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Our Opinion: Safety first

Many Americans are uncomfortably, personally aware of the need for pipelines, especially those carrying natural gas, to be constructed and maintained safely. Several pipeline accidents during the past few years make that clear.

New guidelines issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are aimed at improving safety and preventing accidents, as we reported Monday.

But some in the industry argue the new rules will be counterproductive.

An official of the American Petroleum Institute told our reporter pipeline operators work hard and spend “billions of dollars every year to construct, operate and maintain their facilities in a safe and reliable manner. It makes little sense to issue a rule that at times inhibits or weakens an operator’s ability to do that.”

Government regulations have been known to be counterproductive.

Then again, some industries have been known to say that is so without any foundation for their claims.

President Donald Trump’s new administration offers an opportunity to hear critics of the new PHMSA rules out. If they are correct — as judged by independent analysts — the regulations should be withdrawn and rewritten to ensure they make pipelines safer and do not merely add to the cost of constructing and maintaining them.

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