REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
RECOVERING FROM KATRINA: RESTORING PIPELINES

COLLINS, MS

SEPTEMBER 13, 2005
5:50 PM

Good afternoon. I am pleased to join my colleagues, Secretary Bodman and Secretary Norton.

We are here to get a first-hand look at the Colonial and Plantation facilities here in Collins, Mississippi, which are the two largest pipeline systems serving the East Coast. And like so much else in this region, these facilities felt Katrina’s wrath as she swept through the area.

Although the pipelines themselves were not damaged, the violent storm knocked out power to the pumping stations, stopping the flow of gasoline and jet fuel to much of the East Coast.

But within hours of the storm’s passing, our Departments were already working closely with Colonial and Plantation to get power back to these facilities.

On Wednesday, after the hurricane hit, the Department of Transportation worked side-by-side with the pipeline employees to manually restart flows. At the same time, we were working with our sister agencies to cut through red tape in Washington to get generators to pumping stations to augment the flow.

It was teamwork at its best, and I am grateful to all of the dedicated workers here tonight. At a time when the pipeline employees were fraught with worry over their own homes and families, they put the greater good of the country ahead of their own concerns, and for that, we are truly thankful.

Because of everyone’s heroic efforts, we succeeded in restoring critical pipeline operations within days of the worst natural disaster to hit this great Nation.

Like arteries carrying precious blood to the heart, pipelines transport precious natural resources that are the lifeblood of our country.

The Bush Administration is committed to making sure that the American people have a safe and secure supply of energy. And so, I am announcing today that the Department of Transportation will be reaching out in the coming weeks to our industry partners to determine how best to minimize the vulnerability of our pipeline system in the event of future disasters.

We will be looking at how the government can work together with industry to implement safeguards to prevent the threat of disruptions in the future.

In the end, all of us want to keep America moving, and that starts and ends with a safe, secure, and efficient pipeline system.

Thank you. And travel safely.

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