To amend title 49, United States Code, to enhance the safety of pipeline transportation, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Cruz (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Young, and Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through fiscal year 2030, providing over $1 billion in new funding for pipeline safety programs. It modernizes regulations for natural gas, hazardous liquid, and emerging fuel pipelines (hydrogen and carbon dioxide), while strengthening enforcement procedures and public transparency.
Who Benefits and How
- Pipeline operators benefit from regulatory flexibility including risk-based inspections, extended pilot testing programs, NEPA exemptions for testing, use of drones for inspections, and relaxed MAOP reconfirmation requirements. Natural gas operators can use alternative right-of-way maintenance methods including conservation practices.
- Municipal gas utilities gain access to new infrastructure grants covering 50-80% of repair costs, with priority for disadvantaged communities.
- U.S. drone manufacturers benefit from a ban on Chinese and other foreign adversary drones in PHMSA operations.
- State pipeline safety programs receive increased grant funding and new authority to conduct risk-based integrated inspections.
- Hydrogen and composite material companies benefit from studies paving the way for hydrogen blending in natural gas systems and composite pipeline materials.
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Carbon dioxide pipeline operators face new safety requirements including vapor dispersion modeling, emergency response coordination with local responders, and a prohibition on using CO2 as a hydrostatic testing medium.
- Operators with Aldyl-A plastic pipes must assess and report their systems for this historic material with known brittleness issues.
- PHMSA faces increased administrative requirements including a new Office of Public Engagement, mandatory Congressional briefings if it fails to meet regulatory deadlines, and restricted Administrator travel as a penalty.
- Chinese drone manufacturers are banned from PHMSA contracts.
- Pipeline operators generally face doubled civil penalties (up to $400,000 per violation/day, $4 million maximum), new bankruptcy disclosure requirements, and expanded tribal consultation obligations.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes approximately $185-207 million annually for PHMSA through FY2030, with $83-93 million for grants
- Doubles maximum civil penalties from $200,000 to $400,000 per violation
- Establishes voluntary, confidential information-sharing system for pipeline safety data
- Requires CO2 pipeline safety rules including vapor dispersion modeling within 2 years
- Mandates National Laboratory study on hydrogen blending in natural gas systems
- Creates grant program for municipal utilities to modernize aging gas infrastructure
- Bans drones from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba in PHMSA operations
- Strengthens tribal consultation requirements for pipelines on or near Indian lands
- Establishes National Center of Excellence for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection in Great Lakes region
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Reauthorizes and enhances the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through fiscal year 2030, increasing funding for pipeline safety programs, strengthening safety regulations, improving enforcement procedures, and addressing emerging issues like hydrogen transportation and carbon dioxide pipelines.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Comprehensive reauthorization focusing on safety enhancements, modernization of aging infrastructure, addressing emerging fuels (hydrogen, CO2), improving enforcement and transparency, and protecting against foreign adversary technology"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Natural gas pipeline operators (streamlined permitting, risk-based inspections, exemptions for in-plant piping)
- Oil pipeline operators (risk-based tank inspections, expanded grant programs)
- LNG facility operators (included in voluntary information sharing)
- Publicly-owned municipal gas utilities (new infrastructure grant program)
- U.S. drone manufacturers (prohibition on foreign drones creates domestic market)
- Pipeline safety technology vendors (increased R&D and technology adoption requirements)
- State pipeline safety programs (increased grants, integrated inspection authority)
Likely Burden Bearers
- PHMSA (increased regulatory mandates, new offices, expanded oversight)
- Pipeline operators generally (doubled civil penalties, new reporting requirements)
- Operators of Aldyl-A pipelines (new assessment requirements)
- Carbon dioxide pipeline operators (new vapor dispersion modeling and emergency planning requirements)
- Chinese drone manufacturers (banned from PHMSA contracts)
- Taxpayers (over \ billion in new authorizations over 5 years)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- "the_administration"
- → Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- "the_administration"
- → Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- "the_inspector_general"
- → Inspector General of the Department of Transportation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- "the_secretary_of_homeland_security"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Note: None identified - 'The Secretary' consistently refers to Secretary of Transportation throughout the bill
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
The Secretary of Transportation
The Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Excludes gathering gas in rural areas and movement of gas by plant owners for in-plant piping or transfer piping under 1 mile
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House; and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, or Cuba
An unmanned aircraft system on the Consolidated Screening List or Entity List, domiciled in a covered foreign country, or controlled by a covered foreign country government
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