H.R. 5301 — PIPES Act of 2025

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety Act of 2025” or the “PIPES Act of 2025”; provides a table of contents for the Act's 32 sections; and defines the term “State” as given in 49 U.S.C. 60101(a).

This section authorizes appropriations for gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety programs under 49 U.S.C. §60125(a) from pipeline safety fees collected under 49 U.S.C. §60301, including $181.4 million for FY2026 ($9 million for pipeline mapping under section 12 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002, P.L. 107-355, and $73 million for grants), increasing annually to $206.6 million for FY2029 ($9 million and $79 million); from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $30 million for FY2026 ($2 million for mapping and $11 million for grants), increasing to $31.5 million for FY2029 ($2 million and $12.5 million); $7 million annually for FY2026-2029 for underground natural gas storage facility safety under 49 U.S.C. §60141; and specified amounts for PHMSA workforce recruitment and retention under section 104(a) of the PIPES Act of 2025 and section 102(c) of P.L. 116-260 ($3.4 million for FY2026, increasing to $8.5 million for FY2029). It also (1) authorizes operational expenses under section 2(b) of the PIPES Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-183) at $31.681 million for FY2026, increasing to $34 million for FY2029; (2) increases funding for one-call notification programs under 49 U.S.C. §6107 to $2 million annually for FY2026-2029 (from $1.058 million annually for FY2021-2023); (3) extends emergency response grants under 49 U.S.C. §60125(b)(2) through FY2029 (from FY2023); (4) increases pipeline safety information grants to communities under 49 U.S.C. §60130(c)(1) to $2.25 million for FY2026, $2.5 million for FY2027, $2.75 million for FY2028, and $3 million for FY2029 (from $2 million annually for FY2021-2023); and (5) revises technical assistance awards under 49 U.S.C. §60130(c)(2) to specified annual amounts (from $1 million annually).

This section revises the definitions in 49 U.S.C. § 60101(a) for pipeline safety purposes by (1) adding new terms including “carbon dioxide” (i.e., a product stream consisting of more than 50 percent carbon dioxide molecules in any state of matter except solid), “carbon dioxide pipeline facility” (i.e., a pipeline or related equipment used or intended for transporting or treating carbon dioxide during transportation, excluding certain storage facilities), “de-identified” (i.e., removal of identifying information from reports or data), “interstate carbon dioxide pipeline facility” and “intrastate carbon dioxide pipeline facility,” “non-public pipeline safety data and information,” “public information,” “transporting carbon dioxide” (i.e., movement or incidental storage of carbon dioxide by pipeline in interstate or foreign commerce), and “Tribal” (i.e., relating to Indian tribes as defined in 25 U.S.C. § 5130); and (2) inserting references to carbon dioxide pipelines, transportation, and related facilities into existing definitions of terms in paragraphs (8)(B), (18), (19), and (24). (Thus, these changes extend federal pipeline safety regulation—administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration—to encompass carbon dioxide pipelines used in carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration activities.)

This section authorizes the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to increase full-time equivalent employees in the Office of Pipeline Safety by up to 30 positions for individuals with advanced engineering, scientific, or other technical expertise (or equivalent experience) to develop and implement pipeline safety policies and regulations and fulfill congressional rulemaking mandates. It requires the Secretary of Transportation to submit a report to Congress within one year of enactment assessing (1) progress in implementing the additional hiring authority; (2) implementation of recruitment and retention incentives under sec. 102 of the PIPES Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260); (3) barriers and challenges to hiring and retention at PHMSA; (4) staffing levels for inspection and enforcement personnel; and (5) any additional workforce needs. This section also amends sec. 102(c)(3) of the PIPES Act of 2020 (49 U.S.C. 60101 note) to authorize the Secretary, in consultation with the PHMSA Administrator, to waive existing regulations when implementing those recruitment and retention incentives.

This section defines an "outstanding mandate" as a final rule required under the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-90), the PIPES Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-183), the PIPES Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260), or this Act or any other Act regarding gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that has not been published in the Federal Register. It requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish on a Department of Transportation public website, not later than 30 days after enactment and every 30 days thereafter until each outstanding mandate is published, a status update for each mandate containing (1) information from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on work plans, timelines, staff allocations, resource constraints, other progress factors, and recently published pipeline rulemakings; and (2) information from the Office of the Secretary on submission dates, review delays beyond 45 days, staff allocations, resource constraints, estimated completion timelines, revisions, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review status. Upon Federal Register publication of a final rule for an outstanding mandate, the Secretary must notify the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This section revises requirements under the federal pipeline safety regulatory program (49 U.S.C. §60102(l)) for the Secretary of Transportation to review and update, as necessary, incorporated industry standards modified by a standards development organization (as defined in the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993, 15 U.S.C. §4301(a)). It requires such reviews not less frequently than once every four years or upon petition under applicable regulations; authorizes the Secretary to decline adoption of standards inconsistent with law, impracticable, imposing undue burdens, not serving program needs, or improperly influenced by foreign entities; directs maintenance of a public list of all considered standards, agency adjudications, and non-adoption rationales, with submission to specified congressional committees within 30 days of completion or revisions; and requires developers to make incorporated standards (or portions thereof) available free for public viewing online. This section further requires the Government Accountability Office, not later than two years after enactment, to review compliance with the public accessibility requirement and report findings to the same committees.

This section establishes pipeline inspection reporting requirements for the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Not later than one year after enactment, following Federal Register notice and comment, the Secretary of Transportation must publish an electronically accessible report on OPS inspection and enforcement priorities for FY2026 through 2029, describing (1) how the priorities guide the inspection program, (2) how they improve pipeline safety, and (3) coordination with regional offices and state inspectors under delegated authority. Not later than June 1 each year beginning the year after enactment, the OPS Administrator must publish an electronically accessible summary of the previous calendar year's federal and state pipeline inspections under 49 U.S.C., including for each inspection the date, pipeline owner or operator, system or segment inspected, PHMSA region(s), state(s), and any violations or proposed violations found.

This section modifies requirements for technical safety standards committees that advise the Secretary of Transportation on pipeline safety standards under 49 U.S.C. 60115 as follows: (1) making committee reports on proposed standards required only if applicable; (2) requiring the Secretary, when publishing reasons for not adopting a committee recommendation, to provide written notification of such reasons to specified House and Senate committees at the time of final rulemaking on the standard; and (3) reducing the maximum frequency of committee meetings to 2 (from up to 4).

This section states the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation should engage pipeline stakeholders—including state pipeline safety programs certified under 49 U.S.C. 60105 (i.e., programs allowing states to regulate intrastate pipeline facilities in lieu of federal standards), Tribal, state, and local governments, and the public—during predrafting stages of PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) rulemaking activities and, to the greatest extent practicable, through properly docketed ex parte discussions during rulemaking in order to inform the Secretary's work, assist PHMSA in developing rule scopes, and reduce timelines for proposed and final rules; and that PHMSA should publicly provide rationales for regulatory decisions in proposed rules when doing so would expedite adjudication of public comments.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than one year after enactment, to rename the Community Liaison Services within the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as the Office of Public Engagement. The section assigns the Office the following duties: (1) proactively engaging pipeline stakeholders—including the public, operators, public safety organizations, and state, local, and Tribal officials—to raise awareness of pipeline safety practices; (2) promoting adoption and increased use of safety programs and activities; (3) informing the public of pipeline safety regulations and best practices; and (4) assisting the public with inquiries regarding pipeline safety. The section further requires the Office to ensure public access to its activities and information products, incorporate existing community liaison positions, and directs the Secretary to submit an implementation report to Congress not later than 18 months after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe, not later than 90 days after enactment, a final rule amending safety standards for class location changes (i.e., population density-based pipeline classifications that trigger reassessment and potential upgrades under gas pipeline regulations) in 49 CFR parts 191 and 192, based on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's October 14, 2020, notice of proposed rulemaking titled “Pipeline Safety: Class Location Change Requirements” (85 Fed. Reg. 65142) and all documents in Docket No. PHMSA–2017–0151.

