The pipeline safety act signed by President Obama last week after being unanimously passed in both the House and Senate gives the secretary of Transportation the power to quickly issue emergency orders for the pipeline industry if an incident exposes a widespread problem.

American Petroleum Institute (API) Pipeline Director Peter Lidiak says he “welcomed” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation findings and recommendations for the 2010 crude oil spill in Marshall, Michigan.

Pervasive organizational failures by a pipeline operator along with weak federal regulations led to a pipeline rupture and subsequent oil spill in 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday.