The apple did not fall far from the tree in the Paul family.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senator who opposes federal regulation on philosophical grounds is single-handedly blocking legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines, a bill that even the pipeline industry and companies in his own state support.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul's opposition to the bill hasn't wavered even after a gas pipeline rupture last week shook people awake in three counties in his home state of Kentucky. [...]
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the bill in May without opposition. It would authorize more federal safety inspectors, and pipeline companies would have to confirm that their records on how much pressure their pipelines can tolerate are accurate.
Under the bill, federal regulators could order that automatic shutoff valves be installed on new pipelines so leaks can be halted sooner. And it directs regulators to determine whether mandatory inspections of aging pipelines in densely populated areas should be expanded to include lines in rural areas. It would be paid for by industry fees.
Pipeline operators would be required to provide accurate levels of pressure tolerance and install shutoff valves in case of leaks or explosions? How rude! The industry cannot possibly tolerate this encroachment of Big Government!
Except it can. In fact, the industry supports the bill. So why does Rand Paul object? Just because.
These regulations could actually save lives, but because of his paranoid delusions ideology, Senator Rand Paul just says no.