This section revises pipeline safety requirements for idled pipelines (i.e., natural gas or other gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines temporarily out of service) by (1) requiring the Secretary of Transportation to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking within 180 days after enactment of the PIPES Act of 2025 prescribing the applicability of such requirements to those pipelines; and (2) requiring the Secretary, in promulgating the regulations, to consider adopting industry consensus standards.

This section establishes a voluntary program allowing pipeline operators to use alternative methods for maintaining rights-of-way, as part of the review under 49 U.S.C. §60108(a)(3), if such methods achieve safety levels at least equal to current regulations. Operators may incorporate specified conservation practices into these methods, including (1) integrated vegetation management such as reduced mowing; (2) development of pollinator and wildlife habitat through seeding or planting native forbs, grasses, and milkweed; (3) maintenance strategies that increase mowing height, reduce frequency, or avoid mowing during pollinator presence; (4) integrated plans using mechanical removal, targeted herbicides, and mowing; (5) planting deep-rooted perennial grasses and wildflowers; (6) excluding shallow-rooted grasses except as nurse crops; and (7) obtaining training on wildlife-friendly practices. Operators must consult guidance from the Secretary of Transportation or delegated state agencies, or leading industry practices if guidance is unavailable, but remain subject to all other applicable safety requirements.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than 18 months after enactment, to complete a study assessing the potential and existing use of composite materials in pipelines to safely transport hydrogen and hydrogen blended with natural gas—including commercially available materials, relevant tests and data, and recommended standards. The Secretary must ensure public participation through a stakeholder meeting, release of a draft study for at least 60 days of public comment (addressing substantive comments received), and a public meeting not later than 60 days after the comment period closes to present findings and responses. Not later than 18 months after that meeting, the Secretary must issue a rulemaking, including a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, to allow the use of composite materials for such pipeline transportation.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide a 100-percent federal share for projects under the Competitive Academic Agreement Program (i.e., grants to institutions of higher education for transportation-related research partnerships) carried out by small and mid-sized institutions (i.e., those with total enrollment of 17,500 students or less), upon written request prior to award. The section also requires the Secretary to submit a report to Congress after any grants are awarded, identifying recipients and any grantees that received a 100-percent federal share.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to complete, not later than one year after enactment, a study evaluating (1) federal and state requirements for gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipeline facility design, siting, construction, operation, maintenance, and integrity management relating to geohazards (e.g., seismicity, land subsidence, landslides, floods, hurricanes); (2) related industry consensus standards and best practices; (3) operator implementation of such regulations and a specified 2019 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration advisory bulletin on geological hazards; (4) discrepancies among these elements; and (5) any unaddressed geohazard areas, along with Government Accountability Office recommendations. Upon completion, the Comptroller General must submit the report to the Secretary of Transportation and the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This section amends the pipeline safety special permit program (49 U.S.C. 60118(c)(1)) by (1) limiting waiver terms to known safety risks applicable to the waived standard, (2) requiring Federal Register publication upon completion of application requirements under 49 C.F.R. 190.341 (or successor regulations), and (3) mandating review completion within 18 months of publication. It further directs the Secretary of Transportation to submit to specified congressional committees, within two years of enactment, a report on Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration implementation—including application listings, summaries, dates received, statuses, determinations, and delay explanations—and requires a Government Accountability Office report one year later assessing compliance with the new requirements.

This section amends grant provisions under 49 U.S.C. 6106 for state one-call notification systems (i.e., systems requiring excavators to notify operators of underground facilities, such as pipelines, prior to digging to prevent damage) by (1) establishing in new subsection (b) leading practices that state programs must implement, including defining standard one-call ticket size and longevity (with exceptions for large projects), limiting exemptions, specifying tolerance zones and emergency notifications, requiring excavator responsibilities and positive responses, mandating training and marking of facilities, and using location technologies; (2) directing the Secretary, in new subsection (c), to report to specified congressional committees initially within three years of implementing subsection (b) and biennially thereafter on leading practices implementation, adoption recommendations, excavation damage reduction, and underground facility damages per 1,000 one-call tickets per state; (3) requiring the Secretary to consider state adoption or progress toward the leading practices, in addition to legislative and regulatory actions, when awarding grants (in redesignated subsection (d)); and (4) clarifying in new subsection (f) that pipeline safety grants to certified state programs under 49 U.S.C. 60105 or 60106 are not contingent on full compliance with the leading practices. This section also amends grant evaluation criteria under 49 U.S.C. 60134(c) for state damage prevention programs by requiring the Secretary to consider, at a minimum, effective and consistent enforcement of state one-call laws across stakeholders (e.g., operators, locators, excavators) and data reporting requirements on excavation damages and near-misses to local one-call centers and a national nonprofit organization (including incident details, involved parties, public safety impacts, and environmental effects).

