Subject: Re: Messages in wake of USA Today
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 13:08:00 -0800 (PST)

These are very good responses.  It's quite possible that the USA Today 
article will prompt some calls to EOTT about our pipelines and I think we 
should have one person (at Enron) to whom all such calls should be referred.  
It probably would not be in our  best interest to have multiple answers 
coming from multiple sources at EOTT.  Stan or Scott should tell us who the 
answer person should be and then we should get the word out to everyone 
accordingly.  SWD

Michael Burke
03/18/2000 07:54 PM
To: Vision & Values, Regional Business Managers, Operations-Governance, 
Pipeline and Terminal District Managers
cc: Stanley Horton/Corp/Enron@Enron, Scott Vonderheide/Corp/Enron@Enron 

Subject: Messages in wake of USA Today

Winner & Associates ( a public relations firm working for the Association of 
Oil Pipelines) wrote the following excellent advice about fielding press 
calls stimulated by this week's USA Today story.

* What happened in Bellingham was a tragic accident that all of us in the 
pipeline industry feel terrible about.

* It is critically important to us in the industry that we know precisely 
what happened so that we can learn from this tragic accident and improve all 
of our operations as much as possible.

* Because the accident investigation is still underway, no one can yet know 
what caused it, and it is not responsible or productive for anyone to 
speculate.

* The pipeline industry has an excellent safety record, one that is 
constantly improving.  We are proud of the job we do, and are always striving 
to do it better and safer.

* It is important always to understand what pipelines are and the essential 
part they play in our daily lives.

* Pipelines in this country deliver safely and efficiently much of the raw 
product America needs for a growing economy and its high quality of life.  
Pipelines deliver 2/3 of the petroleum products we use to fill our cars with 
gasoline, fill our planes with jet fuels, heat our homes with heating oil, 
and produce plastics, agricultural products, and pharmaceuticals.  Pipelines 
also are vital to the national defense of this country.

* The pipelines that we operate supply people and industries in this area and 
are essential to the quality of life we all enjoy.

* The public should know that the first line of defense against underground 
damage is preventing third-party damage, for the public can play an important 
role in accident prevention.

* Excavation damage is the largest single cause, by far, of pipeline 
accidents.

* The pipeline industry is leading an intense effort nationwide, and in this 
area as well, to institute programs that will help prevent this kind of 
damage.  Our company is an active participant in this effort.

Should reporters wish to discuss the reauthorization process, company 
spokespersons can deliver the following messages in a general way, or can 
refer reporters to AOPL for a more detailed discussion.

* The reauthorization process in the Congress occurs every four years and is 
taking place this year.  The process is a good way to review performance and 
to consider new ideas.  We believe in strong federal regulation of the 
industry and its safety standards. We are always open to discussing new ideas 
to improve safety.

* It is important that pipeline operations be regulated as total systems.  
Our companies operate across state lines and, therefore, it is imperative 
that the federal government establish a set of rules that apply uniformly in 
each of the fifty states.

* States do have an important role to play.  We need states to be involved in 
pipeline safety.  Over 75% of pipelines are intra-state pipelines, and state 
regulatory activities and resources should be concentrated there.

* State law governs the one-call process, the process that lets an excavator 
make one call to have any underground facilities marked before beginning the 
job.  It is the first line of defense against underground damage.

* Maintaining pipeline integrity is our number one job.  We use a range of 
tools to test pipeline integrity: cathodic protection, smart pigs, 
hydrostatic testing, and visual inspection.  Each pipeline is unique, and 
different integrity measures apply to different pipelines.

* The Office of Pipeline Safety understands the industry and its safety 
efforts.  It is developing a rule that will require all companies to publicly 
explain the methods they are using to test their pipelines. This rule will 
encompass all of the testing tools and focus on how the information is 
brought together to make an informed judgment about a given pipeline's 
integrity.

 - Media.strategy.3.15.rtf