IB 
Union Calendar No. 721 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6494 
[Report No. 118–884, Part I] 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide enhanced safety in pipeline 
transportation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 29, 2023 
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri (for himself, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. 
NEHLS, and Mr. PAYNE) 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 subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
DECEMBER 16, 2024 
Reported from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with an 
amendment 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
DECEMBER 16, 2024 
Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged; committed to the Committee 
of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on November 29, 2023] 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS; DEFINI-
TION. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pro-
moting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety Act 
of 2023’’ or the ‘‘PIPES Act of 2023’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; definition. 
Sec. 2. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Workforce development. 
Sec. 5. Regulatory updates. 
Sec. 6. Incorporation by reference. 
Sec. 7. Inspection activity reporting. 
Sec. 8. Technical safety standards committees. 
Sec. 9. Sense of Congress on PHMSA engagement prior to rulemaking activities. 
Sec. 10. Office of Public Engagement. 
Sec. 11. Class location changes. 
Sec. 12. Pipeline operating status. 
Sec. 13. Rights-of-way management. 
Sec. 14. Study on composite materials for pipelines. 
Sec. 15. Competitive Academic Agreement Program. 
Sec. 16. Geohazard mitigation study. 
Sec. 17. Special permit program. 
Sec. 18. Excavation damage prevention. 
Sec. 19. Integrity management study. 
Sec. 20. Hydrogen study. 
Sec. 21. Penalty for causing a defect in or disrupting operation of pipeline infra-
structure. 
Sec. 22. Civil penalties. 
Sec. 23. Liquefied natural gas regulatory coordination. 
Sec. 24. Pipeline safety voluntary information-sharing system. 
Sec. 25. Carbon dioxide pipelines. 
Sec. 26. Opportunity for formal hearing. 
Sec. 27. State pipeline safety grants reporting. 
Sec. 28. Inspection of in-service breakout tanks. 
Sec. 29. Disclosure of safety information assessment. 
Sec. 30. Assessment of certain pipeline safety definitions. 
Sec. 31. Report assessing the costs of pipeline failures. 
Sec. 32. Study on localized emergency alert system for pipeline facilities inci-
dents. 
Sec. 33. Maximum allowable operating pressure. 
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(c) STATE DEFINED.—In this Act, the term ‘‘State’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 60101(a) of title 
49, United States Code. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) GAS AND HAZARDOUS LIQUID.—Section 60125 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking sub-
section (a) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) GAS AND HAZARDOUS LIQUID.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—From fees collected under 
section 60301, there are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary to carry out section 12 of the Pipe-
line Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 
60101 note; Public Law 107–355) and the provisions 
of this chapter relating to gas and hazardous liquid— 
‘‘(A) $181,400,000 for fiscal year 2024, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $9,000,000 shall be used to carry 
out section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Im-
provement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 
note; Public Law 107–355); and 
‘‘(ii) $73,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants; 
‘‘(B) $189,800,000 for fiscal year 2025, of 
which— 
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‘‘(i) $9,000,000 shall be used to carry 
out section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Im-
provement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 
note; Public Law 107–355); and 
‘‘(ii) $75,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants; 
‘‘(C) $198,200,000 for fiscal year 2026, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $9,000,000 shall be used to carry 
out section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Im-
provement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 
note; Public Law 107–355); and 
‘‘(ii) $77,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants; and 
‘‘(D) $206,600,000 for fiscal year 2027, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $9,000,000 shall be used to carry 
out section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Im-
provement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 
note; Public Law 107–355); and 
‘‘(ii) $79,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants. 
‘‘(2) TRUST FUND AMOUNTS.—In addition to the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated under para-
graph (1), there are authorized to be appropriated 
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from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund established 
by section 9509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 to carry out section 12 of the Pipeline Safety 
Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 note; 
Public Law 107–355) and the provisions of this chap-
ter relating to hazardous liquid— 
‘‘(A) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $2,000,000, pursuant to the au-
thority in section 12(f) of the Pipeline Safe-
ty Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 
60101 note; Public Law 107–355), shall be 
used to carry out section 12 of such Act; 
and 
‘‘(ii) $11,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants; 
‘‘(B) $30,500,000 for fiscal year 2025, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $2,000,000, pursuant to the au-
thority in section 12(f) of the Pipeline Safe-
ty Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 
60101 note; Public Law 107–355), shall be 
used to carry out section 12 of such Act; 
and 
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‘‘(ii) $11,500,000 shall be used for 
making grants; 
‘‘(C) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $2,000,000, pursuant to the au-
thority in section 12(f) of the Pipeline Safe-
ty Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 
60101 note; Public Law 107–355), shall be 
used to carry out section 12 of such Act; 
and 
‘‘(ii) $12,000,000 shall be used for 
making grants; and 
‘‘(D) $31,500,000 for fiscal year 2027, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $2,000,000, pursuant to the au-
thority in section 12(f) of the Pipeline Safe-
ty Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 
60101 note; Public Law 107–355), shall be 
used to carry out section 12 of such Act; 
and 
‘‘(ii) $12,500,000 shall be used for 
making grants. 
‘‘(3) UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS STORAGE FA-
CILITY SAFETY ACCOUNT.—From fees collected under 
section 60302, there is authorized to be appropriated 
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to the Secretary to carry out section 60141 $7,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027. 
‘‘(4) RECRUITMENT
AND
RETENTION.—From 
amounts made available to the Secretary under para-
graphs (1) and (2), the Secretary shall use, to carry 
out section 104(a) of the PIPES Act of 2023 and sec-
tion 102(c) of the Protecting our Infrastructure of 
Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020 (Public 
Law 116–260)— 
‘‘(A) $3,400,000 for fiscal year 2024, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $2,890,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (1)(A); 
and 
‘‘(ii) $510,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (2)(A); 
‘‘(B) $5,100,000 for fiscal year 2025, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $4,335,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (1)(B); 
and 
‘‘(ii) $765,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (2)(B); 
‘‘(C) $6,800,000 for fiscal year 2026, of 
which— 
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‘‘(i) $5,780,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (1)(C); 
and 
‘‘(ii) $1,020,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (2)(C); 
and 
‘‘(D) $8,500,000 for fiscal year 2027, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) $7,225,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (1)(D); 
and 
‘‘(ii) $1,275,000 shall be from amounts 
made available under paragraph (2)(D).’’. 
(b) OPERATIONAL EXPENSES.—Section 2(b) of the 
PIPES Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–183; 130 Stat. 515) 
is amended by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(1) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2024. 
‘‘(2) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 
‘‘(3) $33,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. 
‘‘(4) $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.’’. 
(c) ONE-CALL
NOTIFICATION
PROGRAMS.—Section 
6107 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking 
‘‘$1,058,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2023’’ and 
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inserting ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2027’’. 
(d) 
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
GRANTS.—Section 
60125(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ‘‘fiscal years 2021 through 2023’’ and inserting 
‘‘fiscal years 2024 through 2027’’. 
(e) PIPELINE SAFETY INFORMATION GRANTS TO COM-
MUNITIES.—Section 60130(c)(1) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2023 to carry out this section.’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘, to carry out this section, the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) $2,250,000 for fiscal year 2024. 
‘‘(B) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2025. 
‘‘(C) $2,750,000 for fiscal year 2026. 
‘‘(D) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.’’. 
(f) IMPROVING
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—Section 
60130(c)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘each fiscal year, the Secretary 
shall award $1,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘, the Sec-
retary shall award’’; and 
(2) by striking the period at the end and insert-
ing the following: ‘‘the following amounts: 
‘‘(A) $1,250,000 for fiscal year 2024. 
‘‘(B) $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2025. 
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(4) in paragraph (24) by inserting ‘‘, carbon di-
oxide,’’ after ‘‘a gas’’; 
(5) in paragraph (25) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(6) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), 
(4), (5), (6), (9), (7), (10), (8), (11), (12), (13), (14), 
(15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (23), (24), (25), (20), (21), 
(22), and (26) as paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), 
(11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), 
(21), (23), (24), (25), (27), (28), (29), (30), (32), (33), 
and (35), respectively, and transferring the para-
graphs so as to appear in numerical order; 
(7) by inserting before paragraph (4), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(1) ‘carbon dioxide’ means a product stream 
consisting of more than 50 percent carbon dioxide 
molecules in any state of matter except solid; 
‘‘(2) ‘carbon dioxide pipeline facility’— 
‘‘(A) means a pipeline, a right of way, a fa-
cility, a building, or equipment used, or in-
tended to be used, in transporting carbon dioxide 
or treating carbon dioxide during the transpor-
tation of such carbon dioxide; but 
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‘‘(B) does not include any storage facility, 
piping, or equipment covered by the exclusion in 
section 60102(i)(3)(B)(ii); 
‘‘(3) ‘de-identified’ means the process by which 
all information that is likely to establish the identity 
of the specific persons, organizations, or entities sub-
mitting reports, data, or other information is removed 
from reports, data, or other information;’’; 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (8), as so redes-
ignated, the following: 
‘‘(9) ‘interstate carbon dioxide pipeline facility’ 
means a carbon dioxide pipeline facility used to 
transport carbon dioxide in interstate or foreign com-
merce; 
‘‘(10) ‘intrastate carbon dioxide pipeline facility’ 
means a carbon dioxide pipeline facility that is not 
an interstate carbon dioxide facility;’’; 
(9) by inserting after paragraph (21), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(22) ‘non-public pipeline safety data and infor-
mation’ means any pipeline safety data or informa-
tion, regardless of form or format, that a company 
does not disclose, disseminate, or make available to 
the public or that is not otherwise in the public do-
main;’’; 
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(10) by inserting after paragraph (25), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(26) ‘public information’ means any data or 
information, regardless of form or format, that a com-
pany discloses, disseminates, or makes available to the 
public or that is otherwise in the public domain;’’; 
(11) by inserting after paragraph (30), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(31) ‘transporting carbon dioxide’ means the 
movement of carbon dioxide or the storage of carbon 
dioxide incidental to the movement of carbon dioxide 
by pipeline, in or affecting interstate or foreign com-
merce;’’; and 
(12) by inserting after paragraph (33), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(34) ‘Tribal’ means relating to Indian Tribes, 
as such term is defined in section 102 of the Federally 
Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
5130); and’’. 
SEC. 4. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT EMPLOY-
EES.—In addition to the personnel level authorized for the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 
as of the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
of such Administration may increase the number of full- 
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time equivalent employees in the Office of Pipeline Safety 
by not more than 30 positions for employees who have ad-
vanced engineering, scientific, or other technical expertise 
(or equivalent experience) to— 
(1) develop and implement pipeline safety poli-
cies and regulations; and 
(2) fulfill congressional rulemaking mandates. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall submit to Congress a report on— 
(1) any progress made on implementation of 
subsection (a); 
(2) the implementation of the recruitment and 
retention incentives authorized in section 102 of the 
PIPES Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–260); 
(3) barriers and challenges to hiring and reten-
tion at the Administration; 
(4) staffing levels of inspection and enforcement 
personnel of the Administration; and 
(5) any additional workforce needs of the Ad-
ministration. 
(c) EFFECT
ON
EXISTING
REGULATION.—Section 
102(c) of the PIPES Act of 2020 (49 U.S.C. 60101 note) 
is amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(3) EFFECT ON EXISTING REGULATION.—In im-
plementing the incentives described in paragraph (1), 
the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator 
of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Ad-
ministration, may waive existing regulations.’’. 
SEC. 5. REGULATORY UPDATES. 
(a) DEFINITION OF OUTSTANDING MANDATE.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘outstanding mandate’’ means— 
(1) a final rule required to be issued under the 
Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Cre-
ation Act of 2011 (Public Law 112–90) that has not 
been published in the Federal Register; 
(2) a final rule required to be issued under the 
PIPES Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–183) that has 
not been published in the Federal Register; 
(3) a final rule required to be issued under the 
PIPES Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–260) that has 
not been published in the Federal Register; and 
(4) any other final rule regarding gas or haz-
ardous liquid pipeline facilities that— 
(A) has not been published in the Federal 
Register; and 
(B) is required to be issued under this Act 
or any other Act. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 
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(1) PERIODIC UPDATES.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 30 
days thereafter until each outstanding mandate is 
published in the Federal Register, the Secretary of 
Transportation shall publish on a publicly available 
website of the Department of Transportation an up-
date regarding the status of each such mandate in ac-
cordance with subsection (c). 
(2) NOTIFICATION OF CONGRESS.—On publica-
tion of a final rule in the Federal Register for an out-
standing mandate, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a notifica-
tion of such publication. 
(c) CONTENTS.—An update published or a notification 
submitted under subsection (b)(1) shall contain, as applica-
ble— 
(1) with respect to information relating to the 
Administration— 
(A) a description of the work plan for each 
outstanding mandate; 
(B) an updated rulemaking timeline for 
each outstanding mandate; 
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(E) an estimated timeline of when review of 
the outstanding mandate will be complete, as of 
the date of the update; 
(F) if applicable, the date that the out-
standing mandate was returned to the Adminis-
tration for revision and the anticipated date for 
resubmission to the Office of the Secretary; 
(G) the date that the outstanding mandate 
was submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget for review; and 
(H) a statement of whether the outstanding 
mandate remains under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget. 
SEC. 6. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60102 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by striking subsection (l) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(l) UPDATING STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than once 
every 4 years, or if an interested person otherwise pe-
titions in accordance with section 190.331 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulation), 
the Secretary shall review, and update as necessary, 
incorporated industry standards that have been 
adopted, either partially or in full, as part of the 
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Federal pipeline safety regulatory program under this 
chapter that are modified and published by a stand-
ards development organization, as such term is de-
fined in section 2(a) of the National Cooperative Re-
search and Production Act of 1993 (15 U.S.C. 
4301(a)). 
‘‘(2) DISCRETION IN ADOPTING INDUSTRY STAND-
ARDS.—The Secretary may decline to adopt an indus-
try standard that is inconsistent with applicable law 
or 
otherwise 
impracticable, 
including 
in 
cir-
cumstances where the use of an industry standard 
would not serve the needs of the Federal pipeline safe-
ty regulatory program, or would impose undue bur-
dens. 
‘‘(3) LIST OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(A) maintain a publicly available list of 
all industry standards considered for adoption 
under this chapter and the agency’s adjudication 
of each considered standard; 
‘‘(B) include the reasoning for not adopting 
an industry standard, whether in full or in part, 
on the list under subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(C) submit to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure and the Committee on 
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Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate such 
list not later than— 
‘‘(i) 30 days after completion of such 
list; and 
‘‘(ii) 30 days after the date of any sub-
sequent revisions to such list. 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
ACCESSIBILITY.—Any industry 
standards incorporated by reference, or portions 
thereof, shall be made available by the entity that de-
veloped such standards free of charge for viewing on 
a publicly available website.’’. 
(b) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall— 
(1) conduct a review to determine compliance 
with section 60102(l)(4) of title 49, United States 
Code; and 
(2) submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report on the review conducted 
under paragraph (1). 
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SEC. 7. INSPECTION ACTIVITY REPORTING. 
(a) INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES.— 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish, and 
make available to the public in an electronically accessible 
format, a report containing the inspection and enforcement 
priorities of the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for fiscal 
years 2024 through 2027. Such report shall include a de-
scription of— 
(1) how the Administrator will use the priorities 
to guide the inspection program of such Office; 
(2) how the inspection and enforcement prior-
ities will improve pipeline safety; and 
(3) how the Administrator communicates and co-
ordinates the implementation of inspection and en-
forcement priorities with regional offices and State 
inspectors operating under delegated authority. 
(b) NOTICE AND COMMENT.—Prior to publication of 
the inspection and enforcement priorities under subsection 
(a), the Administrator shall solicit through notice in the 
Federal Register public comment on such priorities. 
(c) SUMMARY OF PIPELINE INSPECTIONS.—Not later 
than June 1 of each year beginning with the year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall make 
available to the public in an electronically accessible format 
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a summary of Federal and State pipeline inspections con-
ducted under direct or delegated authority of title 49, 
United States Code, during the previous calendar year, to 
include— 
(1) the date of the inspection; 
(2) the name of the pipeline owner or operator; 
(3) the pipeline system or segment inspected; 
(4) the region or regions of the Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in which 
the inspected system or segment operates; 
(5) the State or States in which the inspected 
system or segment operates; and 
(6) any violations, or proposed violations, found 
as a result of pipeline inspections. 
SEC. 8. TECHNICAL SAFETY STANDARDS COMMITTEES. 
(a) COMMITTEE REPORTS
ON PROPOSED STAND-
ARDS.—Section 60115(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘, if appli-
cable’’ after ‘‘each proposed standard’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ‘‘, if appli-
cable’’ after ‘‘each proposed standard’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Section 60115(c)(2) of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘and provide written 
notification of such reasons to the Committee on Transpor-
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tation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate at the time a final rulemaking relating to the 
standard is issued’’ after ‘‘publish the reasons’’. 
(c) FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS.—Section 60115(e) of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘up 
to 4’’ and inserting ‘‘2’’. 
SEC. 9. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PHMSA ENGAGEMENT 
PRIOR TO RULEMAKING ACTIVITIES. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Secretary of Transportation should en-
gage with pipeline stakeholder groups, including State 
pipeline safety programs with an approved certifi-
cation under section 60105 of title 49, United States 
Code, and the public during predrafting stages of 
rulemaking activities and use, to the greatest extent 
practicable, properly docketed ex parte discussions 
during rulemaking activities in order to— 
(A) inform the work of the Secretary; 
(B) assist the Administrator of the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 
in developing the scope of a rule; and 
(C) reduce the timeline for issuance of pro-
posed and final rules; and 
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(2) when it would reduce the time required for 
the Secretary to adjudicate public comments, the Ad-
ministrator should publicly provide information de-
scribing the rationale behind a regulatory decision in-
cluded in proposed regulations in order to better 
allow for the public to provide clear and informed 
comments on such regulations. 
SEC. 10. OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall rename the Community Liaison Services within the 
Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration as the Office of Public En-
gagement (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ‘‘Of-
fice’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Office are to— 
(1) proactively engage with pipeline stakeholders, 
including the public, pipeline operators, public safety 
organizations, and government officials, to raise 
awareness of pipeline safety practices; 
(2) promote the adoption and increased use of 
safety programs and activities; 
(3) inform the public of pipeline safety regula-
tions and best practices; and 
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(4) assist the public with inquiries regarding 
pipeline safety. 
(c) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Office shall ensure that ac-
tivities carried out by the Office and information products 
developed by the Office are accessible to the public. 
(d) COMMUNITY LIAISONS.—The Office shall incor-
porate positions known as ‘‘community liaisons’’ under the 
Community Liaison Services. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the implementation of this section. 
SEC. 11. CLASS LOCATION CHANGES. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe a 
final rule amending the safety standards for class location 
changes in parts 191 and 192 of title 49, Code of Federal 
Regulations, based on the notice of proposed rulemaking 
published by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration on October 14, 2020, titled ‘‘Pipeline Safe-
ty: Class Location Change Requirements’’ (85 Fed. Reg. 
65142), including consideration of all documents in Docket 
No. PHMSA–2017–0151. 
SEC. 12. PIPELINE OPERATING STATUS. 
Section 60143(b) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
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(1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2023, 
the Secretary shall issue a notice of proposed rule-
making prescribing the applicability of the pipeline 
safety requirements to idled natural gas or other gas 
transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2) by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(E) CONSIDERATION.—In promulgating 
regulations under this section, the Secretary 
shall consider the adoption of industry consensus 
standards.’’. 
SEC. 13. RIGHTS-OF-WAY MANAGEMENT. 
Section 60108(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) 
ALTERNATIVE
METHOD
OF
MAINTAINING 
RIGHTS-OF-WAY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of the review con-
ducted under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall allow 
for an alternative method of maintaining rights-of- 
way for pipelines and other pipeline facilities under 
a voluntary program carried out by the operator if 
such alternative method achieves a level of safety at 
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least equal to the level of safety required by regula-
tions issued under this chapter. 
‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—An operator considering imple-
menting an alternative method described under sub-
paragraph (A) may consider incorporating into the 
plan for implementing such method 1 or more con-
servation practices, including— 
‘‘(i) 
integrated 
vegetation 
management 
practices, including reduced mowing; 
‘‘(ii) the development of habitat and forage 
for pollinators and other wildlife through seeding 
or planting of diverse native forbs and grasses; 
‘‘(iii) practices relating to maintenance 
strategies that promote early successional vegeta-
tion or limit disturbance during periods of high-
est use by target pollinator species and other 
wildlife on pipeline or facilities rights-of-way, 
including— 
‘‘(I) increasing mowing height; 
‘‘(II) reducing mowing frequency; and 
‘‘(III) refraining from mowing mon-
arch and other pollinator habitat during 
periods in which monarchs or other polli-
nators are present; 
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‘‘(iv) an integrated vegetation management 
plan that may include approaches such as me-
chanical tree and brush removal and targeted 
and judicious use of herbicides and mowing to 
address incompatible or undesirable vegetation 
while promoting compatible and beneficial vege-
tation on pipeline and facilities rights-of-way; 
‘‘(v) planting or seeding of deeply rooted, 
regionally appropriate perennial grasses and 
wildflowers, including milkweed, to enhance 
habitat; 
‘‘(vi) removing shallow-rooted grasses from 
planting and seeding mixes, except for use as 
nurse or cover crops; or 
‘‘(vii) obtaining expert training or assist-
ance on wildlife and pollinator-friendly prac-
tices, including— 
‘‘(I) native plant identification; 
‘‘(II) establishment and management of 
regionally appropriate native plants; 
‘‘(III) land management practices; and 
‘‘(IV) integrated vegetation manage-
ment. 
‘‘(C) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section 
exempts an operator from compliance with the appli-
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cable requirements under this chapter or any applica-
ble regulations promulgated under this chapter. 
‘‘(D) CONSULTATION.— 
‘‘(i) AVAILABLE GUIDANCE.—In developing 
such alternative methods, an operator shall con-
sult any available guidance issued by— 
‘‘(I) the Secretary; or 
‘‘(II) an applicable State agency car-
rying out compliance activities on behalf of 
the Secretary in accordance with section 
60105. 
‘‘(ii) LEADING
INDUSTRY
PRACTICES.—In 
the absence of the guidance described in clause 
(i), an operator may consult leading industry 
practices and guidance to develop and imple-
ment such alternative methods.’’. 
SEC. 14. STUDY ON COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR PIPE-
LINES. 
(a) STUDY ON USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS.—Not 
later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall complete a study 
assessing the potential and existing use of pipelines con-
structed with composite materials to safely transport hydro-
gen and hydrogen blended with natural gas. 
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(b) STUDY
CONSIDERATIONS.—In completing the 
study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider— 
(1) any commercially available composite pipe-
line materials; 
(2) any completed or ongoing tests and data re-
garding composite pipeline materials available to the 
Secretary or other Federal agencies; and 
(3) any recommended standards, including con-
sensus standards, and Federal agency authorizations 
relating to use of composite pipeline materials. 
(c) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—To ensure adequate pub-
lic participation in completing the study under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) hold a public meeting with interested stake-
holders, including the affected industries, interest 
groups, and other individuals with relevant expertise; 
(2) release a draft version of the study for public 
comment for a period of not less than 60 days; and 
(3) address any substantive comments submitted 
by the public during the public comment period under 
paragraph (2) in preparing the final study. 
(d) PUBLIC MEETING.—Not later than 60 days after 
the closing of the public comment period under subsection 
(c)(2), the Secretary shall hold a public meeting to present 
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the findings of the study under this section and any re-
sponses to public comments received under such subsection. 
(e) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 18 months after the 
meeting described in subsection (d), the Secretary shall 
issue a rulemaking that includes a Notice of Proposed Rule-
making to allow for the use of composite materials for pipe-
line transportation of hydrogen and hydrogen blended with 
natural gas. 
SEC. 15. COMPETITIVE ACADEMIC AGREEMENT PROGRAM. 
(a) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Competi-
tive Academic Agreement Program pursuant to sec-
tion 60117(l) of title 49, United States Code, the Sec-
retary of Transportation may allow for a 100-percent 
Federal share of financial assistance for a project car-
ried out by small and mid-sized institutions. 
(2) WRITTEN
REQUEST
REQUIRED.—The Sec-
retary may only allow the use of a 100-percent Fed-
eral share under paragraph (1) if the applicable in-
stitution has provided a written request to the Sec-
retary prior to the award of Federal assistance under 
such Program. 
(3) SMALL
AND
MID-SIZED
INSTITUTIONS
DE-
FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘small and mid- 
sized institutions’’ means academic institutions eligi-
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ble for a grant under the Competitive Academic 
Agreement Program with a current total enrollment 
of 17,500 students or less, including graduate and un-
dergraduate as well as full- and part-time students. 
(b) REPORT.—Following any award of grants under 
the Competitive Academic Agreement Program, the Sec-
retary shall provide to Congress a written report detail-
ing— 
(1) the recipients of such grants; and 
(2) any grantees that were provided a 100-per-
cent Federal share under this section. 
SEC. 16. GEOHAZARD MITIGATION STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall prepare a report containing— 
(1) the results of a study that— 
(A) evaluates Federal and State, as applica-
ble, requirements for gas, hazardous liquid, and 
carbon dioxide pipeline facility design, siting, 
construction, operation and maintenance, and 
integrity management relating to geohazards, in-
cluding seismicity, land subsidence, landslides, 
slope instability, frost heave, soil settlement, ero-
sion, river scour, washouts, floods, unstable soil, 
water currents, hurricanes, dynamic geologic 
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conditions, tsunamis, tornados, wildfires, floods, 
ice storms, or other hazards that may cause a 
pipeline to move or be affected by abnormal ex-
ternal loads; 
(B) evaluates any industry consensus stand-
ards or best practices related to the requirements 
described in subparagraph (A); 
(C) evaluates the implementation by opera-
tors of Federal and State regulations related to 
geohazards and application of recommendations 
included in the Advisory Bulletin of the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 
titled ‘‘Pipeline Safety: Potential for Damage to 
Pipeline Facilities Caused by Earth Movement 
and Other Geological Hazards’’, issued on May 
2, 2019 (PHMSA–019–0087); 
(D) identifies any discrepancies in the re-
quirements described in subparagraph (A) and 
advisories, industry consensus standards, or best 
practices for operators of gas, hazardous liquid, 
and carbon dioxide pipeline facilities; and 
(E) 
identifies 
any 
areas 
relating 
to 
geohazards not addressed under subparagraphs 
(A) through (D); and 
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(2) any recommendations of the Government Ac-
countability Office based on the results of the study 
under paragraph (1). 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon completion of the 
report under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Secretary of Transportation, the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate the report. 
SEC. 17. SPECIAL PERMIT PROGRAM. 
(a) COMPLIANCE AND WAIVERS.—Section 60118(c)(1) 
of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION
ON
TERMS.—The Sec-
retary shall impose no terms on a waiver under 
this paragraph that do not apply to known pipe-
line safety risks applicable to the standard being 
waived under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(D) PUBLICATION.—Upon completion of 
the application requirements under section 
190.341 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, 
or successor regulations, the Secretary shall pub-
lish notice of the application in the Federal Reg-
ister. 
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‘‘(E) REVIEW OF APPLICATION.—The Sec-
retary shall complete a review of each such ap-
plication not later than 18 months after pub-
lishing a notice in the Federal Register described 
in subparagraph (D) with respect to the applica-
tion.’’. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Transportation shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report on the imple-
mentation by the Administrator of the Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the 
amendment made by subsection (a). 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report required under 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) a listing of each special permit applica-
tion applied for under section 60118(c)(1) of title 
49, United States Code; 
(B) a brief summary of the purpose of each 
such special permit; 
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(C) the date on which each such application 
was received; 
(D) the date on which each such application 
was completed or, in the absence of completion, 
the status of the application; 
(E) the date on which the Secretary issued 
a determination on the application; and 
(F) the explanation of the Secretary for any 
decision made outside the review period identi-
fied in section 60118(c)(1)(E) of title 49, United 
States Code, if applicable. 
(c) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
submission of the report under subsection (b), the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Represent-
atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report assessing the Sec-
retary’s implementation of, and compliance with, subpara-
graphs (C) through (E) of section 60118(c)(1) of title 49, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 18. EXCAVATION DAMAGE PREVENTION. 
(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—Section 6106 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (b) by inserting ‘‘adoption or 
progress toward adoption of the leading practices list-
ed in subsection (b) and’’ before ‘‘legislative and regu-
latory’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) LEADING PRACTICES.—A State one-call program 
shall implement leading practices that— 
‘‘(1) identify the size and scope of a one-call tick-
et for standard locate requests, including process ex-
ceptions for special large project tickets; 
‘‘(2) restrict the longevity of a one-call ticket for 
standard locate requests, which may include process 
exceptions for special large project tickets; 
‘‘(3) examine and limit exemptions to one-call 
programs to prevent common excavation damage inci-
dents, including— 
‘‘(A) excavation or demolition performed by 
the owner of a single-family residential property; 
‘‘(B) any excavation of 18 inches or less 
when maintenance activities are performed; 
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‘‘(C) repairing, connecting, adjusting, or 
conducting routine maintenance of a private or 
public underground utility facility; and 
‘‘(D) municipalities, public works organiza-
tions, and State departments of transportation 
for road maintenance; 
‘‘(4) specify tolerance zone horizontal dimensions 
and requirements for hand-dig, hydro, vacuum exca-
vation, and other nonintrusive methods; 
‘‘(5) specify emergency excavation notification 
requirements, including defining emergency exca-
vation and identifying the notification requirements 
for an emergency excavation; 
‘‘(6) specify the responsibilities of the excavator, 
including the reporting of damages due to excavation 
activities; 
‘‘(7) define who is an excavator and what is con-
sidered excavation; 
‘‘(8) require the use of white lining or electronic 
white lining, allowing for exceptions for special large- 
project tickets; 
‘‘(9) require a positive response, such as the util-
ity, municipality, or other entity placing the marks 
positively responds to the notification center and the 
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excavator checks for a positive response before begin-
ning excavation; 
‘‘(10) require newly installed underground facili-
ties to be locatable; 
‘‘(11) require the marking of lines and laterals, 
including sewer lines and laterals; 
‘‘(12) require training programs and require-
ments for third-party excavators performing exca-
vation activities that are not subject to pipeline con-
struction requirements under part 192 or part 195 of 
title 49, Code of Federal Regulations; 
‘‘(13) require training for locate professionals; 
and 
‘‘(14) require the use of commercially available 
technologies to locate underground facilities, such as 
geographic information systems and enhanced posi-
tive response. 
‘‘(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 
after the implementation of subsection (b), the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure and the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate a report detailing— 
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‘‘(C) the number of underground facility 
damages per 1,000 one-call tickets in each state 
for each year covered by the report.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section shall 
make a grant award to a State by the Secretary pursuant 
to section 60107 or section 60134 for a State program cer-
tified under section 60105 or section 60106 contingent on 
compliance by the State with all leading practices described 
in subsection (b).’’. 
