SEC. 21. STUDY OF MATERIALS AND CORROSION PREVEN-
TION IN PIPELINE TRANSPORTATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2016, 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 study on materials, train-
ing, and corrosion prevention technologies used in pipeline 
transportation. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The study required under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) the range of piping materials, including 
plastic materials, used to transport hazardous liquids 
and natural gas in the United States and in other de-
veloped countries around the world; 
(2) the types of technologies used for corrosion 
prevention; 
(3) an evaluation of the adequacy of training 
provided to personnel responsible for identifying and 
preventing corrosion in pipelines, and for repairing 
such pipelines; and 
(4) an analysis of the costs and benefits, includ-
ing safety benefits, associated with the use of such 
materials and technologies. 
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SEC. 22. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall submit to the Committee on Trans-
portation 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 regarding the Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration’s research and develop-
ment program established under section 12 of the Pipeline 
Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 note). 
The report shall include an evaluation of— 
(1) compliance with the consultation requirement 
under subsection (d)(2) of such section; 
(2) the extent to which the Pipeline and Haz-
ardous Materials Administration enters into joint re-
search ventures with Federal and non-Federal enti-
ties, and benefits thereof; 
(3) the policies and procedures the Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has put 
in place to ensure there are no conflicts of interest 
with administering grants to grantees under the pro-
gram, and whether those policies and procedures are 
being followed; and 
(4) an evaluation of the outcomes of research 
conducted with Federal and non-Federal entities and 
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the degree to which such outcomes have been adopted 
or utilized. 
(b) COLLABORATIVE SAFETY RESEARCH REPORT.— 
(1) BIENNIAL REPORTS.—Section 60124(a)(6) of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) a summary of each research project 
carried out with Federal and non-Federal enti-
ties pursuant to section 12 of the Pipeline Safety 
Improvement Act of 2002 and a review of how 
intended improvements impact safety.’’. 
(2) PIPELINE SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT.—Sec-
tion 12 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 
2002 (49 U.S.C. 60101 note) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (d)(3)(C)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘program-wide’’ and 
inserting ‘‘technology’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘are’’ and inserting 
‘‘may be’’; 
(iii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(i) The Secretary’’; and 
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(iv) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) at least 20 percent of the costs of basic 
research and development with universities may 
be carried out using non-Federal sources; and 
‘‘(iii) up to 100 percent of the costs of re-
search and development for purely governmental 
purposes may be carried out using Federal 
funds.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) INDEPENDENT EXPERTS.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2016, 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) implement processes and procedures to en-
sure that projects listed under subsection (c), to the 
greatest extent practicable, produce results that are 
factual and peer-reviewed by independent experts and 
not with persons or entities that have a financial in-
terest in the pipeline, petroleum, or natural gas in-
dustries, or that would be directly impacted by the re-
sults of the projects; 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 implementation 
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of the processes and procedures required under para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(i) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—The Secretary shall 
take all practical steps to ensure that each recipient of an 
agreement under this section discloses in writing to the Sec-
retary any conflict of interest on a research and develop-
ment project carried out under this section, and includes 
any such disclosure as part of the final deliverable pursuant 
to such agreement. The Secretary may not make an award 
under this section directly to a pipeline owner or operator 
that is regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration or a State-certified regulatory au-
thority.’’. 
SEC. 23. ACTIVE AND ABANDONED PIPELINES. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall issue formal 
guidance to owners and operators of gas or hazardous liquid 
pipeline facilities and applicable State regulatory authori-
ties regarding the actions, including those required by Fed-
eral regulation, required to change the status of a pipeline 
facility from active to abandoned, including specific guid-
ance on the definition of each pipeline status referred to 
in such formal guidance. 
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