Federal pipeline safety regulators are pursuing President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda, but safety advocates say they haven’t been updating the public as required by law.
Now, those advocates are pushing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to resume posting updates. The Pipeline Safety Trust, a Bellingham, Washington-based group, sent a letter Monday to PHMSA acting Administrator Ben Kochman urging the agency to provide the information.
The safety trust said PHMSA’s failure to post updates ignores the law, obstructs transparency and undermines public trust.
“PHMSA is hindering the public and Congress’ ability to effectively monitor its progress in implementing critical safety reforms,” Erin Sutherland, policy and program director and counsel for the Pipeline Safety Trust, said in a statement. “We respectfully urge PHMSA to come back into compliance with the law and to provide a timeline on when it plans to do so.”
