US requires higher safety standards for more pipelines

By JOHN FLESHER
AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A new federal regulation requires higher safety standards for pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids through sensitive areas. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued the rule Thursday. It designates the Great Lakes region, marine coastal waters and beaches as “high consequence” zones that spills could severely damage. Operators must include those areas in programs that monitor pipeline integrity. The agency estimates that 2,905 additional miles (4,675 kilometers) of hazardous liquid pipelines will be covered, primarily along the Gulf of Mexico.