Regulator again warns of threat to Texas pipelines

By Michael Brick

September 11, 2014

Updated: September 11, 2014 10:23pm

The Houston Chronicle

Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter, provided by RRC 3-28-2013 Photo: Railroad Commission Of Texas Photo: Railroad Commission Of Texas Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter, provided by RRC 3-28-2013

AUSTIN – He went. He saw. He issued another news release.

Making good on his vow to "see the situation firsthand," Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter returned Thursday from a visit to oil installations with a grim safety assessment. But the industry, he stressed, was not to blame.

"South Texas pipelines are vulnerable," announced Porter, whose agency regulates the state's petroleum industry, "because the federal government has abdicated its most basic function to protect our borders."

Repeating an assertion that he made in an open letter last month to the federal Customs and Border Patrol agency, Porter said his concern stems "from several published reports detailing unsettling communication between ISIS, al-Qaida and Mexican cartels." His original letter followed media coverage of speculation by Gov. Rick Perry.

His new statement, issued as the nation observed the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks on New York and the Washington, D.C., area, offered no specific observations or evidence.

Through a spokeswoman, Porter declined to detail his itinerary, citing the safety of his hosts. On the road, his spokeswoman said, Porter "heard firsthand accounts about illegal activities and concerns about the vulnerability of pipelines from those on the ground. He saw debris left from illegals, who were using the right-of-way as a thoroughfare to interstates and rendezvous points."

For the industry and public safety, pipelines present a well-documented threat. Last year, the Congressional Research Service warned that the nation's half-million miles of high-volume pipeline, which carry hazardous materials to refineries, power plants, airports and military bases, remain vulnerable to accidents, spills and terrorist attacks. In Mexico, drug cartels have expanded their interests to include oil piracy. But no evidence has emerged to document any collaboration with radical Islamic militant groups.

Porter, whose seat on the state commission will be up for election in 2016, has turned his focus to geopolitics of late, keeping a focus in his public statements on what he sees as the inadequacies of the Obama administration.

"While neither I - nor the Railroad Commission - have any desire to get into the border security debate, border security has unfortunately made its way into our issues," he said. His statement concluded with some observations about himself, including "a long record of pro-business, free-market conservative credentials."

Michael Brick

Senior Writer

michael.brick@chron.com

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