I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9323 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 6, 2024 

Mrs. TRAHAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Pipeline Accountability, Safety, and Environmental 

6 Standards Act of 2024’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS 

Sec. 101. Factors for consideration in prescribing standards. 

Sec. 102. Cost-benefit analyses. 

Sec. 103. Technical safety standards committees. 

Sec. 104. Application of regulations to existing pipelines. 

Sec. 105. Rupture-mitigation valves on pipelines in high consequence areas. 

Sec. 106. Safety of carbon dioxide pipelines. 

Sec. 107. Blending of hydrogen in natural gas systems. 

Sec. 108. Extension and modification of Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program. 

Sec. 109. Rulemaking on underground natural gas storage. 

TITLE II—PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND TRANSPARENCY 

Sec. 201. Office of Public Engagement. 

Sec. 202. Disclosure of safety data. 

Sec. 203. Reporting of blended products. 

Sec. 204. Incident reporting for gas pipelines. 

TITLE III—ACCOUNTABILITY 

Sec. 301. Prohibition against releases. 

Sec. 302. Actions by private persons. 

Sec. 303. Penalties. 

3 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra6 tion’’ means the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

7 Safety Administration. 

8 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON9 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con10 gress’’ means— 

11 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

12 and Transportation of the Senate; 


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1 (B) the Committee on Transportation and 

2 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 

3 and 

4 (C) the Committee on Energy and Com5 merce of the House of Representatives. 

6 (3) ENVIRONMENT.—The term ‘‘environment’’ 

7 includes— 

8 (A) water, air, and land; and 

9 (B) the interrelationship that exists among 

10 and between water, air, and land and all 

11 present and future generations of living beings. 

12 (4) ENVIRONMENTAL.—The term ‘‘environ13 mental’’ means relating to or concerning the envi14 ronment. 

15 (5) INCIDENT.—The term ‘‘incident’’ has the 

16 meaning given the term in section 191.3 of title 49, 

17 Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regula18 tion). 

19 (6) NATURAL GAS.—The term ‘‘natural gas’’ 

20 has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the 

21 Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717a). 

22 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the 

24 Administrator of the Administration. 


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1 TITLE I—SAFETY AND 

2 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS 

3 SEC. 101. FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION IN PRESCRIBING 

4 STANDARDS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60102(b)(2) of title 49, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

8 the end; 

9 (2) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period 

10 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(H) the need to mitigate negative impacts 

13 to the global climate and avoid unnecessarily 

14 prolonging the life span of fossil fuel infrastruc15 ture; and 

16 ‘‘(I) transition plans toward non-emitting 

17 alternatives.’’. 

18 (b) DEFINITION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 60101(a) of title 49, 

20 United States Code, is amended— 

21 (A) in paragraph (25), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

22 at the end; 

23 (B) in paragraph (22)(B)(iii), by inserting 

24 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end; 


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1 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (17) 

2 through (26) as paragraphs (18), (19), (20), 

3 (24), (25), (26), (21), (22), (23), and (27), re4 spectively, and moving the paragraphs so as to 

5 appear in numerical order; and 

6 (D) by inserting after paragraph (16) the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(17) ‘non-emitting alternative’ means a tech9 nological or efficiency-related energy solution that 

10 does not entail the use of fossil fuels that are di11 rectly or indirectly related to the greenhouse effect, 

12 including electrification, renewable energy sources, 

13 networked geothermal systems, storage, efficiency, 

14 and behavior change;’’. 

15 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

16 (A) Section 70012(c) of title 46, United 

17 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘section 

18 60101(a)(18)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

19 60101(a)’’. 

20 (B) Section 60102(q)(1) of title 49, United 

21 States Code, is amended, in the matter pre22 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sub23 section (a)(21)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

24 (a)(25)’’. 


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1 SEC. 102. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES. 

2 Section 60102(b) of title 49, United States Code (as 

3 amended by section 101), is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) by striking subparagraphs (D) and 

6 (E); and 

7 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 

8 through (I) as subparagraphs (D) through (G), 

9 respectively; and 

10 (2) by striking paragraphs (3) through (7). 

11 SEC. 103. TECHNICAL SAFETY STANDARDS COMMITTEES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60115 of title 49, United 

13 States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking the third sen15 tence; 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(4)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (C)— 

18 (i) by striking the second and third 

19 sentences and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(ii) None of the individuals selected for a committee 

21 under paragraph (3)(C) may have a financial interest in 

22 the pipeline, petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries, includ23 ing through direct ownership, consulting fees, wages, or 

24 research funding provided directly to the individual, but 

25 not including any compensation for a pipeline easement 

26 on the property of the individual.’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘(C) Two’’ and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(C)(i) Two’’; and 

4 (B) by striking subparagraph (D) and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(iii) All individuals under consideration for selection 

7 for a committee under paragraph (3)(C) shall submit to 

8 the Secretary such financial records for the previous year 

9 as the Secretary determines necessary to evaluate compli10 ance with clause (ii). All individuals selected for a com11 mittee under paragraph (3)(C) shall submit to the Sec12 retary, prior to appointment and annually thereafter for 

13 so long as the individual is a member of the committee, 

14 such financial records for the previous year as the Sec15 retary determines necessary to evaluate compliance with 

16 clause (ii). 

17 ‘‘(iv) The Secretary shall provide reasonable com18 pensation for members of each committee that are ap19 pointed under paragraph (3)(C). Such compensation shall 

20 not make a member of a committee an officer or employee 

21 of the Federal Government in determining eligibility for 

22 membership on the applicable committee.’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (c)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘Committee each standard proposed under 

3 this chapter for transporting gas and for 

4 gas pipeline facilities including the risk as5 sessment information and other analyses 

6 supporting each proposed standard;’’ and 

7 inserting the following: ‘‘Committee— 

8 ‘‘(i) each standard proposed under this 

9 chapter for— 

10 ‘‘(I) transporting gas; or 

11 ‘‘(II) gas pipeline facilities; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) analyses supporting each proposed 

13 standard described in clause (i);’’; and 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

15 ‘‘Committee each standard proposed under 

16 this chapter for transporting hazardous liq17 uid and for hazardous liquid pipeline facili18 ties including the risk assessment informa19 tion and other analyses supporting each 

20 proposed standard.’’ and inserting the fol21 lowing: ‘‘Committee— 

22 ‘‘(i) each standard proposed under this 

23 chapter for— 

24 ‘‘(I) transporting hazardous liquid; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) hazardous liquid pipeline facili2 ties; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) analyses supporting each proposed 

4 standard described in clause (i).’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), in the first sen6 tence— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘cost-effectiveness,’’; 

8 and 

9 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and the strength of 

10 the proposed standard to promote safety 

11 and protect the environment (as defined in 

12 section 2 of the Pipeline Accountability, 

13 Safety, and Environmental Standards Act 

14 of 2024),’’ before ‘‘and include’’. 