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than 45 days after the date of enactment, to enter into an agreement with the National Academies for a study on the effectiveness of integrity management regulations applicable to natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities. (As background, such regulations, issued under 49 U.S.C. 60109, require operators of gas pipelines in high-density population areas and certain hazardous liquid pipelines and gathering lines—i.e., those in high-density population areas, commercial navigation waters, or environmentally sensitive areas—to analyze risks and implement integrity management programs to reduce those risks.) The study must (1) review prior assessments by the Secretary or National Transportation Safety Board; (2) evaluate the Secretary's implementation and enforcement of the regulations, including any modifications under 49 U.S.C. 60109; (3) analyze trends in pipeline safety incidents, accidents, and repairs in high-consequence and non-high-consequence areas before and after integrity management requirements took effect; (4) develop metrics to measure regulatory effectiveness; (5) assess integrity management's influence on operator activities such as repairs and its impact on pipeline safety; and (6) identify safety improvements and shortcomings attributable to the programs. The National Academies must submit its report to the Secretary, who must submit it to specified congressional committees not later than two years after enactment. The study must rely on public data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state agencies, and other sources and consult pipeline stakeholders including regulators, operators, Tribal and local governments, public safety organizations, and environmental groups.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on changes implemented by operators of existing natural gas pipeline systems blending hydrogen-natural gas at greater than 5 percent by volume, including modifications or alternatives to odorants and leak-detection methods, pipeline materials, operational standards, and infrastructure. The study must also (1) identify technical challenges in repurposing such infrastructure for blended service and (2) examine operating blended pipeline systems in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Hong Kong, considering operator changes to processes, metering, materials (e.g., cast iron, steel, composite pipe, plastic pipe), and components (e.g., valves, meters) for variable hydrogen content above 5 percent. Not later than one year after enactment, the Comptroller General must submit a report on the results to the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the results are to inform the Secretary of Transportation's rulemaking on hydrogen-natural gas blending, though the Secretary may advance such rulemaking beforehand and retain full authority to issue related regulations prior to the report.

This section establishes a new criminal penalty of a fine under title 18, imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both, for any person who knowingly and willfully (1) causes a defect in a pipe, pump, compressor, or valve in the possession of a pipeline operator—to be used in constructing interstate gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities (or intrastate equivalents affecting interstate or foreign commerce), or those facilities themselves—that affects their integrity or safe operation; or (2) disrupts operation of such facilities by unauthorized or unplanned valve turning or manipulation. "In the possession of a pipeline operator" means, for such components, that they are in transit to, at, or at a pipeline component staging or construction site.

This section establishes a Liquefied Natural Gas Regulatory Safety Working Group, convened by the Secretary of Transportation through the National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas Safety, to clarify federal agency authorities over the authorization and oversight of LNG facilities (other than peak shaving facilities) and improve interagency coordination. The Working Group, chaired by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator (or designee), must evaluate agency authorities on LNG facility siting and design, construction, operation and maintenance, and safety regulations; negotiate agreements to apply those authorities effectively, resolve jurisdictional conflicts, and minimize duplicative regulations, inspections, and reporting; and, not later than two years after enactment, enter into interagency agreements or memoranda of understanding on best practices and safety oversight responsibilities. Not later than one year after those agreements, the Secretary of Transportation must report to specified congressional committees on the agreements and their contributions to improved safety and enforcement coordination for LNG facilities.