(b) STATE DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.—Sec-
tion 60134(c) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘In making grants’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In making grants’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In evaluating criteria 
for determining the effectiveness of the damage pre-
vention program of a State, the Secretary shall con-
sider whether the State has, at a minimum— 
‘‘(A) effective, active, and consistent enforce-
ment of State one-call laws (including consist-
ency in the application of enforcement resources, 
fines, and penalties to all relevant stakeholders, 
such as operators, locators, and excavators); 
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‘‘(B) data reporting requirements such as 
those— 
‘‘(i) to the local one-call center for ex-
cavation damage events on pipelines and 
other underground facilities, that are not 
privately owned, including (if available at 
the time of reporting)— 
‘‘(I) information about the nature 
of the incident, including the facility 
damaged and the apparent cause of 
such damage (with supporting docu-
mentation); 
‘‘(II) the organizations or entities 
involved; 
‘‘(III) the impact to public safety, 
utility operations, and customer serv-
ice; and 
‘‘(IV) the impact to the environ-
ment; and 
‘‘(ii) to a nationally focused nonprofit 
organization specifically established for the 
purpose of reducing construction-related 
damages to underground facilities, of dam-
ages and near-miss events to underground 
facilities from excavation damages, includ-
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ing potential contributing factors, facility 
damaged, type of excavator, work per-
formed, equipment type, and State; 
‘‘(C) data reporting requirements, to a non-
profit organization specifically established for the 
purpose of reducing construction-related damage 
to underground facilities, of damage and near- 
miss events to underground facilities from exca-
vation damage, including root cause, facility 
damaged, type of excavator, work performed, 
equipment type, and State; and 
‘‘(D) performance measures to determine the 
effectiveness of excavation damage prevention ef-
forts.’’. 
SEC. 19. INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 45 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall enter into an agreement with the National 
Academies under which the National Academies shall con-
duct a study of the effectiveness of integrity management 
regulations applicable to natural gas and hazardous liquid 
pipeline facilities. 
(b) DATA SOURCES.—In carrying out the study under 
subsection (a), the National Academies shall— 
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(1) use publicly available data from the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 
State pipeline regulatory agencies, and other public 
sources; and 
(2) consult with pipeline stakeholders in the de-
velopment of findings under the study, including 
State and Federal regulators, pipeline operators, pub-
lic safety organizations, and environmental organiza-
tions. 
(c) ELEMENTS.—The study described under subsection 
(a) shall include— 
(1) a review of previous assessments of integrity 
management program implementation produced by or 
for the Secretary or the National Transportation 
Safety Board; 
(2) a review of the implementation and enforce-
ment by the Secretary of integrity management regu-
lations and any modifications of the regulations 
issued by the Secretary pursuant to section 60109 of 
title 49, United States Code; 
(3) a trend analysis and assessment of pipeline 
safety incidents, accidents, and repairs for high con-
sequence and non-high consequence areas, including 
comparing— 
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(A) the frequency of such incidents, acci-
dents, and repairs before and after the imple-
mentation of the Federal integrity management 
requirements described in subsection (a); and 
(B) the frequency of such incidents, acci-
dents, and repairs during the period of time such 
integrity management requirements have been in 
effect; 
(4) development of metrics to gauge the effective-
ness of the implementation and enforcement of such 
integrity management regulations; 
(5) an assessment of how integrity management 
informs operator activities, including planning and 
completion of repairs, and whether the implementa-
tion of integrity management regulations by operators 
of pipeline facilities has had a demonstrable effect on 
improving gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety; 
and 
(6) identification of areas where pipeline safety 
has improved and where it has not improved due to 
integrity management. 
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) require the National Academies to submit to 
the Secretary a report on the results of the study 
under subsection (a); and 
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(2) not later than 2 years after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate such report. 
SEC. 20. HYDROGEN STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct a study on existing natural gas 
pipeline systems that, as a result of hydrogen-natural gas 
blending, contain a percentage of hydrogen that is greater 
than 5 percent by volume to identify the changes that opera-
tors have implemented, including— 
(1) modifications or alternatives to— 
(A) odorants and leak-detection methods; 
(B) pipeline materials; and 
(C) operational standards; and 
(2) modifications to pipeline infrastructure. 
(b) ADDITIONAL CONTENTS.—The study under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) an identification of any technical challenges 
with repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure 
to allow such infrastructure to be used for hydrogen- 
natural gas blended service; and 
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(2) an examination of hydrogen-natural gas 
blended pipeline systems currently operating, includ-
ing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Can-
ada, Europe, Australia, and Hong Kong. 
(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the study under 
subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall consider— 
(1) any changes that domestic and international 
operators of natural gas pipeline systems have imple-
mented to the processes, pipeline materials, metering, 
and operational standards used by such operators to 
account for the operation and integrity of natural gas 
pipeline systems that use a hydrogen content at vari-
able percentages above 5 percent by volume; and 
(2) how such operators have taken into account 
the effects of hydrogen-natural gas blending on dif-
ferent types of— 
(A) natural gas pipeline systems materials, 
including cast iron, steel, composite pipe, and 
plastic pipe; and 
(B) components of such systems, including 
valves and meters. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
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Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results 
of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
(e) RULEMAKING.—The results of the study under sub-
section (a) should inform the rulemaking efforts of the Sec-
retary relating to hydrogen-natural gas blending. The Sec-
retary may determine that rulemaking efforts related to hy-
drogen should be advanced before completion of the study 
under subsection (a). 
(f) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to prohibit or otherwise limit the 
authority of the Secretary to issue regulations relating to 
hydrogen prior to the submission of the report under sub-
section (d). 
SEC. 21. PENALTY FOR CAUSING A DEFECT IN OR DIS-
RUPTING OPERATION OF PIPELINE INFRA-
STRUCTURE. 
Section 60123 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) PENALTY FOR CAUSING A DEFECT IN OR DIS-
RUPTING OPERATION OF PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A person shall be fined 
under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 10 
years, or both, if the person knowingly and will-
fully— 
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‘‘(A) causes a defect in a pipe, pump, com-
pressor, or valve in the possession of a pipeline 
operator to be used in construction of any pipe-
line facility described in subsection (b) that 
would affect the integrity or safe operation of 
any such facility; or 
‘‘(B) disrupts the operation of any pipeline 
facility described in subsection (b) by causing or 
undertaking the unauthorized or unplanned 
turning or manipulation of a valve. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘in the possession of a pipeline operator’ means, with 
respect to a pipe, pump, compressor, or valve, that 
such pipe, pump, compressor, or valve is— 
‘‘(A) in transit to a pipeline component 
staging site or construction site; 
‘‘(B) at a pipeline component staging site; 
or 
‘‘(C) at a construction site.’’. 
SEC. 22. CIVIL PENALTIES. 
Section 60122(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘$2,000,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$2,500,000’’. 
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SEC. 23. LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS REGULATORY COORDI-
NATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Secretary of 
Transportation shall establish and convene a Liquefied Nat-
ural Gas Regulatory Safety Working Group (in this section 
referred to as the ‘‘Working Group’’) through the National 
Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas Safety to 
clarify the authority of Federal agencies in the authorizing 
and oversight of LNG facilities, other than peak shaving 
facilities, and improve coordination of the authority of such 
agencies. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall con-
sist of certain representatives of the Federal govern-
ment, as such term is defined in clauses (i) through 
(v) of section 111(a)(3)(F) of the PIPES Act of 2020 
(Public Law 116–260), as designated by the Secretary 
of Transportation or appropriate Federal agency 
leadership. 
(2) CHAIR.—The Administrator of the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration or a 
designee of the Administrator shall serve as chair of 
the Working Group, unless an alternate member of the 
working group is selected by unanimous consent of the 
Working Group. 
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(3) RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHAIR.—The Chair of 
the Working Group shall establish an agenda and 
schedule for the Working Group to accomplish the ob-
jectives described in subsection (c). 
(c) EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Working Group shall 
evaluate individual Federal agency authorities per-
taining to the siting and design, construction, oper-
ation and maintenance, and operational and process 
safety regulations of LNG facilities. 
(2) NEGOTIATION.—The Working Group shall 
negotiate Federal agency agreements pursuant to sub-
section (d) to establish procedures for— 
(A) the application of the respective au-
thorities of each Federal agency in ensuring safe-
ty in a manner to ensure effective regulation of 
LNG facilities in the public interest; 
(B) resolving conflicts concerning overlap-
ping jurisdiction among the Federal agencies; 
and 
(C) avoiding, to the extent possible and if 
appropriate, conflicting or duplicative regula-
tion, inspection protocols, and reporting obliga-
tions. 
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(d) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING AND INTER-
AGENCY AGREEMENTS.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the agencies represented on 
the Working Group shall enter into interagency agreements 
or memorandums of understanding regarding best practices 
and individual agency safety oversight enforcement respon-
sibilities regarding LNG facilities, other than peak shaving 
facilities. 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after entering into interagency agency agreements or memo-
randum of understanding under subsection (d), the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
a report on the memorandum of understanding or inter-
agency agreements and how such memorandum or agree-
ments have contributed to improved safety and enforcement 
oversight coordination of LNG facilities. 
(f) LNG DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘LNG’’ 
means liquefied natural gas. 
SEC. 24. PIPELINE SAFETY VOLUNTARY INFORMATION- 
SHARING SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 601 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘§ 60144. Voluntary information-sharing system 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a confidential voluntary information-sharing system 
(referred to in this section as ‘VIS’) to encourage the 
sharing of pipeline safety data and information in a 
non-punitive context in order to improve the safety of 
gas, carbon dioxide, and hazardous liquid gathering, 
transmission, and distribution pipelines and facili-
ties, including storage facilities. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the VIS is to es-
tablish a comprehensive, systematic, and integrated 
structure to gather, evaluate, and quantify critical 
pipeline safety data and information and to share 
recommended remediation measures and lessons 
learned across the pipeline industry in an effort to 
improve pipeline safety, including damage prevention 
efforts, while protecting participant confidentiality. 
‘‘(3) IMPLEMENTATION
AND
MANAGEMENT.—In 
establishing the VIS under this section, the Secretary 
shall implement and manage such VIS based on the 
Pipeline Safety Voluntary Information-Sharing Sys-
tem Recommendation Report prepared pursuant to 
section 10 of the Protecting Our Infrastructure of 
Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016 (49 
U.S.C. 60108 note). 