15 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec17 essary to carry out this section and the amendments made 

18 by this section. 

19 SEC. 104. APPLICATION OF REGULATIONS TO EXISTING 

20 PIPELINES. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60104(b) of title 49, 

22 United States Code, is amended— 

23 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking 

24 ‘‘NONAPPLICATION’’ and inserting ‘‘APPLICATION’’; 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘does not apply’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘may be applied’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The 

4 authority of the Secretary to apply any standard 

5 promulgated pursuant to this chapter (including any 

6 standard promulgated prior to the date of enactment 

7 of the Pipeline Accountability, Safety, and Environ8 mental Standards Act of 2024) shall not be limited 

9 by virtue of a pipeline preexisting the issuance of 

10 that standard.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 60109(c) 

12 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

13 (1) by striking paragraph (11); and 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraph (12) as para15 graph (11). 

16 SEC. 105. RUPTURE-MITIGATION VALVES ON PIPELINES IN 

17 HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREAS. 

18 Section 60109(c) of title 49, United States Code (as 

19 amended by section 104(b)(2)), is amended by adding at 

20 the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(12) RUPTURE-MITIGATION VALVES ON PIPE22 LINES IN HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREAS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(i) CLASS 3 OR 4 LOCATION.—The 

25 term ‘Class 3 or 4 location’, with respect 


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1 to a gas pipeline facility, means, as appli2 cable— 

3 ‘‘(I) a Class 3 location (as de4 fined in section 192.5(b) of title 49, 

5 Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

6 successor regulation)); or 

7 ‘‘(II) a Class 4 location (as de8 fined in that section). 

9 ‘‘(ii) COVERED LOCATION.—The term 

10 ‘covered location’ means— 

11 ‘‘(I) a high consequence area; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(II) a location where a rupture 

14 could affect— 

15 ‘‘(aa) a high consequence 

16 area; or 

17 ‘‘(bb) a Class 3 or 4 loca18 tion. 

19 ‘‘(iii) COVERED PIPELINE.—The term 

20 ‘covered pipeline’ means an existing or 

21 newly constructed pipeline, 6 inches or 

22 greater in diameter, that is— 

23 ‘‘(I) a gas transmission pipeline; 

24 ‘‘(II) a type A onshore gathering 

25 pipeline (as described in section 


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1 192.8(c) of title 49, Code of Federal 

2 Regulations (or a successor regula3 tion)); 

4 ‘‘(III) a hazardous liquid pipe5 line; or 

6 ‘‘(IV) a carbon dioxide pipeline. 

7 ‘‘(iv) HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREA.— 

8 The term ‘high consequence area’ means— 

9 ‘‘(I) with respect to a gas pipe10 line facility, a high consequence area 

11 (as defined in section 192.903 of title 

12 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

13 successor regulation)); and 

14 ‘‘(II) with respect to a hazardous 

15 liquid pipeline facility or relevant car16 bon dioxide pipeline facility, a high 

17 consequence area (as defined in sec18 tion 195.450 of title 49, Code of Fed19 eral Regulations (or a successor regu20 lation)). 

21 ‘‘(B) ISOLATION OF PIPELINE SEG22 MENTS.—Beginning on the date that is 5 years 

23 after the date of enactment of the Pipeline Ac24 countability, Safety, and Environmental Stand25 ards Act of 2024, an operator of a covered 


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1 pipeline any portion of which is in a covered lo2 cation shall, as soon as practicable, but not 

3 later than 30 minutes after rupture identifica4 tion, fully isolate any ruptured pipeline segment 

5 that is in a covered location, in order to mini6 mize the volume of product released from the 

7 pipeline and mitigate the consequences of the 

8 rupture. 

9 ‘‘(C) DEMONSTRATION OF COMPLIANCE.— 

10 ‘‘(i) EXISTING PIPELINES IN COVERED

11 LOCATIONS.—Not later than 5 years after 

12 the date of enactment of the Pipeline Ac13 countability, Safety, and Environmental 

14 Standards Act of 2024, each operator of a 

15 covered pipeline any portion of which is in 

16 a covered location as of that date of enact17 ment shall demonstrate the ability of the 

18 operator to comply with the requirements 

19 of subparagraph (B). 

20 ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT DETERMINA21 TIONS.—Beginning on the date of enact22 ment of the Pipeline Accountability, Safe23 ty, and Environmental Standards Act of 

24 2024, not later than 5 years after an exist25 ing covered pipeline is determined to be in 


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1 a covered location, the operator of that 

2 covered pipeline shall demonstrate the abil3 ity of the operator to isolate the applicable 

4 segment of the covered pipeline not later 

5 than 30 minutes after rupture identifica6 tion, in accordance with subparagraph (B), 

7 unless the operator has received a waiver 

8 in accordance with subparagraph (D) with 

9 respect to the applicable segment that is in 

10 effect on the expiration of that 5-year pe11 riod. 

12 ‘‘(D) WAIVER ON REQUEST.—The Sec13 retary may approve a waiver of the require14 ments of subparagraphs (B) and (C) on the re15 quest of an operator of a covered pipeline if the 

16 request— 

17 ‘‘(i)(I) demonstrates, in the deter18 mination of the Secretary, that meeting 

19 the 30-minute standard described in sub20 paragraph (B) is operationally, techno21 logically, or economically infeasible; and 

22 ‘‘(II) describes the methodology used 

23 to reach, and the results of studies sup24 porting, that conclusion; 

25 ‘‘(ii)(I) includes the estimated— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) isolation time; and 

2 ‘‘(bb) consequences of a worst3 case scenario failure on the impacted 

4 high consequence area or Class 3 or 4 

5 location; and 

6 ‘‘(II) demonstrates that the operator 

7 has involved the local emergency services 

8 in developing those estimates; 

9 ‘‘(iii) demonstrates that the public 

10 within the impacted area and the imme11 diately surrounding areas has been in12 formed of the consequences of a rupture 

13 and consulted with respect to a waiver, in14 cluding by providing the estimated isola15 tion time; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) for a pipeline segment for which 

17 a rupture could affect a high consequence 

18 area that is an unusually sensitive area (as 

19 defined in section 195.6 of title 49, Code 

20 of Federal Regulations (or a successor reg21 ulation)), demonstrates that relevant envi22 ronmental and public safety groups have 

23 been informed of, and consulted with re24 spect to, the consequences of a rupture 

25 and the request for a waiver. 


