In May, 2000, the GAO submitted a report on pipeline safety to Rep. John Dingell of the Committee on Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. The full report is available for download on RCP's website here. NOTE: the report file is 2,000 kb, so do not attempt to download this report via a slow internet connection such as a phone line. Some items of interest in the report include:

• in 1999, OPS employed 51 pipeline inspectors, and the states employed about 300
• hazardous liquid pipelines represent about 7% of the regulated pipeline mileage, but cause 50% of the property damage (liquid spills are costly to clean up and can damage a lot of properly, while gas releases tend to dissipate to the atmosphere).
• the three most prevalent causes of pipeline accidents are outside force (45%), "other" (25%), and corrosion (15%).
• the number of "enforcement actions" has risen from 94 in 1990 to 218 in 1998.
• the % of enforcement actions with fines decreased from 49% in 1990 to 4% in 1998 (the GAO wants to DOT to determine if the reduced emphasis on fines is effective).
• OPS is emphasizing "system wide inspections", and plans to conduct 8 system wide inspections in 2000 (up from 4 in 1999).
• OPS is spending more time on construction inspections (546 days in 1999, versus 102 days in 1995).
• OPS is continuing to address open recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.These include items such as pipeline isolation valves, periodic internal inspections of pipelines, and pipeline operator training.