Sen. Rand Paul opposes pipeline bill as too lax

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A pipeline safety bill before the U.S. Senate is not stringent enough, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a libertarian foe of regulation, said Wednesday.

Paul urged the Senate to add recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board that include retrofitting existing pipelines in residential areas with automatic and remote shutoff valves, the Los Angeles Times reported. The board made the recommendations after the deadly gas explosion in San Bruno, Calif., last year that destroyed 38 houses and killed eight people.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., whose district includes San Bruno, suggested Paul is being obstructionist by keeping the bill from a Senate vote. She said she has received no input from Paul's office when she introduced bills including the NTSB recommendations in the House.

The legislation before both houses of Congress increases the number of inspectors and the size of fines for pipeline safety violations. It requires remote and automatic shutoff on new pipelines.

Since the San Bruno explosion there have been three major incidents -- including an explosion in Allentown, Pa., that killed five and spills in the Yellowstone and Kalamazoo rivers.