The Pipeline From Hell
28th August 2023
Did you know that there is a federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)? But of course there is. And you might suppose that since pipelines carry mostly oil and natural gas, it would be housed inside the Department of Energy. But no: it is part of the Department of Transportation. So we have yet another instance of government cabinet department that does nothing to produce an increased supply of the thing it was created for (energy, but see also: education), while a department that is widely failing in its primary responsibility (transportation) has jurisdiction over oil and gas pipelines.