christiefan915
Catalyst
What the heck is wrong with this guy? I guess it's okay for death and damage to occur in the name of smaller government and Paul's "philosophical opposition".
(AP) WASHINGTON — The only senator opposed to a bill to toughen federal safety regulation of oil and gas pipelines said Wednesday he's willing to work with Senate leaders to schedule a debate on the measure, but he's still blocking expedited passage.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who is philosophically opposed to federal regulation, also blamed Democratic leaders for the Senate's failure to act on the measure, saying they could have scheduled a debate and vote on the bill at any time...
But a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Paul of "a classic tea party stunt."
"The simple fact is that if Sen. Paul stopped blocking this bill, it would sail through with overwhelming bipartisan support," spokesman Adam Jentleson said...
The bill has wide, bipartisan support and is backed by industry and safety groups. It was approved without opposition by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in May. Paul is the only senator opposing an effort by the bill's Democratic sponsors to pass it swiftly using "unanimous consent" procedures that eliminate the need for a time-consuming debate...
The pipeline bill is, in part, a response to a series of pipeline accidents over the past year and a half, including a gas explosion last year that killed eight people and heavily damaged a suburban subdivision in San Bruno, Calif., near San Francisco. The bill would authorize more federal safety inspectors, and pipeline companies would have to confirm that their records on how much pressure their pipelines can tolerate are accurate...
...Paul's actions show he is "blinded by ideology" and "indifferent to the overwhelming evidence that self-regulation of the gas industry is a prescription for further death and injury," Speier said in a statement.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/28/ap/congress/main20112897.shtml
(AP) WASHINGTON — The only senator opposed to a bill to toughen federal safety regulation of oil and gas pipelines said Wednesday he's willing to work with Senate leaders to schedule a debate on the measure, but he's still blocking expedited passage.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who is philosophically opposed to federal regulation, also blamed Democratic leaders for the Senate's failure to act on the measure, saying they could have scheduled a debate and vote on the bill at any time...
But a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Paul of "a classic tea party stunt."
"The simple fact is that if Sen. Paul stopped blocking this bill, it would sail through with overwhelming bipartisan support," spokesman Adam Jentleson said...
The bill has wide, bipartisan support and is backed by industry and safety groups. It was approved without opposition by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in May. Paul is the only senator opposing an effort by the bill's Democratic sponsors to pass it swiftly using "unanimous consent" procedures that eliminate the need for a time-consuming debate...
The pipeline bill is, in part, a response to a series of pipeline accidents over the past year and a half, including a gas explosion last year that killed eight people and heavily damaged a suburban subdivision in San Bruno, Calif., near San Francisco. The bill would authorize more federal safety inspectors, and pipeline companies would have to confirm that their records on how much pressure their pipelines can tolerate are accurate...
...Paul's actions show he is "blinded by ideology" and "indifferent to the overwhelming evidence that self-regulation of the gas industry is a prescription for further death and injury," Speier said in a statement.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/28/ap/congress/main20112897.shtml