Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the witnesses for appearing today before the committee in order to discuss this important topic.

Over the past few years, BP has devoted a great deal of time and money towards promoting its image as an environmentally responsible company. I’ve seen the TV advertisements in which BP brags that it is “the biggest investor in new U.S. energy development.” Yet, for years, BP has failed to adequately invest in its own pipelines and has been grossly negligent. It has not lived up to the image it has spent so much money creating.

Alyeska Pipeline Service, which operates the trans-Alaskan pipeline, runs a smart pig every 3 years and maintenance pigs every 14 days through its pipeline. In contrast, BP had not run a smart pig through its western line since 1998 and did not pig the eastern section since 1992, even though smart pigging is a very effective way to spot pipeline damage.

The DOT ordered BP to pig its lines on March 15. I am baffled as to why it took until July for BP to finally comply with the order. BP’s sluggish response is a further testament to its arrogant management and wonton disregard for responsible corporate stewardship.

As a result of BP’s chronic neglect, over 200,000 gallons of oil have been spilled, and BP must now replace 16 of the 22 miles of corroded “low-stress” pipeline in Prudhoe Bay. I find it incomprehensible that a company that posted approximately $25 billion in profits last year and spent millions in advertising to promote its image, did not allocate adequate funding to do basic maintenance on its pipelines. How can a company that claims to be environmentally responsible have two oil spills in Alaska in 6 months, all along resisting cooperating with regulators?

Yet, BP does not bear all of the blame for the shutdown in Prudhoe Bay. The public expects federal and state government to conduct adequate oversight of companies that fail to do rudimentary pipe maintenance.

Ultimately, the average American is bearing the brunt of BP’s failures and the government’s failures. Gas prices are at near record highs while our biggest oil field is only producing approximately half of its normal output. I hope today’s hearing does more than simply assign blame.

I hope that today we can determine what steps we need to take to prevent this gross negligence from occurring again. The DOT has proposed a rule to regulate low-stress pipelines in “unusually sensitive” rural areas.

In light of this spill, I hope that today we consider expanding the scope of this rule to include all low-stress pipelines. Let us not be too lax in our response and open the door to the possibility of another spill occurring under our watch. Our top priority must be prevention. I hope today’s hearing will shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed rule and help guide our future policymaking on this vital issue.

I thank the Chairman and ranking member for holding this hearing, and I thank the witnesses for being here. I’m looking forward to your testimony. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.