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1 ‘‘(E) EXPIRATION, RENEWAL, AND RE2 QUIRED REVIEW.— 

3 ‘‘(i) EXPIRATION.—A waiver granted 

4 by the Secretary under subparagraph (D) 

5 shall expire 5 years after the date on which 

6 the waiver was granted. 

7 ‘‘(ii) RENEWAL.—A waiver granted by 

8 the Secretary under subparagraph (D) 

9 may be renewed on the submission by the 

10 operator of a new request in accordance 

11 with that subparagraph, subject to such re12 vision as the Secretary determines to be 

13 appropriate based on a review of the re14 quest. 

15 ‘‘(iii) REQUIRED REVIEW.— 

16 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Not later 

17 than 180 days after the occurrence of 

18 an event described in subclause (II), 

19 an operator receiving a waiver under 

20 subparagraph (D) shall— 

21 ‘‘(aa) review the waiver; and 

22 ‘‘(bb) submit to the Sec23 retary a new request for a waiver 

24 in accordance with that subpara25 graph, including such revisions as 


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1 the operator determines appro2 priate based on a review of the 

3 applicable event described in that 

4 subclause. 

5 ‘‘(II) EVENTS DESCRIBED.—An 

6 event referred to in subclause (I) is 

7 any of the following: 

8 ‘‘(aa) A significant incident 

9 anywhere on the network of pipe10 lines of the operator. 

11 ‘‘(bb) A change in the oper12 ational status of the applicable 

13 pipeline segment that may im14 pact the safe operation of the 

15 pipeline facility or the con16 sequences of a rupture. 

17 ‘‘(cc) A change in the built 

18 or natural environment that may 

19 impact the safe operation of the 

20 pipeline facility or the con21 sequences of a rupture. 

22 ‘‘(dd) A change in the orga23 nizational structure of the oper24 ator, including a change in staff25 ing levels or locations, that would 


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1 affect the ability of the operator 

2 to isolate the applicable pipeline 

3 segment within the required time. 

4 ‘‘(III) REVIEW BY THE SEC5 RETARY.—On receipt of a request 

6 under subclause (I)(bb), the Secretary 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(aa) review the request; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(bb) as the Secretary deter11 mines to be appropriate— 

12 ‘‘(AA) grant a new 

13 waiver under subparagraph 

14 (D) with such revisions as 

15 the Secretary determines to 

16 be appropriate; 

17 ‘‘(BB) revoke the exist18 ing waiver and require com19 pliance with subparagraphs 

20 (B) and (C); or 

21 ‘‘(CC) require the sub22 mission of a revised request 

23 by a date determined by the 

24 Secretary, addressing such 


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1 matters as the Secretary de2 termines to be appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(IV) EXPIRATION DUE TO INAC4 TION.—If an operator has not sub5 mitted to the Secretary a request in 

6 accordance with item (bb) of sub7 clause (I) by the date described in 

8 that subclause, the existing waiver 

9 shall expire as of that date. 

10 ‘‘(F) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 2 

11 years after the date of enactment of the Pipe12 line Accountability, Safety, and Environmental 

13 Standards Act of 2024, the Secretary shall pro14 mulgate new, or revise existing, regulations to 

15 carry out this paragraph.’’. 

16 SEC. 106. SAFETY OF CARBON DIOXIDE PIPELINES. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREA.—The term 

19 ‘‘high consequence area’’ has the meaning given the 

20 term in section 192.903 of title 49, Code of Federal 

21 Regulations (or a successor regulation ). 

22 (2) POTENTIAL IMPACT AREA.—The term ‘‘po23 tential impact area’’ means the area in which the po24 tential failure of a pipeline transporting carbon dioxVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9323.IH H9323

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1 ide may be expected to have significant impact on 

2 persons, property, or the environment. 

3 (b) MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

6 shall prescribe under section 60102(a)(2) of title 49, 

7 United States Code, minimum safety standards for 

8 the design, installation, construction, initial inspec9 tion, initial testing, and operation and maintenance 

10 of carbon dioxide pipelines. 

11 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In prescribing min12 imum safety standards under paragraph (1), the 

13 Secretary shall— 

14 (A) prescribe minimum safety standards 

15 for all phases of carbon dioxide pipeline trans16 portation; 

17 (B) develop appropriate standards for the 

18 determination of— 

19 (i) a potential impact area, which may 

20 include the use of plume dispersion models 

21 and consideration of the impacts of local 

22 weather and topography; 

23 (ii) the area in which a rupture may 

24 cause a sufficient concentration of carbon 

25 dioxide to create a risk of fatality; 


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1 (iii) high consequence areas; 

2 (iv) pipeline segments that could af3 fect high consequence areas; and 

4 (v) the acceptable level of contami5 nants in the pipeline; 

6 (C) require an effective, appropriate, and 

7 unique odorant, or other effective and appro8 priate means of leak detection, as determined 

9 through research and development; 

10 (D) establish measures to ensure effective 

11 fracture propagation protection, including the 

12 consideration of requirements relating to— 

13 (i) material toughness; and 

14 (ii) the use of fracture arrestors; 

15 (E) consider which measures will ensure 

16 the maximum protection of— 

17 (i) public health; 

18 (ii) pipeline integrity; and 

19 (iii) the environment and public safe20 ty, consistent with section 60102 of title 

21 49, United States Code; 

22 (F) establish detailed safety standards for 

23 the conversion of existing pipelines for use in 

24 transporting carbon dioxide; and 


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1 (G) establish guidelines for emergency re2 sponse plans and emergency responder training 

3 for carbon dioxide pipeline leaks, ensuring that 

4 the relevant portions of emergency response 

5 plans are available to relevant emergency re6 sponders. 

