Actually a couple of years ago I ran into this very issue. You are correct. If they leak in "remote" locations then it is regulated. There was an actual tightening of this regulation a few years back, but I don't have this information at my fingertips (DOT OPS Pipeline Safety Regulations, Hazardous Liquids Part 195). Will look for pertinent sections and will post links to the OPS.
For a quick sample from news feeds
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Wear caused gas leak in Olympic pipeline But source of spark that triggered fire remains unknown
A pinhole-sized leak caused by wear unleashed thousands of gallons of gasoline that fueled the Olympic Pipe Line fire and explosion near Westfield Shoppingtown Southcenter early Sunday, investigators said yesterday. But the source of the spark that ignited the gas remained unknown
The Druzhba pipeline, a 2,500-mile-long steel straw leading from oil fields in Siberia to consumers in central and Eastern Europe, ruptured on Saturday toward the western end of its journey, in the Bryansk region, near the border with Belarus.
Oil multinationals in Nigeria have shut off 210,000 barrels of daily crude production after an unexplained leak on a shared pipeline, oil industry officials said Tuesday.
Then again - some headlines are outright wrong
Oil Gushes into Arctic Ocean from BP Pipeline (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0321-06.htm)
OTOH - other than crude opipelines leak as well:
DONNER SUMMIT, Calif., April 5, 2005 – The California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), in cooperation with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), the United States Forest Service (USFS) and county fire and emergency services, announced today that a section of KMP’s 8-inch diameter pipeline that transports gasoline, jet fuel and diesel from Rocklin, Calif., to Reno, Nev., has been repaired and is expected to resume service Tuesday afternoon.
KMP shut down the pipeline as a precautionary measure April 1, following a report of gasoline odors, and the product inside the pipeline was drained. Investigators found evidence of a petroleum sheen in the area, but no actual accumulation of gasoline. There was no fire or injuries and OSPR representatives have reported no instances of damage to wildlife
Anyway, I could go on. The news folks have thier own agenda, the polititions have their own agenda.
SO long as you have deep pockets, you had better be better than perfect, or at least have good lawyers : )