 60 million. And, approximately 70 percent of new homes now have natural gas service. As many of you know, the Safety Board has been the eyes and ears of the American people at accident sites for over three decades. And, in those 30 years, we have seen too many tragedies or near-tragedies that were all caused by the same fundamental problems.