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‘‘(4) INAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The VIS shall 
not be considered a Federal advisory committee and 
shall not be subject to the requirements of chapter 10 
of title 5. 
‘‘(b) GOVERNANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A Governing Board, a Pro-
gram Manager, a Third-Party Information Manager, 
and Issue Analysis Teams shall govern the VIS. 
‘‘(2) GOVERNING BOARD.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Administrator of the Pipeline and Haz-
ardous Materials Safety Administration shall 
appoint a Governing Board after consulting with 
public and private pipeline safety stakeholders. 
‘‘(B) COMPOSITION
OF
THE
BOARD.—The 
Governing Board shall be comprised of at least 
9 members and shall represent a balanced cross- 
section of pipeline safety stakeholders with pipe-
line safety knowledge or experience as follows: 
‘‘(i) At least 3 individuals shall be se-
lected from departments, agencies, instru-
mentalities of the Federal Government, Ter-
ritories, State governments, or local govern-
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ments, 1 of which shall be the Adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(ii) At least 3 individuals shall be se-
lected from the gas, carbon dioxide, or haz-
ardous liquid industries, such as operators, 
trade associations, inspection technology, 
coating, and cathodic protection vendors, 
and pipeline inspection organizations. 
‘‘(iii) At least 3 individuals shall be se-
lected from public safety advocate organiza-
tions, such as pipeline safety and environ-
mental advocacy groups, public safety-fo-
cused research institutions, or labor and 
worker safety representatives. 
‘‘(C) BOARD TERMS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Each member of 
the Governing Board shall be appointed for 
a term of 3 years, with the terms of 3 of the 
members expiring each year. 
‘‘(ii) TERM EXPIRATION.—The term of 
at least 1 member of each of the 3 stake-
holder groups established in subparagraph 
(B) shall expire each year. 
‘‘(iii) INITIAL APPOINTMENT.—In the 
initial appointment of members, terms of 1, 
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2, and 3 years shall be established to allow 
the terms of 3 members to expire thereafter 
each year. 
‘‘(iv) REAPPOINTMENT.—Each member 
may be reappointed for consecutive 3-year 
terms. 
‘‘(D) CO-CHAIRS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Governing 
Board shall be co-chaired by— 
‘‘(I) the Administrator; 
‘‘(II) a representative of the stake-
holder group described in subpara-
graph (B)(ii), who shall be appointed 
with advice and consent of the Gov-
erning Board; and 
‘‘(III) a representative of the 
stakeholder group described in sub-
paragraph (B)(iii), who shall be ap-
pointed with advice and consent of the 
Governing Board. 
‘‘(ii) 
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 
co- 
chairs of the Governing Board shall be 
jointly responsible for organizing and con-
ducting meetings of the Governing Board. 
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‘‘(E) AUTHORITY.—The Governing Board 
shall make decisions by a super-majority of two- 
thirds plus 1 of the Governing Board members 
and shall have the authority to— 
‘‘(i) govern and provide strategic over-
sight to the VIS; 
‘‘(ii) develop governance documents, 
including a Governing Board charter that 
is made available to the public, and that de-
scribes the scope of the authority and objec-
tives of the Board; 
‘‘(iii) select a Third-Party Data Man-
ager described in paragraph (4) with exper-
tise in data protection, aggregation, and 
analytics and geographic information sys-
tems; 
‘‘(iv) approve the criteria and proce-
dures governing how the Third-Party Data 
Manager described in paragraph (4) will 
receive and accept pipeline safety data and 
information and who will have the author-
ity to view VIS data; 
‘‘(v) establish and appoint members to 
Issue Analysis Teams described in para-
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graph (5) that consist of technical and sub-
ject matter experts; 
‘‘(vi) collaborate with Issue Analysis 
Teams described in paragraph (5) to iden-
tify the issues and topics to be analyzed; 
‘‘(vii) collaborate with Issue Analysis 
Teams described in paragraph (5) to specify 
the type of de-identified pipeline safety data 
and information that Issue Analysis Teams 
need in order to analyze the issues identi-
fied under clause (vi) and topics; 
‘‘(viii) determine the information to be 
disseminated; 
‘‘(ix) determine the reports to be dis-
seminated; 
‘‘(x) at least once per year, issue a re-
port to the public on VIS processes, mem-
bership of the Governing Board, issues or 
topics being investigated and analyzed, 
pipeline safety data and information that 
the VIS has requested for submission to the 
VIS, and safety trends identified; and 
‘‘(xi) perform other functions as the 
Governing Board decides are necessary or 
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appropriate consistent with the purpose of 
the VIS. 
‘‘(3) PROGRAM
MANAGER.—The Administrator 
shall provide the day-to-day program management 
and administrative support for the VIS, including 
oversight of the Third-Party Data Manager described 
in paragraph (4). 
‘‘(4) THIRD-PARTY DATA MANAGER.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—A Third-Party Data 
Manager shall provide data management and 
data oversight services for the VIS. 
‘‘(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In fulfilling the 
responsibilities described in subparagraph (A), 
the Third-Party Data Manager shall— 
‘‘(i) accept pipeline safety data and in-
formation submitted to the VIS that meets 
the criteria and procedures established by 
the Governing Board under paragraph 
(2)(E)(iv); 
‘‘(ii) de-identify, securely store, and 
manage pipeline safety data and informa-
tion that is accepted by the VIS; 
‘‘(iii) collaborate with Issue Analysis 
Teams described in paragraph (5) to aggre-
gate and analyze de-identified pipeline safe-
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ty data and information that is accepted by 
the VIS; 
‘‘(iv) prepare reports as requested by 
the Governing Board regarding the type of 
pipeline safety data and information that is 
managed by the VIS; and 
‘‘(v) make recommendations regarding 
the management of pipeline safety data and 
information, as appropriate. 
‘‘(5) ISSUE
ANALYSIS
TEAMS.—Issue Analysis 
Teams of the VIS shall— 
‘‘(A) work with the Third-Party Data Man-
ager described in paragraph (4) to aggregate and 
analyze de-identified pipeline safety data and 
information accepted by the VIS; 
‘‘(B) collaborate with the Governing Board 
to identify issues and topics for analysis and 
submit internal reports and recommendations to 
the Governing Board; and 
‘‘(C) prepare reports as requested by the 
Governing Board regarding issues and topics 
identified for additional research by the Gov-
erning Board. 
‘‘(6) PARTICIPATION.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The submission of pipe-
line safety data and information to the VIS by 
any person shall be voluntary, with no person 
compelled to participate in or submit data or in-
formation for inclusion in the VIS. 
‘‘(B) ACCEPTANCE OF INFORMATION.—The 
VIS shall implement policies to ensure that all 
operator data or information submitted has been 
authorized by the operator for submission. 
‘‘(C) SHARING OF INFORMATION.—The Gov-
erning Board shall encourage the voluntary shar-
ing of pipeline safety data and information 
among operators of gas, carbon dioxide, and haz-
ardous liquid gathering, transmission, and dis-
tribution pipelines and facilities, employees, 
labor unions, contractors, in-line inspection serv-
ice providers, non-destructive evaluation experts, 
the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, representatives of State pipeline 
safety agencies, local and Tribal governments, 
pipeline safety advocacy groups, manufacturers, 
research and academic institutions, and other 
pipeline stakeholders. 
‘‘(c) INFORMATION SHARING.— 
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‘‘(1) INCLUSIONS.—Pipeline safety data and in-
formation accepted by the VIS may include— 
‘‘(A) pipeline integrity risk analysis infor-
mation; 
‘‘(B) lessons learned from accidents and 
near misses; 
‘‘(C) process improvements; 
‘‘(D) technology deployment practices; 
‘‘(E) information obtained through VIS 
pipeline safety surveys of pipeline operator em-
ployees, as long as such surveys are voluntarily 
agreed to by the pipeline operator; and 
‘‘(F) pipeline safety data and information 
which may lead to the identification of pipeline 
safety risks. 
‘‘(d) CONFIDENTIALITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) CONFIDENTIALITY.—To facilitate the 
sharing of otherwise non-public pipeline safety 
data and information (hereinafter known as 
‘non-public information’) in the VIS, non-public 
information accepted by the VIS and which may 
be analyzed, stored, or managed by the VIS shall 
be kept confidential by the VIS. 
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‘‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subpara-
graph (A) shall not be construed to apply to pub-
lic information that may be submitted to the 
VIS or to non-public information that is re-
quired to be submitted to any Federal, State, 
local, or Tribal agency under any other provi-
sion of law. 
‘‘(2) DISCLOSURE OF DE-IDENTIFIED, NON-PUB-
LIC INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sub-
sections (e) and (f), the Governing Board may 
approve the disclosure of de-identified, non-pub-
lic information by the VIS or by the Adminis-
trator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration based on analysis of the 
de-identified information and any safety find-
ings or recommendations that the Governing 
Board in the sole discretion of the Board deter-
mines to publish or authorizes the Administrator 
to publish to improve pipeline safety. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC REPORTS.—In issuing public 
reports under subsection (b)(2)(E)(x), the Gov-
erning Board shall approve the disclosure of de- 
identified, non-public information by the VIS 
that the Governing Board determines is nec-
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essary to adequately describe and illustrate the 
issues and topics being investigated and ana-
lyzed by the VIS. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), no person, including any VIS Governing 
Board member, the Program Manager, the Third- 
Party Data Manager described in subsection (b)(4), 
an Issue Analysis Team member described in sub-
section (b)(5), or any Federal, State, local, or Tribal 
agency, having or obtaining access to non-public in-
formation by virtue of the acceptance of such infor-
mation to the VIS, shall release or communicate VIS 
held non-public information, in either an identified 
or de-identified form, to any person that does not 
have the authority to view VIS data. 
‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY OF FOIA.—Any non-public infor-
mation that is accepted by the VIS and which may be ana-
lyzed, stored, or managed by the VIS and subsequently ob-
tained by the Secretary or the Administrator by virtue of 
the acceptance of such information to the VIS shall be ex-
empt from the requirements of section 552 of title 5 and 
specifically exempt from release under subsection (b)(3) of 
such section. 
