April 17, 2008

Utilities commission hires new director of pipeline safety

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The state has hired a new director of pipeline safety to oversee safety programs and inspections of petroleum and natural-gas pipelines.

Anne F. Soiza will join the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) April 21.

Since 2006, Soiza has been the staewide compliance manager in the Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (DOSH) at the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), guiding more than 150 inspectors, management and L&I's industrial hygiene laboratory. Before that, Soiza led the division's workplace safety training and technical training program for more than eight years. Her technical expertise is in chemical safety systems and emergency response.

“Anne has devoted more than 20 years of her career to public safety,” said UTC Chairman Mark Sidran. “Her experience and skill in both industry outreach and training and firm but fair enforcement make her a perfect fit for this vital function.”

The UTC regulates the safety practices of 28 pipeline companies and more than 21,000 miles of underground pipelines. Soiza will supervise safety inspectors, engineers, policy specialists and analysts that create detailed maps of state pipeline routes.

Soiza, 47, lives in Tumwater with her husband, Frank, and two children. She is a graduate in chemistry from Willamette University in Salem, Ore.