State Control Over Pipeline Security Is Sought

ALBANY — In the wake of the alleged terrorist plot to ignite fuel tanks and pipelines and blow up Kennedy International Airport and parts of Queens, lawmakers are pushing legislation that would give the state control over the security of hundreds of miles of natural gas, petroleum, and jet fuel pipelines.

A draft bill authored by majority members in the Senate and the Assembly would take authority over security decisions away from private companies that operate the pipelines and turn them over to the state's office of homeland security.

While the companies would still provide the security, such as guards, fences, and monitoring, the homeland security office would review security measures and recommend any changes. The state's Public Service Commission would have the power to require that the companies implement revised security measures.

"We are fortunate to dodge a bullet at JFK, but we should not wait for disaster to strike before taking action," the bill's Assembly sponsor, Michael Gianaris, a Democrat who represents a district in Queens, said in a statement. "Security for this sensitive infrastructure is a matter of public concern, and the public deserves a role in ensuring that security is adequate."

Mr. Gianaris, and the bill's Senate Republican sponsor, Dean Skelos, of Long Island, said the legislation was developed in coordination with Governor Spitzer's homeland security chief, Michael Balboni, a former Republican state senator of Long Island.

Despite Mr. Balboni's involvement, it's unclear whether Mr. Spitzer will support the bill. "We are certainly concerned about infrastructure protection," a spokeswoman for Mr. Spitzer, Christine Anderson, said via e-mail. She said she couldn't comment on the bill until the governor's office sees the final legislation.

The lawmakers said they couldn't point to any weaknesses in the security protocols used by the private companies that operate the pipeline systems, such as Buckeye Partners. Mr. Gianaris said, however, he is concerned that companies have financial incentives that may detract from overall public safety.

A spokesman for Buckeye, which operates the pipelines targeted by the alleged plotters, did not return calls for comment.

The company reportedly has its employees inspect the pipelines daily on car and foot and uses valves and sensors that allow it to immediately shut off the flow of fuel if a rupture is detected. "It's not like the pipeline is a stick of dynamite and the whole thing would blow up," a spokesman for the company told The New York Times.