‘‘(f) EXCLUSIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) EXCLUDED EVIDENCE.—Except as provided 
in paragraph (3), non-public information accepted by 
the VIS and which may be analyzed, stored, or man-
aged by the VIS shall not be obtained from the VIS— 
‘‘(A) for use as evidence for any purpose in 
any Federal, State, local, Tribal, or private liti-
gation, including any action or proceeding; or 
‘‘(B) to initiate any enforcement action or 
civil litigation against a pipeline operator or 
employees or contractors of such operator relat-
ing to a probable violation under this chapter 
(including any regulation promulgated or order 
issued under this chapter). 
‘‘(2) EXCLUSION FROM DISCOVERY.—Except as 
provided in paragraph (3), non-public information 
accepted by the VIS and which may be analyzed, 
stored, or managed by the VIS shall not be subject to 
discovery from the VIS in any Federal, State, local, 
Tribal, or private litigation or other proceeding. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS ON EXCLUSIONS.—The exclu-
sions described in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not 
apply to non-public information accepted by the VIS 
that is— 
‘‘(A) evidence of a criminal violation; 
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‘‘(B) not related to the established purpose 
of the VIS described in subsection (a)(2); 
‘‘(C) otherwise required to be reported to the 
Secretary under part 191 (including information 
about an incident or accident), part 192, part 
194, part 195, or part 199 of title 49, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), or 
required to be reported under the requirements of 
a State authority; or 
‘‘(D) developed or obtained from a source 
other than the VIS, including through discovery 
from a person or an entity other than the VIS 
in an enforcement action or private litigation. 
‘‘(4) 
ADDITIONAL
LIMITATIONS
ON
EXCLU-
SIONS.—The exclusions described in paragraphs (1) 
and (2) shall not apply to non-public information 
that is submitted to but not accepted by the VIS. 
‘‘(g) EFFECT ON STATE LAW.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to affect Federal, State, or local pipeline 
safety law. 
‘‘(h) NO EFFECT ON DISCOVERY.— 
‘‘(1) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
section or any rule, regulation, or amendment issued 
pursuant to this section shall be construed to create 
a defense to a discovery request or otherwise limit or 
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affect the discovery of pipeline safety data and infor-
mation arising from a cause of action authorized 
under any Federal, State, or local law. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not 
apply to exclusions from discovery from the VIS as 
described in subsection (f)(2). 
‘‘(i) EXPENSES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Members of the VIS Gov-
erning Board and Issue Analysis Teams may be paid 
expenses under section 5703 of title 5. 
‘‘(2) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—A payment 
under this subsection shall not be construed to make 
a member of the VIS Governing Board an officer or 
employee of the Federal Government. 
‘‘(3) FEDERAL
EMPLOYEES.—Paragraph (1) 
shall not apply to members of the VIS Governing 
Board that are employees of the Federal Government. 
‘‘(j) REPORT ON VIS.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and make pub-
licly available, a report that includes— 
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‘‘(1) a detailed accounting of the allocation and 
uses of expenditures authorized under this section; 
‘‘(2) an estimate of the annual cost to maintain 
the VIS program, including an assessment and pro-
jection of costs associated with the Third-Party Data 
Manager, data sourcing and storage, data governance, 
data architecture, data consumption, and the VIS op-
erations and administration by the Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; 
‘‘(3) the methodology for determining the esti-
mate under paragraph (2); 
‘‘(4) the number of expected participants in the 
VIS program; 
‘‘(5) the number of Pipeline and Hazardous Ma-
terials Safety Administration positions needed to 
maintain the VIS program; 
‘‘(6) the projected timeline for the implementa-
tion of the VIS program to meet the purposes under 
subsection (a)(2); and 
‘‘(7) recommendations to ensure sufficient fund-
ing for the ongoing activities of the VIS program, in-
cluding a reasonable fee assessed on authorized par-
ticipants in the VIS program. 
‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for the establishment of 
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a voluntary information-sharing program under this sec-
tion— 
‘‘(1) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; 
‘‘(2) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 
‘‘(3) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 
‘‘(4) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 
601 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘60144.Voluntary information-sharing system.’’. 
SEC. 25. CARBON DIOXIDE PIPELINES. 
(a) PURPOSE
AND GENERAL AUTHORITY.—Section 
60102 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in subparagraph (1)(B)(i) by inserting 
‘‘or carbon dioxide’’ after ‘‘hazardous liquids’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2)(A)— 
(i) by redesignating clause (ii) and 
(iii) as clause (iii) and (iv), respectively; 
and 
(ii) by inserting after clause (i) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(ii) carbon dioxide pipeline safety in-
formation;’’; 
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(2) in subsection (c) by inserting ‘‘or carbon di-
oxide pipeline facility’’ after ‘‘hazardous liquid pipe-
line facility’’; 
(3) in subsection (d)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the 
semicolon and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) major carbon dioxide pipeline facili-
ties of the operator;’’; 
(4) in subsection (e) by striking ‘‘transportation 
of gas or hazardous liquid’’ and inserting ‘‘transpor-
tation of gas, hazardous liquid, or carbon dioxide’’; 
(5) in subsection (f)(1) by striking ‘‘natural gas 
transmission pipeline or hazardous liquid pipeline fa-
cilities’’ and inserting ‘‘natural gas transmission 
pipeline, hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, or car-
bon dioxide pipeline facilities’’ each place it appears; 
(6) in subsection (i)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘regulate 
carbon dioxide’’ and all that follows through ‘‘by 
such a facility’’ and inserting ‘‘prescribe stand-
ards related to pipeline facilities to ensure the 
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safe transportation of carbon dioxide in a liquid 
or supercritical state by such facilities’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (2)(B) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(B) INCLUSION
OF
APPLICABLE
STAND-
ARDS.—The Secretary shall establish the min-
imum safety standards in part 195 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations, as applicable.’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘ pre-
scribe the location of a carbon dioxide storage fa-
cility or to’’ before ‘‘regulate piping’’; 
(D) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (4); 
(E) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE.— 
‘‘(A) MINIMUM
SAFETY
STANDARDS.—The 
Secretary shall prescribe minimum safety stand-
ards for the injection, withdrawal, and storage of 
carbon dioxide incidental to pipeline transpor-
tation. 
‘‘(B) STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE INCI-
DENTAL TO PIPELINE TRANSPORTATION.—In this 
paragraph, the term ‘storage of carbon dioxide 
incidental to pipeline transportation’— 
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‘‘(i) means the temporary receipt and 
storage of carbon dioxide transported by 
pipeline for continued transport; but 
‘‘(ii) does not include— 
‘‘(I) with respect to each State, 
the long-term containment of carbon 
dioxide in subsurface geologic forma-
tions or other activity subject to the re-
quirements of a State underground in-
jection control program prescribed by 
the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency and applica-
ble to the State, or adopted by the 
State and approved by the Adminis-
trator, under part C of the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300h et seq.); 
or 
‘‘(II) the temporary storage of 
carbon dioxide in any excepted pipe-
lines listed in paragraph (b) of section 
195.1 of title 49, Code of Federal Regu-
lations, as of the date of enactment of 
the PIPES Act of 2023.’’; and 
(F) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) DISPERSION MODELING.— 
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‘‘(A) SAFETY
STANDARDS.—The Secretary 
shall prescribe minimum safety standards to re-
quire each operator of a carbon dioxide pipeline 
facility to employ vapor dispersion modeling to 
identify high consequence areas, as defined at 
section 195.450 of title 49, Code of Federal Regu-
lations, and paragraph (7)(I)(A) of Appendix C 
to part 195 of such title, that could be affected 
by a release from such a pipeline. 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In performing the 
vapor dispersion modeling under subparagraph 
(A), operators of a carbon dioxide pipeline facil-
ity shall consider— 
‘‘(i) the topography surrounding the 
pipeline; 
‘‘(ii) atmospheric conditions that could 
affect vapor dispersion; 
‘‘(iii) pipeline operating characteris-
tics; and 
‘‘(iv) additional substances present in 
the pipeline that could affect vapor disper-
sion. 
‘‘(C) MAINTENANCE
OF
FILES.—The Sec-
retary shall require each operator of a carbon di-
oxide pipeline facility to maintain records docu-
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menting the areas that could affect high con-
sequence areas, as determined using the vapor 
dispersion modeling required pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A), in the manual of written proce-
dures for operating, maintaining, and handling 
emergencies for such pipeline. 
‘‘(D) PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE INFORMA-
TION.—In responding to a public request for in-
formation regarding carbon dioxide dispersion 
modeling, the Secretary may, taking into ac-
count public safety, security, and the need for 
public access, exclude from disclosure (as the Sec-
retary determines appropriate)— 
‘‘(i) security sensitive information re-
lated to strategies for responding to worst- 
case carbon dioxide release scenarios; 
‘‘(ii) security sensitive information re-
lated to carbon dioxide release plumes; and 
‘‘(iii) security sensitive information re-
lated to plans for responding to a carbon 
dioxide release. 
‘‘(E) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this section may be construed to require dis-
closure of information or records that are exempt 
from disclosure under section 552 of title 5.’’. 
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(b) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking 
titled ‘‘Pipeline Safety: Safety of Carbon Dioxide and Haz-
ardous Liquid Pipelines’’ (or any other notice of proposed 
rulemaking covering substantially similar regulatory re-
quirements), the Secretary shall issue a final rule based on 
such proposed rulemaking. The final rule shall include up-
dates to such regulations as are necessary to implement sec-
tion 60102(i) of title 49, United States Code, as amended 
by subsection (a), and other carbon dioxide safety issues 
identified by the Secretary. 
(c) STATE PIPELINE SAFETY PROGRAM CERTIFI-
CATIONS.—Section 60105(b)(9)(A) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ‘‘natural gas and hazardous 
liquid’’ and inserting ‘‘natural gas, hazardous liquid, and 
carbon dioxide’’. 
(d) STATE
PIPELINE
SAFETY
GRANTS.—Section 
60107(a)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ‘‘or interstate carbon dioxide’’ after ‘‘interstate 
hazardous liquid’’. 
(e) INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE.—Section 60108 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘gas pipeline 
facility or hazardous liquid pipeline facility’’ and in-
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serting ‘‘gas pipeline facility, hazardous liquid pipe-
line facility, or carbon dioxide pipeline facility’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(1) by striking ‘‘gas or haz-
ardous liquid pipeline facility’’ and inserting ‘‘gas 
pipeline facility, hazardous liquid pipeline facility, or 
carbon dioxide pipeline facility’’. 
