Good morning. I appreciate your inviting me to appear today to discuss the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the pipeline accident near Carlsbad, New Mexico and pipeline safety issues.

Until tragedy strikes, most people don't think about pipeline safety. Pipelines are buried beneath the ground, out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Although pipelines generally provide a safe means of transporting natural gas and hazardous liquids, when a pipeline ruptures, it can spell disaster.

In the last 15 months, we have seen 2 tragic pipeline accidents that have drawn National attention. The first accident occurred in Bellingham, Washington where a 16-inch diameter hazardous liquid pipeline ruptured. Nearly ¼ million gallons of gasoline were released. Two young boys and a young man lost their lives as a result of that accident.

The second accident occurred last month near Carlsbad, New Mexico. A 30-inch diameter natural gas pipeline, operated by El Paso Natural Gas, violently ruptured near the Pecos River. This time 12 people lost their lives. As soon as we learned of this accident, NTSB sent a 10-member team to investigate.

The pipeline that ruptured in Carlsbad is a high-pressure transmission pipeline that transports natural gas from Texas and New Mexico to Arizona and California. Preliminary information indicates that about 5:30 am, pressure within the pipeline dropped from 673 psig to 377 psig. The maximum allowable operating pressure for this pipeline was 837 psig.

The rupture left a hole in the ground, 86 feet long, 46 feet wide, and 20 feet deep. A 22-foot segment of pipe was hurled approximately 270 feet west, where it struck support cables for a bridge that crosses the river. Another 20-foot segment of pipe was thrown onto the south side of the crater. In all, approximately 59 feet of pipe was damaged.

When the Carlsbad Fire Department arrived at the accident site about 6:12 am, the flames were estimated to be about 500 feet high. About 6:21 am, El Paso's employees closed manually operated valves to shut off the flow of gas.

Postaccident inspection of the failed pipe section disclosed significant internal corrosion. In some areas, we found over 50-percent pipe wall loss. A detailed metallurgical examination of the pipe will be conducted at NTSB's materials laboratory in Washington, D.C.

A corrosion specialist on our staff is now trying to identify corrosive agents that may have been present in the pipeline. He has taken samples of liquid material from several places inside the pipeline for chemical analysis. Additionally we are reviewing El Paso's internal corrosion control program.

The pipeline was constructed about 1950. The segment of pipe that ruptured had not been cleaned by internal maintenance tools (cleaning pigs) as had segments on either side of the river crossing. Further, this section of pipeline had not been inspected with an intelligent internal inspection device (smart pig). As constructed, it could not accommodate these tools.

The New Mexico State Police, Eddy County Sheriff's Office, Carlsbad Fire Department and many other local organizations provided valuable help to us throughout our on-scene accident investigation. On behalf of NTSB, I would like to thank all of the organizations and individuals.

Pipeline integrity has been of concern to NTSB for many years. In fact, 13 years ago, the Safety Board recommended that there be Federal testing requirements for pipelines. However, as it now stands, after a pipeline is constructed, there is no requirement to test it periodically.

Periodic testing requirements for liquid pipelines have now been proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. We understand that the proposed rule will become effective this later this Fall. We also understand that the DOT will follow up with similar testing requirements for natural gas pipelines.

Periodic testing becomes more important as our pipeline systems age. Although age by itself does not mean a pipeline is unsafe, pipelines must be periodically inspected to determine if they have deteriorated or have been damaged.

The Safety Board is currently investigating six pipeline accidents with potential pipeline integrity problems. The accidents occurred during 1999 and 2000. In these accidents, the lack of inspections or adequate corrective actions may be relevant safety issues.

The Safety Board has scheduled a Pipeline Safety Hearing for November 15 and 16 in Washington, D.C. The hearing will provide a forum to examine the technologies available to assess the integrity of pipelines, such as internal inspection tools, and to examine the ability of pipeline operating systems to identify leaks and to prompt timely responses. The hearing will also explore the status of ongoing research in these areas.

In closing, I would like to thank you again for inviting me to appear today.