New legislation is moving through Congress designed to bolster and ensure the safety of the more than 3.4 million miles of pipelines carrying hazardous materials in the U.S.
Members of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee are currently reviewing the Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety legislation, otherwise known as the Pipes Act.
The effort, which has bipartisan support, is centered on improving pipeline operations across the country, bolstering criminal penalties for pipeline damage or disruption, while also enhancing civil penalties for operators that violate safety rules.
The legislation will ensure that we can “transport our traditional and future forms of energy safely, efficiently, and responsibly,” said Republican Committee Chairman Sam Graves of Missouri.
Democrat Ranking Member Rick Larsen of Washington, in a statement, said the legislation will “reinforce the safety oversight of millions of miles of existing pipelines, as well as new carbon dioxide and hydrogen pipelines, and dedicate funding to replacing aging pipes.”
Pipeline safety is one of those rare subjects that has garnered interest and support across partisan lines in recent years. In the summer of 2016 President Obama signed into law the Pipes Act of that year, to be followed in late 2020 by President Trump affirming his signature to the Pipes Act of 2020.
Each new authorization of the original bill has increased funding.
The new legislation will also permit pipeline operators to develop alternative methods of maintaining public infrastructure rights of way, while also promoting guidance to “improve pipeline safety information sharing with the public.”
September 15, 2025
By Garry Boulard