7 (3) REQUIREMENT.—The minimum safety 

8 standards prescribed under paragraph (1) shall, at 

9 a minimum, be responsive to the findings and rec10 ommendations in the report of the Accident Inves11 tigation Division of the Office of Pipeline Safety of 

12 the Administration entitled ‘‘Failure Investigation 

13 Report—Denbury Gulf Coast Pipelines LLC—Pipe14 line Rupture/Natural Force Damage’’ and dated 

15 May 26, 2022. 

16 (c) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 2 years 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

18 promulgate regulations— 

19 (1) requiring operators of carbon dioxide pipe20 lines— 

21 (A) to identify and assess geohazards dur22 ing initial pipeline siting; 

23 (B) to monitor for changes in hazardous 

24 conditions that could impact pipeline safety; 

25 and 


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1 (C) to take preventive and mitigative meas2 ures as appropriate; 

3 (2) establishing reporting requirements relating 

4 to— 

5 (A) the location of carbon dioxide pipelines 

6 and related facilities; 

7 (B) the phase and material being trans8 ported through those pipelines, including the 

9 type and quantity of contaminants; and 

10 (C) how those pipelines and contents are 

11 inspected; 

12 (3) establishing standards and notification re13 quirements for cases in which the material being 

14 transported by a carbon dioxide pipeline is not pure 

15 carbon dioxide; 

16 (4) requiring operators of carbon dioxide pipe17 lines to notify and coordinate with relevant Federal, 

18 State, local, and Tribal officials and responders 

19 when there is an incident or accident; and 

20 (5) requiring operators of carbon dioxide pipe21 lines to notify individuals within the relevant poten22 tial impact area of the hazards posed by carbon di23 oxide pipelines and measures to take in the event of 

24 a pipeline rupture. 


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1 (d) TRAINING AND OTHER RESOURCES.—The Sec2 retary shall provide training and other resources to rel3 evant local emergency responders that is tailored specifi4 cally to carbon dioxide pipeline ruptures, including infor5 mation on the potential impact area, any relevant 

6 odorants, the health implications of exposure to high con7 centrations of carbon dioxide, and the impact of high con8 centrations of carbon dioxide on vehicle functioning. 

9 SEC. 107. BLENDING OF HYDROGEN IN NATURAL GAS SYS10 TEMS. 

11 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

12 States shall— 

13 (1) conduct a study of the short- and long-term 

14 safety, health, environmental, and climate change 

15 impacts and risks of blending hydrogen into existing 

16 natural gas systems; and 

17 (2) not later than 3 years after the date of en18 actment of this Act, submit to the Secretary and the 

19 appropriate committees of Congress a report describ20 ing the results of the study, including— 

21 (A) a description of any remaining knowl22 edge gaps relating to safely moving hydrogen23 methane blends through existing natural gas 

24 systems; 


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1 (B) a description of the safety risks of hy2 drogen-methane blends in existing natural gas 

3 systems, including— 

4 (i) leak rates of hydrogen-methane 

5 blends and associated environmental im6 pacts; 

7 (ii) the performance of hydrogen8 methane blends in existing residential, 

9 commercial, and industrial infrastructure; 

10 and 

11 (iii) underground migration of leaked 

12 hydrogen-methane blends; 

13 (C) an analysis of any expected climate 

14 change impacts and risks of blending hydrogen 

15 into existing natural gas systems, as compared 

16 to— 

17 (i) the status quo; and 

18 (ii) other pathways for greenhouse gas 

19 emissions reduction; and 

20 (D) recommendations to the Secretary for 

21 how to avoid or minimize risks determined 

22 under paragraph (1). 

23 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the study 

24 under subsection (a)(1), the Comptroller General of the 

25 United States shall take into consideration, at a minimum, 


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1 the findings of the study on hydrogen blending commis2 sioned by the California Public Utilities Commission and 

3 carried out by the University of California, Riverside, enti4 tled ‘‘Hydrogen Blending Impacts Study’’ and dated July 

5 18, 2022. 

6 (c) PROHIBITION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—No pipeline operator may 

8 transport any quantity of hydrogen, other than trace 

9 amounts present as a contaminant, through a nat10 ural gas distribution pipeline system under the juris11 diction of the Secretary unless and until Congress 

12 expressly provides, by statute, for the safe regulation 

13 of blending hydrogen into natural gas distribution 

14 pipeline systems. 

15 (2) APPLICATION.—The prohibition described 

16 in paragraph (1) shall not apply to natural gas dis17 tribution pipelines that— 

18 (A) have been specifically designed to 

19 transport hydrogen above trace levels; and 

20 (B) have been transporting hydrogen above 

21 trace levels for at least 10 years as of the date 

22 of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 108. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF NATURAL 

2 GAS DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE SAFE3 TY AND MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

4 (a) MODIFICATION.—The matter under the heading 

5 ‘‘NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY

6 AND MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM’’ under the head7 ing ‘‘PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY AD8 MINISTRATION’’ under the heading ‘‘DEPARTMENT OF 

9 TRANSPORTATION’’ in title VIII of division J of the 

10 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117– 

11 58; 135 Stat. 1443) is amended— 

12 (1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by 

13 inserting ‘‘(referred to under this heading in this Act 

14 as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Secretary of Transpor15 tation’’; 

16 (2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘‘to repair, 

17 rehabilitate, or replace its natural gas distribution 

18 pipeline system or portions thereof or to acquire 

19 equipment to (1) reduce incidents and fatalities and 

20 (2) avoid economic losses’’ and inserting ‘‘to repair, 

21 rehabilitate, replace, or retire its natural gas dis22 tribution pipeline system or portions thereof or to 

23 acquire equipment to (1) reduce incidents and fatali24 ties, (2) avoid economic losses, and (3) encourage 

25 non-emitting alternatives’’; and 


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1 (3) by inserting after the second proviso the fol2 lowing: ‘‘Provided further, That for purposes of the 

3 preceding proviso, the term ‘non-emitting alter4 native’ means a technological or efficiency-related 

5 energy solution that does not entail the use of fossil 

6 fuels that are directly or indirectly related to the 

7 greenhouse effect, including electrification, renew8 able energy sources, networked geothermal systems, 

9 storage, efficiency, and behavior change: Provided 

10 further, That the promotion or encouragement of 

11 non-emitting alternatives (as defined in the pre12 ceding proviso) may include workforce training pro13 grams: Provided further, That in making grants 

14 from funds made available under this heading in this 

15 Act, the Secretary shall give additional consideration 

16 to an applicant if all workers employed or contracted 

17 by the applicant are paid wages at rates not less 

18 than those prevailing on projects of a similar char19 acter in the locality as determined by the Secretary 

20 of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chap21 ter 31 of title 40, United States Code, and to work22 force training programs that comply with appren23 ticeship requirements similar to the apprenticeship 

24 requirements described in section 45(b)(8) of the In25 ternal Revenue Code of 1986, as determined or esVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9323.IH H9323

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1 tablished by the Secretary for purposes of making 

2 those grants:’’. 

3 (b) REQUIREMENT.—Of the amounts made available 

4 by subsection (c) each fiscal year, not less than 20 percent 

5 shall be used for non-emitting alternatives (as defined in 

6 the third proviso under the heading ‘‘NATURAL GAS DIS7 TRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY AND MODERNIZA8 TION GRANT PROGRAM’’ under the heading ‘‘PIPELINE

9 AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’’ 

10 under the heading ‘‘DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPOR11 TATION’’ in title VIII of division J of the Infrastructure 

12 Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58; 135 Stat. 

13 1443)). 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING.— 

15 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the 

16 Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Mod17 ernization Grant Program described under the heading 

18 ‘‘NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY

19 AND MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM’’ under the head20 ing ‘‘PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY AD21 MINISTRATION’’ under the heading ‘‘DEPARTMENT OF 

22 TRANSPORTATION’’ in title VIII of division J of the 

23 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117– 

24 58; 135 Stat. 1443)— 


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1 (1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, to re2 main available until September 30, 2036; 

3 (2) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2028, to re4 main available until September 30, 2037; 

5 (3) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2029, to re6 main available until September 30, 2038; 

7 (4) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2030, to re8 main available until September 30, 2039; and 

9 (5) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2031, to re10 main available until September 30, 2040. 

11 SEC. 109. RULEMAKING ON UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS 

12 STORAGE. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promul15 gate new, or revise existing, regulations to address under16 ground natural gas storage. 

17 (b) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out subsection (a), 

18 the Secretary shall review and consider relevant technical 

19 and scientific information on the safety of underground 

20 natural gas storage, including the most recently updated 

21 version of each of the following: 

22 (1) The standard of the American Petroleum 

23 Institute entitled ‘‘Design and Operation of Solu24 tion-mined Salt Caverns used for Natural Gas StorVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9323.IH H9323

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1 age’’ and numbered API Recommended Practice 

2 1170. 

3 (2) The standard of the American Petroleum 

4 Institute entitled ‘‘Functional Integrity of Natural 

5 Gas Storage in Depleted Hydrocarbon Reservoirs 

6 and Aquifer Reservoirs’’ and numbered API Rec7 ommended Practice 1171. 

8 (c) TOPICS.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Sec9 retary shall review and consider updates to existing regu10 lations relating to risk management, emergency response, 

11 and ensuring that underground natural gas storage wells 

12 do not pose undue risks from single points of failure. 

13 TITLE II—PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 

14 AND TRANSPARENCY 

15 SEC. 201. OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 108 of title 49, United 

17 States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(referred to 

19 in this section as the ‘Administration’)’’ after ‘‘Safe20 ty Administration’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (c), in the first sentence, by 

22 inserting ‘‘(referred to in this section as the ‘Admin23 istrator’),’’ after ‘‘shall be the Administrator’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(h) OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

2 ‘‘(A) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON3 GRESS.—The term ‘appropriate committees of 

4 Congress’ has the meaning given the term in 

5 section 2 of the Pipeline Accountability, Safety, 

6 and Environmental Standards Act of 2024. 

7 ‘‘(B) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ 

8 means the Director of the Office appointed 

9 under paragraph (3). 

10 ‘‘(C) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMU11 NITY.—The term ‘environmental justice com12 munity’ means a community with significant 

13 representation of communities of color, low-in14 come communities, or Tribal and Indigenous 

15 communities, that experiences, or is at risk of 

16 experiencing, higher or more adverse human 

17 health or environmental effects. 

18 ‘‘(D) INCIDENT.—The term ‘incident’ has 

19 the meaning given the term in section 191.3 of 

20 title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a suc21 cessor regulation). 

22 ‘‘(E) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The 

23 term ‘low-income community’ means a census 

24 block group in which 30 percent or more of the 

25 population are individuals with an annual 


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1 household income equal to, or less than, the 

2 greatest of— 

3 ‘‘(i) an amount equal to 80 percent of 

4 the median income of the area in which the 

5 household is located, as reported by the 

6 Department of Housing and Urban Devel7 opment; 

8 ‘‘(ii) 200 percent of the Federal pov9 erty line; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) a level of income higher than the 

11 levels described in clauses (i) and (ii), as 

12 determined by the Secretary. 

13 ‘‘(F) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means 

14 the Office of Public Engagement of the Admin15 istration established under paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

18 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

19 the Administrator shall establish within the Ad20 ministration an office, to be known as the ‘Of21 fice of Public Engagement’. 

22 ‘‘(B) PROCESS.—Before establishing the 

23 Office under subparagraph (A), the Adminis24 trator shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) seek and incorporate public input 

2 regarding the responsibilities of the Office, 

3 including through in-person public meet4 ings, prioritizing input from individuals 

5 without financial interests in the pipeline, 

6 petroleum, ethanol, or gas industries, in7 cluding environmental justice communities 

8 and experts in community engagement; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(ii) submit to the appropriate com11 mittees of Congress a summary of the 

12 input received pursuant to clause (i) and 

13 an explanation of how that input will be in14 tegrated into the establishment of the Of15 fice. 

16 ‘‘(C) COMPENSATION.—The Administrator 

17 may provide reasonable compensation for those 

18 providing input pursuant to subparagraph (B) 

19 in order to facilitate the participation of envi20 ronmental justice communities. 

21 ‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The Office shall be headed by 

22 a Director, who shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the Administrator; 

24 ‘‘(B) report to the Associate Administrator 

25 for Pipeline Safety; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) be responsible for the discharge of the 

2 functions and duties of the Office. 

3 ‘‘(4) EMPLOYEES.—The Director may appoint, 

4 and assign the duties of, employees of the Office. 

5 ‘‘(5) DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE OF6 FICE.— 

7 ‘‘(A) COORDINATION OF ASSISTANCE.— 

8 The Director shall coordinate the provision of 

9 assistance, including financial assistance, tech10 nical assistance, and educational assistance to 

11 the public, with respect to the authorities exer12 cised by the Administration, including by 

13 proactive and targeted community outreach 

14 that incorporates— 

15 ‘‘(i) accessible communications; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the provision of in-person and 

17 online communications; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) translations to languages spoken 

19 by impacted populations. 

20 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.—The Direc21 tor shall coordinate active and ongoing engage22 ment with the public with respect to the author23 ity and activities of the Administration, includ24 ing by— 

25 ‘‘(i) conducting— 


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1 ‘‘(I) proactive outreach, which 

2 may include public postings, signage 

3 at relevant physical locations, news4 paper publications, utility bill inserts, 

5 mailings, phone calls, canvassing, and 

6 door hangers, to communities, espe7 cially environmental justice commu8 nities, using varied media; and 

9 ‘‘(II) meetings, set at times and 

10 places to maximize the number of 

11 community members who can conven12 iently attend, with appropriate serv13 ices, including, if the Director deter14 mines it would have a meaningful im15 pact on participation by members of 

16 affected environmental justice commu17 nities— 

18 ‘‘(aa) translation and inter19 preting services; 

20 ‘‘(bb) virtual attendance; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(cc) reasonable funding for 

23 transportation to and from meet24 ings, food, and caregiving; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) establishing an independent, neu2 tral, accessible, confidential, and standard3 ized process to receive, review, and process 

4 complaints and allegations with respect to 

5 the activities of the Administration and en6 tities regulated by the Administration; 

7 ‘‘(iii) assisting individuals in resolving 

8 complaints and allegations described in 

9 clause (ii); 

10 ‘‘(iv) making publicly available, and 

11 proactively disseminating, information on 

12 the manner in which members of the public 

13 may file inquiries, complaints, and allega14 tions; 

15 ‘‘(v) coordinating with the Federal 

16 Energy Regulatory Commission, State 

17 agencies, and, as necessary, other agencies 

18 to direct public inquiries that are not with19 in the jurisdiction of the Administration to 

20 the relevant agency; and 

21 ‘‘(vi) preparing, and making publicly 

22 available in accessible formats, educational 

23 materials about the Administration, the re24 sponsibilities of the Administration, and 

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1 tities under the jurisdiction of the Admin2 istration and other Federal, State, local, or 

3 Tribal government agencies. 

4 ‘‘(C) POST-INCIDENT SUPPORT.—The Di5 rector shall facilitate, including by directing im6 pacted individuals to the appropriate agency 

7 and coordinating with relevant counterparts at 

8 other agencies, appropriate remediation, envi9 ronmental testing, and assistance with com10 pensation in the case of leaks, incidents, acci11 dents, or other relevant events.’’. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

14 out section 108(h) of title 49, United States Code, 

15 $12,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2028. 

16 SEC. 202. DISCLOSURE OF SAFETY DATA. 

17 Section 60132 of title 49, United States Code, is 

18 amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘subsection 

20 (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; 

21 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subpara22 graph (C) and indenting appropriately; 

23 (3) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (4), in the second sen2 tence, by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and insert3 ing the following: 

4 ‘‘(B) NOTICE REQUIREMENT.—With re5 spect to data requested from operators under 

6 subparagraph (A)(vi), the Secretary’’; 

7 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

8 through (4) as clauses (i), (ii), (v), and (vi), re9 spectively, and indenting appropriately; 

10 (C) by inserting after clause (ii) (as so re11 designated) the following: 

12 ‘‘(iii) Information on the matters de13 scribed in paragraph (2)(E). 

14 ‘‘(iv) The location and type of any 

15 valves installed on the pipeline.’’; and 

16 (D) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

17 so redesignated)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘and gathering lines’’; 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘of Transportation’’; 

20 and 

21 (iii) by striking the subsection des22 ignation and heading and all that follows 

23 through ‘‘this section, the’’ and inserting 

24 the following: 

25 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) CLASS LOCATION.—The term ‘class loca2 tion’ means a class location described in section 

3 192.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

4 successor regulation). 

5 ‘‘(2) COVERED PIPELINE FACILITY.—The term 

6 ‘covered pipeline facility’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a gas transmission pipeline facility; 

8 ‘‘(B) a type A onshore gathering pipeline 

9 (as described in section 192.8(c) of title 49, 

10 Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 

11 regulation)); 

12 ‘‘(C) a hazardous liquid pipeline facility; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(D) a carbon dioxide pipeline facility. 

15 ‘‘(3) HIGH CONSEQUENCE AREA.—The term 

16 ‘high consequence area’ means— 

17 ‘‘(A) with respect to a gas pipeline facility, 

18 a high consequence area (as defined in section 

19 192.903 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula20 tions (or a successor regulation)); and 

21 ‘‘(B) with respect to a hazardous liquid 

22 pipeline facility or relevant carbon dioxide pipe23 line facility, a high consequence area (as de24 fined in section 195.450 of title 49, Code of 


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1 Federal Regulations (or a successor regula2 tion)). 

3 ‘‘(4) MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE OPERATING PRES4 SURE.—The term ‘maximum allowable operating 

5 pressure’ has the meaning given the term in section 

6 192.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

7 successor regulation). 

8 ‘‘(5) MAXIMUM OPERATING PRESSURE.—The 

9 term ‘maximum operating pressure’ has the meaning 

10 given the term in section 195.2 of title 49, Code of 

11 Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation). 

12 ‘‘(6) MODERATE CONSEQUENCE AREA.—The 

13 term ‘moderate consequence area’ has the meaning 

14 given the term in section 192.3 of title 49, Code of 

15 Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation). 

16 ‘‘(7) POTENTIAL IMPACT AREA.—The term ‘po17 tential impact area’ means the area in which the po18 tential failure of a pipeline may be expected to have 

19 a significant impact on persons, property, or the en20 vironment (as defined in section 2 of the Pipeline 

21 Accountability, Safety, and Environmental Stand22 ards Act of 2024). 

23 ‘‘(8) POTENTIAL IMPACT RADIUS.—The term 

24 ‘potential impact radius’ has the meaning given the 


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1 term in section 192.903 of title 49, Code of Federal 

2 Regulations (or a successor regulation). 

3 ‘‘(b) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED.— 

4 ‘‘(1) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED TO THE

5 SECRETARY.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The’’; 

7 (4) in subsection (b) (as so designated), by add8 ing at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED TO THE

10 PUBLIC.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

12 after the date of enactment of the Pipeline Ac13 countability, Safety, and Environmental Stand14 ards Act of 2024, each operator of a covered 

15 pipeline facility shall provide to the public, free 

16 of charge, on a publicly accessible website, in a 

17 simple and consolidated form— 

18 ‘‘(i) information about the substances 

19 being transported by pipelines managed by 

20 the operator, including any blended prod21 ucts, any relevant odorants, and any con22 taminants; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the plans that have been made 

24 for the decommissioning of— 


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1 ‘‘(I) each abandoned pipeline of 

2 the operator; and 

3 ‘‘(II) each removed or remediated 

4 pipeline of the operator; 

5 ‘‘(iii) contact information for the oper6 ator and the Pipeline and Hazardous Ma7 terials Safety Administration; 

8 ‘‘(iv) relevant portions of operator 

9 emergency response plans needed by the 

10 public to prepare State, local, commercial, 

11 nonprofit, and personal emergency re12 sponse plans; 

13 ‘‘(v) information about how far build14 ings are required to be set back from a 

15 pipeline; and 

16 ‘‘(vi) for carbon dioxide pipelines— 

17 ‘‘(I) the results of any dispersion 

18 modeling performed; and 

19 ‘‘(II) any estimates of the zone in 

20 which carbon dioxide concentrations 

21 could be fatal in the event of a pipe22 line rupture. 

23 ‘‘(B) UPDATES.—The information provided 

24 under subparagraph (A) shall be updated as 


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1 necessary, but not less frequently than once 

2 each year. 

3 ‘‘(C) ANNUAL NOTIFICATION.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Each operator of 

5 a covered pipeline facility with a diameter 

6 of at least 6 inches shall, not less fre7 quently than annually, provide to the re8 cipients described in clause (ii) a notifica9 tion that includes all information described 

10 in subparagraph (A) with respect to the 

11 pipeline facility. 

12 ‘‘(ii) RECIPIENTS DESCRIBED.—The 

13 recipients referred to in clause (i) are— 

14 ‘‘(I) the Secretary; 

15 ‘‘(II) the owners of all occupied 

16 residences and operational commercial 

17 structures that, in the determination 

18 of the Secretary, could be impacted by 

19 a rupture of the covered pipeline facil20 ity; 

21 ‘‘(III) any tenants of those struc22 tures; and 

23 ‘‘(IV) relevant first responders. 

24 ‘‘(iii) REQUIREMENT.—A notification 

25 under clause (i) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(I) a description of the changes 

2 from the previous notification pro3 vided under that clause, if applicable; 

4 ‘‘(II) a statement of the rel5 evant— 

6 ‘‘(aa) legal duties of the op7 erator; and 

8 ‘‘(bb) legal rights of, as ap9 plicable— 

10 ‘‘(AA) the owners and 

11 residents of the occupied 

12 residences; or 

13 ‘‘(BB) the owners, ten14 ants, and manager of the 

15 operational commercial 

16 structure; and 

17 ‘‘(III) a statement informing the 

18 recipient of the additional information 

19 that the recipient may request under 

20 subparagraph (D). 

21 ‘‘(D) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.—On the 

22 request of any person, an operator of a pipeline 

23 facility shall provide to that person— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the information described in sub2 paragraph (A) with respect to all pipeline 

3 facilities of the operator; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) pipeline safety information, in5 cluding— 

6 ‘‘(I) information on the matters 

7 described in subparagraph (E) with 

8 respect to each pipeline facility oper9 ated by the operator; 

10 ‘‘(II) educational material relat11 ing to the matters described in that 

12 subparagraph to better inform the 

13 public about the information disclosed 

14 under subclause (I), provided in a 

15 simple and consolidated form; and 

16 ‘‘(III) a description of how the 

17 information described in subclause (I) 

18 was acquired or determined, including 

19 any formulas used and any tests car20 ried out. 

21 ‘‘(E) MATTERS DESCRIBED.—The matters 

22 referred to in subparagraph (D)(ii)(I) and para23 graph (1)(A)(iii) include— 

24 ‘‘(i) high consequence areas; 

25 ‘‘(ii) moderate consequence areas; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) potential impact radii and po2 tential impact areas; 

3 ‘‘(iv) class locations; 

4 ‘‘(v) pipe size; 

5 ‘‘(vi) the date of pipeline construction; 

6 ‘‘(vii) the history of incidents, acci7 dents, and repairs on the pipeline; 

8 ‘‘(viii) geohazards that may impact 

9 pipeline safety; 

10 ‘‘(ix) pressure information, includ11 ing— 

12 ‘‘(I) maximum operating pres13 sure; and 

14 ‘‘(II) maximum allowable oper15 ating pressure; 

16 ‘‘(x) with respect to gathering lines, 

17 the types of gathering lines, including Type 

18 A, Type B, Type C, and Type R pipelines; 

19 ‘‘(xi) the health, safety, and environ20 ment management programs of the oper21 ator; and 

22 ‘‘(xii) any other matter that— 

23 ‘‘(I) relates to the safety and reli24 ability of a pipeline facility under the 

25 jurisdiction of the Secretary; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) in the determination of the 

2 Secretary, is in the public interest to 

3 be disclosed. 

4 ‘‘(F) DEADLINE.—Not later than 90 days 

5 after receiving a request under subparagraph 

6 (D), an operator of a pipeline facility shall pro7 vide the information required to be disclosed 

8 under that subparagraph to the person making 

9 the request. 

10 ‘‘(3) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 2 years 

11 after the date of enactment of the Pipeline Account12 ability, Safety, and Environmental Standards Act of 

13 2024, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to 

14 carry out this subsection, including providing for 

15 standardized formats for operators to release infor16 mation to the public.’’; 

17 (5) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘HIGH-CONSEQUENCE’’ and inserting ‘‘HIGH

20 CONSEQUENCE’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘high-consequence 

23 areas (as described in section 60109(a))’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘high consequence areas’’; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

2 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe3 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

4 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) make the map available to the public on an 

6 internet website, in a machine-readable format, as 

7 part of the National Pipeline Mapping System Pub8 lic Map Viewer or at an alternative location.’’; and 

9 (6) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘subsection 

10 (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’. 

11 SEC. 203. REPORTING OF BLENDED PRODUCTS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—All operators of natural gas pipe13 lines shall report to the Secretary blended, non-predomi14 nant products that exceed, at any point in time, 1 percent 

15 by volume of the product transported by the pipeline. 

16 (b) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary may promulgate 

17 new, or revise existing, regulations to implement the re18 quirements of subsection (a). 

19 SEC. 204. INCIDENT REPORTING FOR GAS PIPELINES. 

20 (a) DEFINITION OF GAS.—In this section, the term 

21 ‘‘gas’’ has the meaning given the term in section 60101(a) 

22 of title 49, United States Code. 

23 (b) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 1 year after the 

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1 gate new, or revise existing, regulations to require opera2 tors of gas pipelines— 

3 (1) to meet incident reporting standards that 

4 require those operators to report all gas releases of 

5 50,000 cubic feet or more, regardless of any intent 

6 of the operator or any other person with respect to 

7 the release; and 

8 (2) to report— 

9 (A) all incidents resulting in fire or explo10 sion; 

11 (B) all incidents resulting in property dam12 age of $50,000 or more in value; and 

13 (C) all incidents resulting in bodily harm 

14 to any person resulting in— 

15 (i) loss of consciousness; 

16 (ii) necessity to carry a person from 

17 the scene; 

18 (iii) necessity for medical treatment; 

19 or 

20 (iv) disability that prevents the dis21 charge of normal duties or the pursuit of 

22 normal duties beyond the day of the inci23 dent. 


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1 TITLE III—ACCOUNTABILITY 

2 SEC. 301. PROHIBITION AGAINST RELEASES. 

3 Section 60118(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

6 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

7 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through 

8 (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively, 

9 and indenting appropriately; 

10 (3) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) 

11 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘facility shall—’’ 

12 and inserting the following: ‘‘facility— 

13 ‘‘(1) shall—’’; and 

14 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(2) shall not release gas or hazardous liquid 

16 from a pipeline facility in a quantity that would re17 quire the reporting of an incident or accident under 

18 a regulation prescribed under this chapter.’’. 

19 SEC. 302. ACTIONS BY PRIVATE PERSONS. 

20 Section 60121 of title 49, United States Code, is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)— 

23 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

24 (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(1) A 

2 person’’ and all that follows through ‘‘However, 

3 the person’’ in the second sentence and insert4 ing the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) CIVIL ACTION.—A person may bring a civil 

6 action in an appropriate district court of the United 

7 States for all appropriate relief, including civil pen8 alties and injunctive relief, against— 

9 ‘‘(A) another person (including the United 

10 States Government and other governmental au11 thorities to the extent permitted under the 11th 

12 Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

13 States) for a violation of this chapter or a regu14 lation prescribed or order issued under this 

15 chapter; or 

16 ‘‘(B) the Secretary where there is alleged 

17 a failure of the Secretary to perform any act or 

18 duty under this chapter that is nondis19 cretionary. 

20 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS.—With 

21 respect to a civil action described in paragraph (1), 

22 a person’’; 

23 (C) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by 

24 indenting subparagraphs (A) through (C) ap25 propriately; 


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1 (D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), 

2 by striking the paragraph designation and all 

3 that follows through ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and 

4 inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall’’; 

6 (E) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

7 by striking the paragraph designation and all 

8 that follows through ‘‘The Secretary, with’’ and 

9 inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) INTERVENTION.—The Secretary, with’’; 

11 and 

12 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(5) JURISDICTION.—The district courts of the 

14 United States shall have jurisdiction, without regard 

15 to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of 

16 the parties— 

17 ‘‘(A) to enforce a pipeline safety standard 

18 or limitation established under this chapter; 

19 ‘‘(B) to enforce a regulation prescribed or 

20 order issued under this chapter; 

21 ‘‘(C) to order the Secretary to perform any 

22 act or duty under this chapter; and 

23 ‘‘(D) to impose any appropriate civil pen24 alties under section 60122.’’; 

25 (2) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

2 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, 

3 and indenting appropriately; 

4 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

5 (A) (as so redesignated), in the first sentence, 

6 by striking ‘‘The court’’ and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The court’’; and 

9 (C) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), in 

10 the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so 

11 redesignated), by striking, ‘‘The court may 

12 award costs to’’ in the second sentence and all 

13 that follows through ‘‘In this subsection’’ in the 

14 third sentence and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(2) REASONABLE ATTORNEY’S FEE.—For pur16 poses of paragraph (1)’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(e) VENUE; INTERVENTION BY THE SECRETARY.— 

19 ‘‘(1) VENUE.—Any action under this section 

20 may be brought in— 

21 ‘‘(A) the district court of the United States 

22 for the judicial district in which the violation 

23 occurred; or 

24 ‘‘(B) the United States District Court for 

25 the District of Columbia. 


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1 ‘‘(2) INTERVENTION BY THE SECRETARY.—If 

2 the Secretary is not a party to an action described 

3 in paragraph (1), the Secretary may intervene in 

4 that action as a matter of right. 

5 ‘‘(f) NONRESTRICTION OF OTHER RIGHTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise limited 

7 by section 60104(c), nothing in this section restricts 

8 any right that any person (or class of persons) may 

9 have under any statute or the common law— 

10 ‘‘(A) to seek enforcement of any standard 

11 or limitation; or 

12 ‘‘(B) to seek any other relief (including re13 lief against the Secretary or a State agency). 

14 ‘‘(2) STATE, LOCAL, AND INTERSTATE AUTHOR15 ITY.—Except as otherwise limited by section 

16 60104(c), nothing in this section shall be construed 

17 to prohibit, exclude, or restrict any State, local, or 

18 interstate authority from— 

19 ‘‘(A) bringing any enforcement action or 

20 obtaining any judicial remedy or sanction in 

21 any State or local court; or 

22 ‘‘(B) bringing any administrative enforce23 ment action or obtaining any administrative 

24 remedy or sanction in any State or local admin25 istrative agency, department, or instrumentality 


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1 under any State or local law relating to pipeline 

2 safety against— 

3 ‘‘(i) the United States; 

4 ‘‘(ii) any department, agency, or in5 strumentality of the United States; or 

6 ‘‘(iii) any officer, agent, or employee 

7 of the United States.’’. 

8 SEC. 303. PENALTIES. 

9 (a) MAXIMUM CIVIL PENALTY FOR A RELATED SE10 RIES OF VIOLATIONS.—Section 60122(a)(1) of title 49, 

11 United States Code, is amended by striking the third sen12 tence. 

13 (b) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise 

15 subpart B of part 190 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula16 tions, in accordance with the amendment made by sub17 section (a). 

Æ 


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