House lawmakers introduce bipartisan pipeline safety bill

The legislation is the latest effort to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

September 15, 2025

Leaders on a House committee unveiled bipartisan legislation Friday to reauthorize the nation’s pipeline safety regulator — and move closer to new carbon and hydrogen transportation standards.

H.R. 5301, the “Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act," is the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's attempt to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety programs for the next four years.

PHMSA, which regulates millions of miles of pipelines and all hazardous material shipments, was last fully authorized in 2020.

Moves toward a full reauthorization by the T&I and Energy and Commerce committees — which share jurisdiction over PHMSA — floundered in the last congressional term amid allegations of partisanship from the Energy and Commerce Committee.

The new bipartisan bill is led by T&I Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), and Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chair Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and ranking member Dina Titus (D-Nev.).

The measure would clarify the pipeline administration’s safety missions and put in place transparency measures to publicize pipeline safety standards. It also ups some of the penalties for those who damage pipelines — which have long been called for by Republicans.

And it would take steps toward setting standards on hydrogen and carbon storage, by authorizing studies on hydrogen service and requiring a rulemaking on standards for carbon storage and transport.

"The United States is blessed with abundant energy resources, and we must remain a global leader in the production and exportation of energy. This bill helps ensure that PHMSA remains focused on its critical safety mission so that we can transport our traditional and future forms of energy safely, efficiently, and responsibly," Graves said in a statement.

"The PIPES Act will protect our communities from pipeline incidents by modernizing and improving federal safety regulations," Titus added.

The committee approved a version of this legislation in December 2023, but it was not taken up on the House floor before the congressional term expired.

Although the 2023 bill was similarly bipartisan, it was met with environmental concerns from some committee Democrats. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) argued at the time that the bill should have more safeguards to ensure new fossil fuel pipelines don’t have adverse climate impacts.

The Energy and Commerce Committee met earlier this year to discuss pipeline safety policies, including PHMSA reauthorization. The panel has not released its own reauthorization bill yet.


By:  Amelia Davidson
Source: Politico E&E Daily