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San Bruno Mayor Stresses Human Factor To Pipeline Industry Execs

SAN BRUNO (KCBS) - The mayor of San Bruno is recently back from a conference in New Orleans that touched very close to home for the Peninsula man: pipeline safety.

"A lot of pipeline safety has to do with algorithms and measurement and pressure but I said you can't forget the people, you can't forget the humanity," Mayor Jim Ruane explained the message he stressed to the industry executives he met with at the Pipeline Safety Trust conference earlier this month.

He relayed what he described as the "human element" of last year's deadly explosion that killed 8 people in San Bruno and leveled much of the Crestmoor neighborhood.

Ruane said that industry executives appeared to appreciate hearing his story, and acknowledged that victims' personal stories can get lost in the process of addressing a pipeline issue or disaster.

KCBS' Betsy Gebhart Reports:

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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