Tag: Senator Rand Paul

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Paul Meets With NTSB to Discuss Pipeline Hold

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is continuing his block on a bill that would update safety regulations on natural gas pipelines. Paul met with members of the National Transportation Safety Board about the matter today.

The legislation was introduced in response to an explosion at a gas pipeline in San Bruno, California last year that killed eight people. The measure has bipartisan support and passed through committee unanimously, but Paul has placed a procedural hold on the bill, which means it can’t be fast-tracked and needs 60 votes to overcome the hurdle.

California’s two senators have called on Paul to lift his hold, stressing the importance of the legislation to prevent other communities from suffering pipeline explosions.

In a statement, Paul stressed the need for sufficient debate on the bill. He said that the legislation was written before the board issued recommendations to prevent another disaster similar to San Bruno. Specifically, he wants a clause removed from the bill that exempts older pipelines from the regulation.

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Environment Local News

California Senators Ask Paul to Lift Hold on Pipeline Safety Bill

California’s U.S. senators are calling on Kentucky’s Rand Paul to stop holding up a pipeline safety bill. The Pipeline Transportation Safety Improvement Act was introduced in February, several months after a gas pipeline burst in San Bruno, California and killed eight people.

Paul has placed a procedural hold on the bill, which means it can’t be fast-tracked and needs 60 votes to overcome the hurdle. In an interview last week, Paul said he didn’t think new regulations should be created without an adequate amount of debate.

In a letter sent to Paul, California’s Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein refuted Paul’s earlier claims that the bill wouldn’t have prevented the San Bruno accident. They’re asking Paul to reconsider the hold, so other communities won’t suffer the same fate.

The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in May. It has bipartisan support, as well as backing from industry groups like the American Gas Association. A House of Representatives committee unanimously passed a similar bill late last month.

In a statement, Paul said it would be a disservice to the victims of the accident not to carefully read the legislation. He is scheduled to meet with experts from the National Transportation Safety Board tomorrow to discuss the issue.

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Local News Politics

Congressman Yarmuth Joins Twitter

Third District Congressman John Yarmuth has joined Twitter. The Louisville Democrat is far from the first Kentucky politician to join the social network. He follows  Republican Senator Rand Paul and GOP congressmen Brett Guthrie, Geoff Davis and Ed Whitfield. Earlier this year, Paul and President Barack Obama had a (very) brief policy chat on Twitter over the debt ceiling.

You can track other lawmakers’ accounts on the Tweet Congress website.

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Local News Next Louisville Politics

Sen. Rand Paul Discusses Possible Presidential Bid

Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul says he’s considering a run for the presidency in 2012 if his father decides not to make another White House bid.

Paul told the Associated Press in an interview Thursday in Louisville that he’s being urged by supporters in several states to make a run if Congressman Ron Paul of Texas does not enter the race.

The younger Paul says his father, who sought the GOP presidential nomination, has not yet made up his mind about the 2012 race.

Sen. Rand Paul took office three months ago after winning election as one of country’s highest profile Tea Party candidates. He says the only decision he’s made about the presidential race is that he will not run against his father.

Paul spoke prior to a speech before the Louisville Rotary Club.