Washington-Florida Congressman Gus Bilrakis (R) has sought a Congressional hearing from the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection after a teenager in Florida damaged an ammonia pipeline near Tampa, Fla., in November, according to the St. Petersburg Times. After the youth drilled a hole in the pipeline owned by Tampa Pipeline Corp., residents in the surrounding area were evacuated. The teenager, who was looking for money that urban legend held was hidden there, was seriously burned. Bilrakis said he was troubled by the response of the federal Transportation Department, which is charged with pipeline safety, and the Homeland Security Department, which is responsible for pipeline security. He said the agencies failed to provide an explanation about responsibility and whether current regulations are sufficient to protect against vandalism and terrorism. The pipeline supplied the Mosaic Co.’s New Wales phosphate plant.
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