This section establishes a confidential voluntary information-sharing system (VIS) to improve the safety of gas, carbon dioxide, and hazardous liquid gathering, transmission, and distribution pipelines and facilities, including storage facilities, by gathering, evaluating, and sharing de-identified pipeline safety data, lessons learned, and remediation measures in a non-punitive context while protecting participant confidentiality. VIS implementation must follow the Pipeline Safety Voluntary Information-Sharing System Recommendation Report prepared under section 10 of the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016 (49 U.S.C. 60108 note), and VIS is not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. VIS governance includes (1) a Governing Board of at least 9 members appointed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator within 180 days of enactment after consulting stakeholders, comprising at least 3 representatives each from government entities (including the Administrator), industry, and public safety advocates, with staggered 3-year terms and reappointment eligibility; (2) co-chairs consisting of the Administrator, an industry representative, and a public safety advocate representative; (3) a PHMSA-provided Program Manager for day-to-day operations and oversight of a Third-Party Data Manager selected by the Board for data protection and analytics; and (4) Issue Analysis Teams of experts appointed by the Board to analyze safety issues using specified de-identified data. The Board makes decisions by a two-thirds plus one super-majority vote and has authority to develop governance documents (including a public charter), approve data submission criteria and access, identify analysis topics, determine disseminated information and reports, issue at least annual public reports on VIS activities and trends, and perform related functions.

This section expands the scope of federal pipeline safety standards under 49 U.S.C. 60102 to explicitly include carbon dioxide pipelines alongside gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, including in the purpose of the chapter, minimum standards, practicability factors (e.g., adding carbon dioxide pipeline safety information to those considered), operator integrity management requirements, and enforcement provisions. It further revises subsection (i) to (1) direct the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe standards for safe transportation of carbon dioxide in liquid or supercritical states and incorporate applicable standards from 49 C.F.R. part 195; (2) require minimum safety standards for injection, withdrawal, and storage of carbon dioxide incidental to pipeline transportation (i.e., temporary receipt and storage for continued transport, excluding long-term geologic containment under state programs approved under the Safe Drinking Water Act or storage in excepted pipelines under 49 C.F.R. 195.1(b)); (3) prohibit regulation of carbon dioxide storage facility locations or non-pipeline piping; and (4) require operators of carbon dioxide pipeline facilities to use vapor dispersion modeling to identify high-consequence areas potentially affected by releases—considering topography, atmospheric conditions, operating characteristics, and additional substances—and to maintain related records in emergency procedures manuals, with protections for disclosing security-sensitive information. This section also requires the Secretary to issue a final rule implementing these and other carbon dioxide safety requirements not later than one year after publishing the notice of proposed rulemaking titled "Pipeline Safety: Safety of Carbon Dioxide and Hazardous Liquid Pipelines" (or a substantially similar rulemaking). Finally, this section amends 49 U.S.C. 60105(b)(9)(A) to include carbon dioxide pipelines in state pipeline safety program certifications.

This section amends pipeline safety enforcement procedures under 49 U.S.C. 60117(b)(1) to require that the Secretary of Transportation allow a respondent an opportunity for a formal hearing on the record before an administrative law judge, in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 554, for a notice of probable violation with (1) a proposed civil penalty of at least $125,000 or (2) proposed compliance costs that the respondent can reasonably show will exceed $125,000. The section further directs the Secretary to publish, not later than one year after enactment, protocols for public hearings under 49 U.S.C. 60117(b)(2) that ensure an orderly process and protect confidential information. Finally, the section requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees, not later than three years after enactment, a report on hearings under the new provision that includes their number and status; a comparison of formal and informal processes regarding resolution time, costs to respondents and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and settlement outcomes; additional resources needed; and identified safety improvements.

