New pipeline safety rule pending after increase in accidents

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A long-delayed U.S. government rule to strengthen safety requirements for pipelines that move oil and other hazardous liquids will be unveiled this month following a recent surge in accidents.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said Friday the rule has been cleared by the White House and will be published in the next seven to 10 days.

Dominguez was appearing before a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee field hearing in Billings, Montana.

More than five years in the making, the rule will determine if extra safety measures required in environmentally sensitive and populated areas should be expanded to new locations.

A boom in U.S. energy production has led to rising numbers of pipeline accidents. That includes oil spills this year into Montana's Yellowstone River and along the Southern California coast.

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This version corrects name of pipeline administrator to Marie Therese Dominguez.