July 8, 2011: Markey on The Rachel Maddow Show talking Yellowstone oil spill, pipeline safety

Dispute over Depth of ExxonMobil Pipeline, Extreme Precipitation from Changing Climate Spark Need for Review, Says Congressman

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked the agency in charge of pipeline safety to report the locations and required depth standards for buried oil and gas pipelines in U.S. waterways. The query follows a dispute over whether the Exxon Silvertip pipeline that ruptured into the Yellowstone River was buried at an appropriate depth.

"We need to know if there are any other ticking time bombs buried beneath America's waterways," said Rep. Markey, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. "We cannot allow the Yellowstone spill to just wash away in the tide of time before examining where else this kind of accident could occur in America's waters."