This section requires the Secretary's budget estimates for each fiscal year for the state pipeline safety grants program (i.e., grants to states under 49 U.S.C. §60107 to support pipeline safety enforcement and inspections) to include (1) a summary of amounts claimed, amounts reimbursed, and reimbursement percentages for the preceding three fiscal years; and (2) estimated funding necessary to fund 80% of the costs of personnel, equipment, and activities for the subsequent calendar year.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than one year after enactment, to assess how owners and operators of gas pipeline facilities, hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, and carbon dioxide pipeline facilities share safety information with the public and State, Tribal, or local emergency response organizations. In conducting the assessment, the Secretary must consider specified factors—including voluntary pipeline safety materials, interaction methods, relevant regulations and standards, potential data sharing (e.g., general pipeline locations and products transported), and emergency response communications (including use of the National Pipeline Mapping System)—and consult with pipeline owners and operators, governments, emergency response organizations, and pipeline safety organizations. Not later than 180 days after completing the assessment, the Secretary must submit a report to the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation containing the assessment's findings and any legislative recommendations. Not later than 180 days after submitting the report, the Secretary may issue guidance to improve pipeline safety information sharing with the public and other interested parties.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than one year after enactment, to evaluate the adequacy of two gas pipeline safety definitions (in 49 CFR §192.5(b)(3)(ii), concerning class location occupancy counts, and §192.903, defining "identified site") for protecting buildings and occupied outdoor facilities from pipeline incidents. In the evaluation, the Secretary must consider (1) revising occupancy count definitions, (2) ensuring consistency in minimum occupancy thresholds across 49 CFR part 192, and (3) defining occupancy as 20 or more persons on at least 50 days in any 12-month period to improve safety and class determination efficiency; the Secretary must then issue regulations modifying the definitions as necessary to increase safety protections.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than 180 days after enactment, to enter into an agreement with the National Academies for a study—due not later than three years after enactment—on the direct and indirect costs of failures or shutdowns of gas, hazardous liquid, or carbon dioxide pipeline facilities, including emergency response costs, operator compliance costs, cyber-related impacts, environmental remediation, and economic effects such as increased energy costs and supply chain disruptions. In conducting the study, the National Academies must consult economists, state, federal, local, and Tribal governments, emergency officials, and pipeline stakeholders; upon completion, the Secretary must submit the results to the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the Secretary of Transportation and specified congressional committees, not later than 18 months after the date of enactment, a study assessing (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 a system would be best maintained by State, Tribal, or local emergency management officials or by owners and operators of such facilities. In conducting the study, the Comptroller General must consider (1) the feasibility, benefits, costs, and safety impacts of such a system; (2) integration with or conflicts against existing public alert systems; (3) consultations with stakeholders; (4) adequacy of current safety communications; (5) legal hurdles including data security; (6) impacts on regulators; (7) reportable incidents by commodity and characteristics; (8) targeted recipients including those near high-consequence areas; and (9) need for federal mandates. The study must include policy recommendations. In this section, covered facility means a gas pipeline facility, hazardous liquid pipeline facility, or carbon dioxide pipeline facility—including a liquefied natural gas storage facility or underground natural gas storage facility—as defined in 49 U.S.C. 60101; and localized emergency alert system means a system providing electronic notification of an incident or accident at such a facility presenting an immediate risk to life or property to individuals in the immediate vicinity.

This section modifies maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) reconfirmation requirements for natural gas transmission pipelines in class 3 and 4 locations and class 1 and 2 high-consequence areas under 49 U.S.C. 60139. Specifically, it (1) excepts owners or operators from reconfirming MAOP under 49 C.F.R. 192.624—until completion of a required report and rulemaking—if they confirm pipeline material strength through prior testing to a sufficient minimum pressure per prevailing safety standards (including class location factors) and documented in contemporaneous records; (2) requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish a balanced working group, within 30 days of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2025, to recommend minimum pressure levels and contemporaneous records sufficient for such confirmation, with the report—including any minority views—due within 180 days of enactment (notwithstanding FACA requirements); and (3) directs the Secretary to initiate rulemaking under 49 U.S.C. 60102, within 180 days of receiving the report, to revise or technically correct MAOP reconfirmation regulations issued pursuant to this section. (As background, these requirements support pipeline safety by ensuring records accurately reflect pipeline characteristics and MAOP, with reconfirmation typically involving pressure testing where records are insufficient.)