To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the establishment of an Office of Public Engagement in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes key definitions for the Pipeline Accountability Act including Administration (PHMSA), appropriate committees of Congress, environment (broadly defined to include water, air, land, and future generations), requires the Secretary to consider climate impacts and transition plans toward non-emitting alternatives when prescribing pipeline safety standards, and requires strengthens conflict of interest rules for technical safety standards committee members by prohibiting individuals with financial interests in pipeline, petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries from serving. It relies on compliance mandates, reporting requirements, product standards, and definition changes. The main policy areas are Energy, Transportation, Public Safety, and Trade.
Who Benefits and How
Environmental advocacy groups would be affected, Communities near pipelines could face reduced risk, and Pipeline valve and equipment manufacturers could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Pipeline operators could face increased risk, Hazardous liquid pipeline operators could face higher costs, and Carbon dioxide pipeline operators could face higher costs.
Key Provisions
- Establishes key definitions for the Pipeline Accountability Act including Administration (PHMSA), appropriate committees of Congress, environment (broadly defined to include water, air, land, and future generations)...
- Requires the Secretary to consider climate impacts and transition plans toward non-emitting alternatives when prescribing pipeline safety standards.
- Requires strengthens conflict of interest rules for technical safety standards committee members by prohibiting individuals with financial interests in pipeline, petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries from serving.
- Requires removes grandfathering provisions that exempted older pipelines from newer safety standards. All pipeline safety standards now apply to existing pipelines regardless of when they were constructed.
- Requires pipeline operators to install rupture-mitigation valves capable of isolating ruptured segments within 30 minutes in high consequence areas.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes key definitions for the Pipeline Accountability Act including Administration (PHMSA), appropriate committees of Congress, environment (broadly defined to include water, air, land, and future generations), requires the Secretary to consider climate impacts and transition plans toward non-emitting alternatives when prescribing pipeline safety standards, and requires strengthens conflict of interest rules for technical safety standards committee members by prohibiting individuals with financial interests in pipeline, petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries from serving.
Key Policy Areas
Energy, Transportation, Public Safety, Trade
Primary Purpose
The bill establishes key definitions for the Pipeline Accountability Act including Administration (PHMSA), appropriate committees of Congress, environment (broadly defined to include water, air, land, and future generations), requires the Secretary to consider climate impacts and transition plans toward non-emitting alternatives when prescribing pipeline safety standards, and requires strengthens conflict of interest rules for technical safety standards committee members by prohibiting individuals with financial interests in pipeline, petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries from serving.
Policy Domains
Title I - Pipeline Safety Standards
Identified Gains
- Environmental advocacy groups
- Communities near pipelines
- Pipeline valve and equipment manufacturers
- Environmental justice communities near pipelines
- Communities near CO2 pipelines
Identified Costs
- Pipeline operators
- Hazardous liquid pipeline operators
- Carbon dioxide pipeline operators
- Natural gas pipeline operators
- Gas transmission pipeline operators
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Wyden) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Carbon dioxide pipeline operators, Gas and hazardous liquid pipeline operators, Gas pipeline operators
Positive-direction: Municipal gas utilities transitioning to clean energy
Negative-direction: Carbon dioxide pipeline operators, Gas and hazardous liquid pipeline operators, Gas pipeline operators, Gas transmission pipeline operators, Hazardous liquid pipeline operators, Natural gas pipeline operators, Natural gas utilities planning hydrogen blending, Oil and gas industry representatives, Operators of older hazardous liquid pipelines, Operators of older natural gas pipelines, Pipeline operators, Underground natural gas storage facility operators
Communities affected by pipeline incidents, Communities in high consequence areas, Communities near CO2 pipelines
Carbon capture and sequestration companies, Pipeline industry consultants and researchers, Trial attorneys and environmental law firms
Positive-direction: Trial attorneys and environmental law firms
Negative-direction: Carbon capture and sequestration companies, Pipeline industry consultants and researchers
Government Accountability Office, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Electrification technology companies, Hydrogen production companies, Pipeline valve and equipment manufacturers
Positive-direction: Electrification technology companies, Pipeline valve and equipment manufacturers
Negative-direction: Hydrogen production companies
Renewable energy technology providers, Renewable energy workforce
Electrification contractors and installers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation (acting through PHMSA Administrator)
- "the_administration"
- → Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Office of Public Engagement
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation (acting through PHMSA Administrator)
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of PHMSA
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation (acting through PHMSA Administrator)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
A technological or efficiency-related energy solution that does not entail the use of fossil fuels that are directly or indirectly related to the greenhouse effect, including electrification, renewable energy sources, networked geothermal systems, storage, efficiency, and behavior change
Water, air, and land; and the interrelationship that exists among and between water, air, and land and all present and future generations of living beings
For gas pipeline facilities, as defined in 49 CFR 192.903; for hazardous liquid/CO2 pipelines, as defined in 49 CFR 195.450
A community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and Indigenous communities, that experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or environmental effects
An existing or newly constructed pipeline, 6 inches or greater in diameter, that is a gas transmission pipeline, type A onshore gathering pipeline, hazardous liquid pipeline, or carbon dioxide pipeline
The Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the Administration
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology