I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7073 

To improve public-private partnerships and increase Federal research, development, and demonstration related to the evolution of next generation 

pipeline systems, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 22, 2024 

Mr. WEBER of Texas (for himself, Ms. CARAVEO, Mr. LUCAS, and Mr. 

OBERNOLTE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To improve public-private partnerships and increase Federal 

research, development, and demonstration related to the 

evolution of next generation pipeline systems, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Next Generation Pipe5 lines Research and Development Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

2 means the Department of Energy. 

3 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti4 ty’’ means— 

5 (A) an institution of higher education (as 

6 such term is defined in section 101(a) of the 

7 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

8 1001(a))), including historically Black colleges 

9 and universities (within the meaning of the 

10 term ‘‘part B institution’’ in section 322 of the 

11 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

12 1061)), Tribal colleges and universities (as such 

13 term is defined in section 316 of the Higher 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c)), and 

15 minority serving institutions (including the enti16 ties described in any of paragraphs (1) through 

17 (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education 

18 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))); 

19 (B) a nonprofit research organization; 

20 (C) a National Laboratory (as such term is 

21 defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 

22 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)); 

23 (D) a private commercial entity; 

24 (E) a partnership or consortium of two or 

25 more entities described in subparagraphs (A) 


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1 through (D) that leverages existing Department 

2 efforts; or 

3 (F) any other entity the Secretary deter4 mines appropriate. 

5 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

6 the Secretary of Energy. 

7 (4) TECHNICAL STANDARDS.—The term ‘‘tech8 nical standard’’ has the meaning given such term in 

9 section 12(d)(5) of the National Technology Trans10 fer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 

11 note). 

12 SEC. 3. COORDINATION. 

13 In carrying out this Act— 

14 (1) the Secretary shall avoid unnecessary dupli15 cation and achieve shared mission goals by coordi16 nating with the Administrator of the Pipeline and 

17 Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the 

18 Department of Transportation and across all rel19 evant program offices at the Department of Energy, 

20 including— 

21 (A) the Office of Science; 

22 (B) the Office of Fossil Energy and Car23 bon Management; 

24 (C) the Office of Energy Efficiency and 

25 Renewable Energy; 


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1 (D) the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy 

2 Security, and Emergency Response; 

3 (E) the Advanced Research Projects Agen4 cy–Energy; 

5 (F) the Office of Clean Energy Dem6 onstrations; and 

7 (G) any other cross-cutting program office 

8 determined appropriate; 

9 (2) the Secretary of Transportation shall ensure 

10 participation of and coordination with the Secretary 

11 of Energy of— 

12 (A) the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

13 Safety Administration of the Department of 

14 Transportation; and 

15 (B) any other program office of the De16 partment of Transportation determined appro17 priate; and 

18 (3) the Secretary shall coordinate with the Di19 rector of the National Institute of Standards and 

20 Technology, the Secretary of the Interior, and the 

21 heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as appro22 priate. 


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1 SEC. 4. ADVANCED PIPELINE MATERIALS AND TECH2 NOLOGIES DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle E of title III of division 

4 D of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public 

5 Law 117–58) is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 40344. ADVANCED PIPELINE MATERIALS AND TECH8 NOLOGIES DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE. 

9 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIATIVE.—The Sec10 retary shall establish a demonstration initiative (in this 

11 section referred to as the ‘Initiative’) under which the Sec12 retary, through a competitive merit review process, shall 

13 award financial assistance to eligible entities to carry out 

14 demonstration projects on low- to mid-technology readi15 ness level subjects to achieve deployment of technologies 

16 that— 

17 ‘‘(1) are applicable to pipelines and associated 

18 infrastructure, including liquefied natural gas facili19 ties and underground and above ground gas and liq20 uid fuel storage facilities; and 

21 ‘‘(2) involve the development of next generation 

22 pipeline systems, components, and related tech23 nologies. 

24 ‘‘(b) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOCUS AREAS.—In 

25 carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall select dem26 onstration projects that best advance research undertaken 


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1 by the Department and the Department of Transportation 

2 and incorporate a range of technology focus areas, which 

3 may include the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) Advanced leak detection and mitigation 

5 tools and technologies. 

6 ‘‘(2) Novel materials, including alloy and non7 metallic materials, to improve integrity for new and 

8 existing pipelines, such as pipeline coatings, sleeves, 

9 and liners, and corrosion resistant materials, includ10 ing maximum and minimum flow rates and immu11 nity to electrical discharge processes. 

12 ‘‘(3) Technologies and methods for retrofitting 

13 existing pipelines, resolving material compatibility 

14 issues, and minimizing leakage, such as field protec15 tive coatings and material treatment. 

16 ‘‘(4) Advanced manufacturing approaches for 

17 producing, fitting, and coupling pipelines, including 

18 the fabrication of higher performance pipeline mate19 rials and new extrusion technologies or methods to 

20 join ultra-high strength and corrosion resistant ma21 terials at a scale for distribution. 

22 ‘‘(5) Advanced sensor technologies and proc23 esses that enable real-time or in situ monitoring of 

24 pipeline assets to assess and mitigate leaks, both inVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:03 Feb 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7073.IH H7073

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1 ternal and external to the pipeline, which may in2 clude the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) Wireless sensors, such as surface 

4 acoustic wave sensors. 

5 ‘‘(B) Advanced and cost-effective electro6 chemical sensors. 

7 ‘‘(C) Distributed fiber optic sensors. 

8 ‘‘(D) Autonomous sensor systems, includ9 ing uncrewed aircraft. 

10 ‘‘(E) Optical methods. 

11 ‘‘(F) Multi-use platforms for diverse 

12 sources. 

13 ‘‘(G) Hybrid data-analysis platforms. 

14 ‘‘(6) Advanced computational, data analytics, 

15 and machine learning models to achieve the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) Multiscale modeling, characterization, 

18 and optimization of transmission and distribu19 tion systems and components to aid in planning 

20 for optimized and resilient infrastructure. 

21 ‘‘(B) Correlation between sensor and emis22 sions data at all operational points and across 

23 a variety of scales to assure system integrity 

24 spanning large areas. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Accurate material lifecycle predictions 

2 and simulation platforms to forecast pipeline 

3 health. 

4 ‘‘(D) Secure real time autonomous moni5 toring and repair capabilities. 

6 ‘‘(E) Mapping and monitoring of struc7 tural health parameters, such as corrosion. 

8 ‘‘(7) Self-healing and self-repair functionalities, 

9 including by chemical treatment methods. 

10 ‘‘(8) Autonomous robotic and patch tech11 nologies for inspection and repair. 

12 ‘‘(9) Dynamic compressor technologies, includ13 ing retrofit kits for existing compressor systems. 

14 ‘‘(10) Strategies and technologies for integrated 

15 cybersecurity considerations and countering 

16 cyberattacks. 

17 ‘‘(11) Technologies and methods to reduce po18 tential environmental impacts, including at the at19 mospheric and subsurface level, associated with pipe20 lines, liquefied natural gas facilities, and gas and liq21 uid fuel storage facilities, such as equipment failure. 

22 ‘‘(12) Tools to evaluate geographical pipeline 

23 data for the feasibility of repurposing existing infra24 structure for safe and effective transport and use of 

25 alternative fuels, blends, and carbon dioxide. 


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1 ‘‘(13) Tools and technologies applicable to im2 proving the safety, operation, and efficiency of lique3 fied natural gas facilities and gas and liquid fuel 

4 storage facilities. 

5 ‘‘(c) SELECTION REQUIREMENTS.—In selecting eligi6 ble entities for demonstration projects under the Initiative, 

7 the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

8 take the following actions: 

9 ‘‘(1) Encourage regional diversity among eligi10 ble entities, including participation by such entities 

11 located in rural States. 

12 ‘‘(2) Prioritize technological diversity among eli13 gible entities. 

14 ‘‘(3) Prioritize a diverse mix of energy, sub15 stances, fuel sources, and byproducts, including the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(A) Gas and liquid hydrocarbons, includ18 ing natural gas, renewable natural gas, meth19 ane, ethane, and liquefied natural gas. 

20 ‘‘(B) Carbon dioxide. 

21 ‘‘(C) Hydrogen. 

22 ‘‘(D) Biofuels. 

23 ‘‘(E) Water. 


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1 ‘‘(F) Substances in the hydrogen supply 

2 chain, including ammonia and liquid organic 

3 hydrogen carriers. 

4 ‘‘(G) Blends of gases or liquids, including 

5 hydrogen blends. 

6 ‘‘(H) Any other source the Secretary deter7 mines appropriate. 

8 ‘‘(4) Prioritize projects that leverage and are 

9 complementary to existing energy infrastructure. 

10 ‘‘(5) Prioritize projects that leverage matching 

11 funds from non-Federal sources. 

12 ‘‘(6) Ensure that selected projects are coordi13 nated with or expand on the existing technology 

14 demonstration programs of the Department. 

15 ‘‘(7) Evaluate projects and topics for technical 

16 performance and economic feasibility as part of 

17 lifecycle assessments for return on investment im18 pact. 

19 ‘‘(d) LOCATION.—To the maximum extent prac20 ticable, demonstration projects under the Initiative shall 

21 be located on sites with existing research infrastructure 

22 or with the ability to coordinate with existing Department 

23 user facilities and research centers. 

24 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Out of 

25 funds authorized to be appropriated for— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Re2 newable Energy, and 

3 ‘‘(2) the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon 

4 Management, 

5 pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (6), respectively, of sec6 tion 10771 of subtitle O of title VI of the Research and 

7 Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted 

8 as division B of Public Law 117–167), there is authorized 

9 to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy to carry 

10 out this section $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, and 

11 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2028. 

12 ‘‘(f) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate five years 

13 after the date of the enactment of this section.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

15 in section 1(b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 

16 Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to sec17 tion 40343 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 40344. Advanced pipeline materials and technologies demonstration initiative.’’. 

18 SEC. 5. JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap20 propriations, the Secretary, in consultation with the Sec21 retary of Transportation and the Director of the National 

22 Institute of Standards and Technology, and in coordina23 tion with the demonstration initiative established pursuant 

24 to section 40344 of the Infrastructure Investment and 


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1 Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58), as added by section 4, 

2 shall establish within the Department a joint research and 

3 development program (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Joint 

4 Program’’) to carry out research projects that— 

5 (1) develop cost-effective advanced materials 

6 and technologies for pipeline transportation systems 

7 at different scales; 

8 (2) enable the commercialization of innovative 

9 materials and technologies for pipeline transpor10 tation systems; 

11 (3) support the development of technical stand12 ards of innovative materials and technologies for 

13 pipeline transportation systems; and 

14 (4) are at a low technology readiness level and 

15 not pursued by the Pipeline Safety Research Pro16 gram of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safe17 ty Administration of the Department of Transpor18 tation. 

19 (b) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—Not later 

20 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

21 the Secretary shall enter into or update an existing memo22 randum of understanding with the Secretary of Transpor23 tation and the Director of the National Institute of Stand24 ards and Technology to administer the Joint Program. 


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1 Such memorandum shall require each participating agency 

2 to— 

3 (1) identify unique research capabilities to con4 tribute while avoiding duplication of existing efforts; 

5 and 

6 (2) include cost sharing and cost reimburse7 ment abilities among participating agencies, includ8 ing any training or resource outlays that will be re9 quired. 

10 (c) INFRASTRUCTURE.—In carrying out the Joint 

11 Program, the Secretary, the Secretary of Transportation, 

12 and the Director of the National Institute of Standards 

13 and Technology shall— 

14 (1) use existing research infrastructure at— 

15 (A) Department of Energy facilities, in16 cluding National Laboratories; 

17 (B) Department of Transportation initia18 tives, including any such initiatives carried out 

19 through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

20 Safety Administration; and 

21 (C) the National Institute of Standards 

22 and Technology; and 

23 (2) develop new infrastructure for potential 

24 projects, if appropriate. 


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1 (d) GOALS AND METRICS.—The Secretary, the Sec2 retary of Transportation, and the Director of the National 

3 Institute of Standards and Technology shall develop goals 

4 and metrics for each agency in meeting technological 

5 progress under the Joint Program, consistent with exist6 ing United States energy safety, resilience, and security 

7 policies. 

8 (e) SELECTION OF PROJECTS.—To the maximum ex9 tent practicable, the Secretary, the Secretary of Transpor10 tation, and the Director of the National Institute of 

11 Standards and Technology shall ensure the following with 

12 respect to the Joint Program: 

13 (1) Projects are carried out under conditions 

14 that represent a variety of geographies, physical con15 ditions, and market constraints. 

16 (2) Projects represent an appropriate balance of 

17 the following: 

18 (A) Larger, higher-cost projects. 

19 (B) Smaller, lower-cost projects. 

20 (3) To the maximum extent practicable, 

21 projects are transferred between participating agen22 cies based on the stage of research and capabilities 

23 of each agency. 

24 (f) PRIORITY.—In carrying out the Joint Program, 

25 the Secretary, the Director of the National Institute of 


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1 Standards and Technology, and the Secretary of Trans2 portation shall, through consultation with the demonstra3 tion initiative established pursuant to section 40344 of the 

4 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117– 

5 58), as added by section 4, to identify and advance areas 

6 of research most needed for demonstration projects under 

7 such demonstration initiative, give priority to research and 

8 demonstration projects that— 

9 (1) are likely to be of value to such demonstra10 tion initiative; and 

11 (2) are done in coordination with, or advance 

12 knowledge critical to, the National Pipeline Mod13 ernization Center established pursuant to section 6. 

14 (g) RELATION TO EXISTING LAW.—Nothing in this 

15 section may be construed to change existing agency roles, 

16 responsibilities, or areas of expertise as described in sec17 tion 12 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 

18 (Public Law 107–355; 49 U.S.C. 60101 note) 

19 (h) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate five years 

20 after the date of the enactment of this section. 

21 SEC. 6. NATIONAL PIPELINE MODERNIZATION CENTER. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the demonstration 

23 initiative established pursuant to section 40344 of the In24 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117– 

25 58), as added by section 4, and the Joint Program and 


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1 subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary 

2 shall establish a National Pipeline Modernization Center 

3 (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Center’’), which shall focus 

4 on collaborating with industry and stakeholders to coordi5 nate and carry out research, development, and demonstra6 tion projects focused on commercializing cost-effective 

7 products and procedures aligned with the goals and prior8 ities set forth by the Department. 

9 (b) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall administer the 

10 Center in conjunction with an eligible entity pursuant to 

11 an agreement between the Department and such entity. 

12 Such entity shall be selected on a competitive, merit-re13 viewed basis. 

14 (c) EXISTING CENTERS.—In administering the Cen15 ter, the Secretary shall prioritize higher education energy16 related research centers in existence as of the date of the 

17 enactment of this Act. 

18 (d) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE.—An agreement 

19 under subsection (b) shall be for a period of not more than 

20 five years, subject to the availability of appropriations. 

21 (e) LOCATION.—The Center shall be located in prox22 imity to critical transportation infrastructure connecting 

23 to an existing national pipeline transportation system and 

24 other Department monitoring assets, as determined by the 

25 Secretary. 


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1 (f) COORDINATION WITH TRAINING AND QUALIFICA2 TIONS CENTER.—In carrying out the functions described 

3 in subsection (a), the Center shall coordinate and collabo4 rate with training centers of the Pipeline and Hazardous 

5 Materials Safety Administration of the Department of 

6 Transportation to facilitate knowledge sharing among, 

7 and enhanced training opportunities for, Federal and 

8 State pipeline safety inspectors and investigators. 

9 (g) DUPLICATION.—The Secretary shall ensure the 

10 coordination of, and avoid unnecessary duplication of, the 

11 activities under this section with the National Center of 

12 Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas Safety established 

13 pursuant to section 111 of the Protecting our Infrastruc14 ture of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020 (49 

15 U.S.C. 60103 note; Public Law 116–260, div. R, title I). 

16 SEC. 7. NIST PIPELINE METROLOGY. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap18 propriations, the Director of the National Institute of 

19 Standards and Technology shall carry out a program of 

20 measurement research, development, demonstration, and 

21 standardization to— 

22 (1) ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities; 

23 and 

24 (2) support pipeline safety, security, efficiency, 

25 sustainability, and resilience. 


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1 (b) TESTING.—The Director of the National Institute 

2 of Standards and Technology, in consultation with the pri3 vate sector and international standards organizations, 

4 shall support testing, evaluation, and research infrastruc5 ture to support the activities described in subsection (a). 

6 (c) ALLOCATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From 

7 amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the 

8 National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Di9 rector of the National Institute of Standards and Tech10 nology shall allocate up to $2,500,000 for each of fiscal 

11 years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this section. 

12 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Out of funds authorized to be ap14 propriated for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renew15 able Energy and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon 

16 Management pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (6), respec17 tively, of section 10771 of subtitle O of title VI of the 

18 Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation 

19 Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117–167), there 

20 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

21 out— 

22 (1) section 5, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, 

23 and $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

24 through 2028; and 


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1 (2) section 6, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, 

2 and $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

3 through 2028. 

4 (b) OFFSET.—Section 10771 of subtitle O of title VI 

5 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Inno6 vation Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117–167) 

7 is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

9 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

10 (A), by striking ‘‘2026’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; 

11 and 

12 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

13 ‘‘1,200,000,000’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘$1,100,000,000’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (6)— 

16 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

17 (A), by striking ‘‘2026’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; 

18 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

19 ‘‘600,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$445,000,000’’; 

20 (C) in subparagraph (B)— 

21 (i) by striking ‘‘200,000,000’’ and in22 serting ‘‘$100,000,000’’; and 

23 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi24 colon; 

25 (D) in subparagraph (C)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘1,000,000,000’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘$900,000,000’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking the period and insert4 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (E) by adding at the end the following new 

6 subparagraph: 

7 ‘‘(D) $445,000,000 to carry out pipeline 

8 research, development, demonstration, and com9 mercial application activities.’’. 

Æ 


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