(f) HIGH-DENSITY POPULATION AREAS AND ENVIRON-
MENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS.—Section 60109 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘or carbon dioxide’’ after 
‘‘by operators of hazardous liquid’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and carbon dioxide’’ after 
‘‘each hazardous liquid’’ each place it appears; 
and 
(C) in clause (ii) by inserting ‘‘or carbon 
dioxide’’ after ‘‘there is a hazardous liquid’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b) by inserting ‘‘or carbon di-
oxide’’ after ‘‘there is a hazardous liquid’’; and 
(3) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in the heading by inserting ‘‘AND CAR-
BON DIOXIDE’’ after ‘‘LIQUID’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘or car-
bon dioxide’’ after ‘‘underwater hazardous liq-
uid’’. 
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(g) TECHNICAL SAFETY STANDARDS COMMITTEES.— 
Section 60115 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘transporting hazardous liq-
uid or operating a hazardous liquid pipeline fa-
cility’’ and inserting ‘‘transporting hazardous 
liquid, transporting carbon dioxide, operating a 
hazardous liquid pipeline facility, or operating a 
carbon dioxide pipeline facility’’ each place it 
appears; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘transporting hazardous 
liquid and of hazardous liquid pipeline facili-
ties’’ and inserting ‘‘transporting hazardous liq-
uid or transporting carbon dioxide and of haz-
ardous liquid pipeline facilities or carbon diox-
ide pipeline facilities’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(3)(B) by striking ‘‘the nat-
ural gas or hazardous liquid industry’’ and inserting 
‘‘the natural gas industry, the hazardous liquid in-
dustry, or the carbon dioxide industry’’; 
(3) in subsection (b)(4)(B) by striking ‘‘natural 
gas pipelines or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities’’ 
and inserting ‘‘natural gas pipelines, hazardous liq-
uid pipeline facilities, or carbon dioxide pipeline fa-
cilities’’; 
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(4) in subsection (c)(1)(B) by striking ‘‘trans-
porting hazardous liquid and for hazardous liquid 
pipeline facilities’’ and inserting ‘‘transporting car-
bon dioxide, hazardous liquid pipeline facilities and 
carbon dioxide facilities’’; and 
(5) in subsection (d)(1) by striking ‘‘trans-
porting hazardous liquid and for hazardous liquid 
pipeline facilities’’ and inserting ‘‘transporting haz-
ardous liquid, transporting carbon dioxide, hazardous 
liquid pipeline facilities, and carbon dioxide pipeline 
facilities’’. 
(h) PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS.—Section 60116 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘gas 
or hazardous liquid pipeline facility’’ and inserting ‘‘gas 
pipeline facility, hazardous liquid pipeline facility, or car-
bon dioxide pipeline facility’’ each place that it appears. 
(i) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—Section 60117 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (o)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘liquid 
pipeline facility or liquefied natural gas pipeline 
facility’’ and inserting ‘‘liquid pipeline facility, 
a liquefied natural gas pipeline facility, or a 
carbon dioxide pipeline facility’’; and 
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‘‘gas pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, or carbon diox-
ide pipelines’’. 
(l) DUMPING WITHIN PIPELINE RIGHTS-OF-WAY.— 
Section 60128(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘interstate gas pipeline facility or interstate 
hazardous liquid pipeline facility’’ and inserting ‘‘inter-
state gas pipeline facility, interstate hazardous liquid pipe-
line facility, or interstate carbon dioxide pipeline facility’’. 
(m) VERIFICATION OF PIPELINE QUALIFICATION PRO-
GRAMS.—Section 60131(g) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (2) by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) with respect to a carbon dioxide pipeline fa-
cility, activities equivalent to the activities described 
with respect to a hazardous liquid pipeline facility 
under section 195.501 of such title.’’. 
(n) 
ENFORCEMENT
TRANSPARENCY.—Section 
60135(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ‘‘gas and hazardous liquid pipeline’’ and inserting 
‘‘gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipeline’’. 
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(o) PIPELINE CONTROL ROOM MANAGEMENT.—Sec-
tion 60137 and title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘gas or haz-
ardous liquid pipeline’’ and inserting ‘‘gas, hazardous 
liquid, or carbon dioxide pipeline’’; 
(2) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘gas or haz-
ardous liquid pipeline’’ and inserting ‘‘gas, hazardous 
liquid, or carbon dioxide pipeline’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e) by striking ‘‘gas or haz-
ardous liquid pipeline’’ and inserting ‘‘gas, hazardous 
liquid, or carbon dioxide pipeline’’. 
(p) PIPELINE SAFETY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS.— 
Section 60142 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) a carbon dioxide pipeline facility; or’’; 
(2) in subsection (k)(2)(A) by striking ‘‘inter-
state gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities’’ and 
inserting ‘‘interstate gas pipeline facilities, interstate 
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hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, or interstate car-
bon dioxide pipeline facilities’’; and 
(3) in subsection (l)(1) by striking ‘‘interstate 
gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities’’ and in-
serting ‘‘interstate gas pipeline facilities, interstate 
hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, or interstate car-
bon dioxide pipeline facilities’’. 
(q) IDLED PIPELINES.—Section 60143 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2) by inserting ‘‘carbon di-
oxide,’’ after ‘‘hazardous liquid,’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘gas trans-
mission and hazardous liquid pipelines’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘gas transmission, hazardous liquid, and carbon 
dioxide pipelines’’ each place it appears. 
(r) USER FEES.—Section 60301 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘natural gas 
and hazardous liquids’’ and inserting ‘‘natural gas, 
hazardous liquids, and carbon dioxide’’; 
(2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘gas pipeline fa-
cility, or a hazardous liquid pipeline facility’’ and 
inserting ‘‘gas pipeline facility, a hazardous liquid 
pipeline facility, or a carbon dioxide pipeline facil-
ity’’; and 
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(3) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) related to a carbon dioxide pipeline facility 
may be used only for an activity related to carbon di-
oxide under chapter 601 of this title; and’’. 
SEC. 26. OPPORTUNITY FOR FORMAL HEARING. 
(a) 
ENFORCEMENT
PROCEDURES.—Section 
60117(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in subparagraph (J) by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(K) allow the respondent an opportunity 
for a hearing on the record conducted by an ad-
ministrative law judge, in accordance with sec-
tion 554 of title 5, for a notice of probable viola-
tion enforcement matter— 
‘‘(i) with a proposed civil penalty of at 
least $125,000; or 
‘‘(ii) where the respondent can reason-
ably show the cost of the proposed compli-
ance action will exceed $125,000.’’. 
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(b) PROTOCOLS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Transportation shall publish protocols for hear-
ings open to the public pursuant to section 60117(b)(2) of 
title 49, United States Code, that ensure an orderly process 
and protection of confidential information. 
(c) REPORT ON USE OF FORMAL HEARING PROC-
ESS.—Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate a report detailing— 
(1) the number of hearings held pursuant to sub-
paragraph (K) of section 60117(b)(1) of title 49, 
United States Code; 
(2) the status of each such hearing; 
(3) an analysis comparing the informal hearing 
process and the formal hearing process that de-
scribes— 
(A) the length of time to resolve an enforce-
ment action under section 60117 of title 49, 
United States Code; 
(B) the cost of the enforcement action proc-
ess to— 
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(i) the respondent; and 
(ii) the Pipeline and Hazardous Mate-
rials Safety Administration; and 
(C) the number of cases that reach settle-
ment and the outcome of such cases; 
(4) any additional resources that are needed by 
the Secretary in response to implementing this provi-
sion for each fiscal year to carry out the amendment 
made by subsection (a); and 
(5) any safety improvements identified as a re-
sult of the implementation of subparagraph (K) of 
section 60117(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code. 
SEC. 27. STATE PIPELINE SAFETY GRANTS REPORTING. 
Section 60107(b) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘After notifying’’ and inserting 
‘‘(1) WITHHOLDING OF PAYMENT.—After notifying’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) BUDGET ESTIMATE.—The budget estimates of the 
Secretary for each fiscal year shall include— 
‘‘(A) a summary of amounts claimed, 
amounts reimbursed, and the percentages reim-
bursed in the preceding 3 fiscal years for the 
program under this section; and 
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‘‘(B) the estimated funding necessary to 
fund 80 percent of the cost of the personnel, 
equipment, and activities under this section for 
the subsequent calendar year.’’. 
SEC. 28. INSPECTION OF IN-SERVICE BREAKOUT TANKS. 
(a) INSPECTION OF IN-SERVICE BREAKOUT TANKS.— 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall review and, if 
determined that such action will achieve an equivalent level 
of safety, shall amend the safety standards in part 195 of 
title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, relating to the inter-
nal inspection of the bottoms of in-service breakout tanks 
to allow for risk-based inspections. 
(b) CONSIDERATION.—If the Secretary amends the 
safety standards described in subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall consider the 5th edition of standard 653 published by 
the American Petroleum Institute issued November 2014 ti-
tled ‘‘Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruc-
tion’’. 
(c) SCOPE.—If the Secretary amends the safety stand-
ards described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure 
that such risk-based inspection standards achieve a level of 
safety that is equivalent to the level of safety required under 
such part 195, as in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
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SEC. 29. DISCLOSURE OF SAFETY INFORMATION ASSESS-
MENT. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall conduct an assessment on how gas pipeline facility, 
hazardous liquid pipeline facility, and carbon dioxide pipe-
line facility owners and operators engage with, and provide 
safety information to, the public and State or local emer-
gency response organizations. 
(b) SAFETY INFORMATION.—In conducting the assess-
ment required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall con-
sider— 
(1) pipeline safety materials that the owners and 
operators of pipelines described in subsection (a) vol-
untarily provide to the public; 
(2) methods of interaction between pipeline facil-
ity owners and operators and the public and State 
and local emergency response entities; 
(3) Federal, State, and local government regula-
tions governing information that pipeline facility 
owners and operators are required to share with the 
public; 
(4) industry consensus standards regarding the 
sharing of pipeline safety and emergency response in-
formation; 
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(5) specific data that could be shared with local 
and State emergency response and planning agencies, 
local public officials, and governing councils to en-
hance information sharing and pipeline safety, spe-
cifically— 
(A) the identification of general pipeline lo-
cation, or information including location, the 
products transported by pipeline or stored at an 
underground natural gas facility, data on break-
out tanks or production facilities that includes 
pipeline classification and impact areas, and 
owner or operator emergency response planning 
materials; and 
(B) information emergency response organi-
zations ask pipeline owners and operators to vol-
untarily share with the public; 
(6) emergency response materials that pipeline 
facility owners and operators voluntarily provide to 
emergency response organizations; 
(7) how pipeline facility owners and operators 
communicate with emergency response organizations, 
including— 
(A) the functional quality and use of data 
shared through the National Pipeline Mapping 
System; and 
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(B) the measures taken by emergency re-
sponse organizations to secure any sensitive in-
formation shared; 
(8) emergency response planning guidance and 
requirements issued by emergency response organiza-
tions for pipeline facility owners and operators; and 
(9) changes emergency response organizations 
recommend to improve communication with the pub-
lic and emergency response coordination organiza-
tions. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the assessment 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with both 
large and small pipeline facility owners and operators, 
urban and rural State, local, and Tribal governments, 
emergency response organizations, and pipeline safety orga-
nizations. 
