Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO: (1) provided information on what actions the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) took in response to prior recommendations; (2) discussed problems with RSPA pipeline safety data systems; and (3) summarized the results of RSPA pipeline contractor inspections since 1980.
GAO found that: (1) the only recommendation that remains under review relates to redefining the federal role and responsibilities for ensuring safety of intrastate pipelines; (2) since state participation is voluntary, RSPA cannot require states to maintain an adequate inspection activity level, assume responsibility for additional intrastate pipelines, or correct deficiencies in their programs; (3) RSPA has initiated controls over data entry to improve its accuracy and is using a microcomputer to timely enter data into the system; and (4) of the 20 inspections RSPA conducted of the pipeline operator, 6 required no enforcement action, while 12 required notices of probable violation, of which 3 remained unresolved.