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after completion of the assessment in subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 
a report containing the findings of the assessment under 
subsection (a) and any legislative recommendations of the 
Secretary. 
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(e) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after the sub-
mission of the report under subsection (d), the Secretary 
may issue guidance to improve pipeline safety information 
sharing with the public and other interested parties to ad-
vance pipeline safety. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—The definitions contained in sec-
tion 60101(a) of title 49, United States Code, shall apply 
to this section. 
SEC. 30. ASSESSMENT OF CERTAIN PIPELINE SAFETY DEFI-
NITIONS. 
(a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall evaluate the definition in section 192.5(b)(3)(ii) of 
title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, and the definition of 
identified site in section 192.903 of title 49, Code of Federal 
Regulations, to determine the adequacy for protecting build-
ings and occupied outdoor facilities from pipeline safety in-
cidents. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the evaluation 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider— 
(1) whether to revise the definition of the occu-
pancy counts of these areas; 
(2) whether consistency in minimum occupancy 
thresholds throughout part 192 of title 49, Code of 
Federal Regulations, would improve safety; and 
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(3) whether defining the occupancy counts in 
these areas as 20 or more persons on at least a total 
of 50 days within any 12-month period would im-
prove— 
(A) safety; and 
(B) the efficiency of carrying out class de-
terminations. 
(c) MODIFICATION OF DEFINITIONS.—The Secretary 
shall issue such regulations as the Secretary determines nec-
essary to modify the definitions in subsection (a) to increase 
safety for the protection of buildings and occupied outdoor 
facilities from pipeline safety incidents. 
SEC. 31. REPORT ASSESSING THE COSTS OF PIPELINE FAIL-
URES. 
(a) REPORT ASSESSING
THE COSTS
OF PIPELINE 
FAILURES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall enter 
into an agreement with the National Academies under 
which the National Academies shall, not later than 3 years 
after such date of enactment, conduct a study of the direct 
and indirect costs related to the failure or shutdown of a 
gas, hazardous liquid, or carbon dioxide pipeline facility. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The study described under subsection 
(a) may include an analysis of— 
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(5) the costs of environmental remediation result-
ing from a gas, hazardous liquid, or carbon dioxide 
pipeline facility failure or shutdown; 
(6) the economic impact of a gas, hazardous liq-
uid, or carbon dioxide pipeline facility failure or 
shutdown, including— 
(A) increases in product costs; 
(B) damage to public and private property; 
and 
(C) the potential costs of moving gas, haz-
ardous liquid, or carbon dioxide by other means 
of transportation, including by rail, truck, and 
barge; and 
(7) increased energy costs to households and 
businesses reliant on the movement of the gas, haz-
ardous liquid or carbon dioxide due to the shutdown 
or failure of a pipeline facility. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study under 
subsection (a), the National Academies shall consult with 
economists, State, Federal, local, and Tribal governments, 
emergency management officials, and pipeline stakeholders, 
including pipeline facility operators and public safety and 
environmental groups. 
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon completion of the 
study conducted under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
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(1) require the National Academies to submit to 
the Secretary a report on such study; and 
(2) submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report containing the results of 
such study. 
SEC. 32. STUDY ON LOCALIZED EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM 
FOR PIPELINE FACILITIES INCIDENTS. 
(a) GAO REVIEW.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall submit to the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a study assess-
ing— 
(1) the need and feasibility of requiring owners 
and operators of covered facilities to establish and 
maintain a localized emergency alert system; and 
(2) whether such an alert system would be best 
maintained by State or local emergency management 
officials or owners and operators of such facilities. 
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(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the study under 
subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall— 
(1) consider the feasibility, benefits, costs, and 
safety impacts to affected stakeholders, including own-
ers and operators of covered facilities, the public, and 
State and local emergency management officials, of 
requiring a localized emergency alert system; 
(2) consider whether a localized emergency alert 
system can be established by such owners and opera-
tors or incorporated into existing public alert, broad-
cast, and electronic emergency alert systems, includ-
ing by assessing— 
(A) whether a localized emergency alert sys-
tem established and maintained by an owner or 
operator of a covered facility would conflict with, 
or impede the operation of, existing emergency 
alert systems; 
(B) the feasibility, benefits, costs, and tech-
nological needs of incorporating facility system 
data into existing emergency alert systems; 
(C) whether local emergency management 
organizations may need additional hardware, 
software, personnel, or communications support 
to incorporate a localized emergency alert system 
into an existing emergency alert system; 
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(D) whether other systems could support no-
tification to the public of an incident or accident 
at a covered facility, such as the National Re-
sponse Center, the Reverse-911 telecommuni-
cation system, or severe weather warning sys-
tems; and 
(E) whether localized emergency alert sys-
tems have been considered, studied, or imple-
mented in other high hazard industries, such as 
industrial gases, chemicals, petrochemicals, and 
petroleum refining, and the results of any study 
or implementation of such systems in such in-
dustries; 
(3) consult with owners and operators of large 
and small covered facilities, public safety advocacy 
groups, and urban and rural State and local emer-
gency management officials; 
(4) assess the adequacy of existing practices of 
owners and operators of covered facilities in pro-
viding timely and pertinent safety communication 
about an incident or accident at such facility to local 
communities affected by such incident or accident; 
(5) assess whether there are legal hurdles to es-
tablishing a localized emergency alert system that 
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uses voluntarily collected data or opt-in procedures, 
including any data security considerations; 
(6) consider the feasibility, benefits, costs, and 
other impacts to State and Federal safety regulators 
who would oversee any requirement of owners and op-
erators of covered facilities; 
(7) assess the types of incidents and accidents at 
covered facilities, by commodities transported and the 
unique characteristics of such incident or accident, 
that should be reported through a localized emergency 
alert system and the content of the information that 
should be provided; 
(8) assess which members of the public should re-
ceive communications from localized emergency alert 
systems, including individuals, persons, or organiza-
tions located in the vicinity of high consequence areas, 
unusually sensitive areas, and any other defining 
characteristics as determined by the Comptroller Gen-
eral; and 
(9) consider whether any Federal requirements 
or mandates are needed in order to establish an effec-
tive localized emergency alert system for incidents or 
accidents at covered facilities. 
(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Comptroller General 
shall include in the study conducted under subsection (a) 
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any policy recommendations developed as a result of the 
information studied and assessed under subsection (b). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COVERED FACILITY.—The term ‘‘covered fa-
cility’’ means a gas pipeline facility, a hazardous liq-
uid pipeline facility, or a carbon dioxide pipeline fa-
cility, including a liquefied natural gas storage facil-
ity or an underground natural gas storage facility, as 
defined in section 60101 of title 49, United States 
Code. 
(2) LOCALIZED EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.— 
The term ‘‘localized emergency alert system’’ means a 
system that provides to individuals in the immediate 
vicinity of a covered facility an electronic notification 
of an incident or accident at such facility that pre-
sents an immediate risk to life or property. 
SEC. 33. MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE OPERATING PRESSURE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 60139 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(1)(A) by inserting ‘‘except 
as provided in subsection (e),’’ before ‘‘require’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 
(f); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing: 
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100 
‘‘(e) TESTING RECORDS WORKING GROUP.— 
‘‘(1) 
PREVIOUSLY
TESTED
TRANSMISSION 
LINES.—Until the completion of the report of the 
Working Group required under paragraph (2) and 
the rulemaking proceeding required under paragraph 
(3), the Secretary shall not require an owner or oper-
ator of a pipeline facility to reconfirm the maximum 
allowable operating pressure of a natural gas trans-
mission pipeline pursuant to section 192.624 of title 
49, Code of Federal Regulations, if the owner or oper-
ator confirms the material strength of the pipeline 
through prior testing conducted to a sufficient min-
imum pressure in accordance with prevailing safety 
standards and practices, including any applicable 
class location factors, and documented in contempora-
neous records. 
‘‘(2) WORKING GROUP REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No later than 30 days 
after the date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 
2023, the Secretary of Transportation shall cre-
ate a fairly balanced working group (hereinafter 
referred to as the ‘Working Group’) to produce a 
report containing recommendations on the min-
imum pressure and contemporaneous records 
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101 
that are sufficient to confirm the material 
strength of a pipeline through prior testing. 
‘‘(B) COMPOSITION OF WORKING GROUP.— 
The Working Group— 
‘‘(i) shall be comprised of the Adminis-
trator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Mate-
rials Safety Administration, State pipeline 
regulators, the public, and industry stake-
holders active in the operation of natural 
gas pipelines; and 
‘‘(ii) may include members of the Tech-
nical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee 
or be conducted in a manner that otherwise 
ensures input from the public, as deter-
mined appropriate by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) CONSIDERATION.—In preparing the 
report required under paragraph (1), the Work-
ing Group— 
‘‘(i) shall consider historical practices 
and all available research conducted regard-
ing minimum pressure and contempora-
neous records on transmission pipelines; 
and 
‘‘(ii) may consider the need for any 
additional research or analyses needed to 
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102 
demonstrate the adequacy of any strength 
testing performed. 
‘‘(D) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—Chapter 10 
of title 5 shall not apply to the Working Group. 
‘‘(E) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 
PIPES Act of 2023, the Working Group shall 
submit to the Secretary the report produced 
under paragraph (2), including any minority 
views. 
‘‘(3) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 180 days 
after receiving the report described in paragraph (2), 
the Secretary shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding 
under section 60102 to revise, or make a technical 
correction to, the maximum allowable operating pres-
sure reconfirmation regulations issued pursuant to 
this section in effect as of the date of enactment of the 
PIPES Act of 2023.’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 721 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6494 
[Report No. 118–884, Part I] 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide 
enhanced safety in pipeline transportation, and 
for other purposes. 
DECEMBER 16, 2024 
Reported from the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure with an amendment 
DECEMBER 16, 2024 
Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged; com-
mitted to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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