PIPES Act of 2025
House Committee Reviews PIPES Act to Expand CO2 Pipeline Safety Rules, Boost Penalties to $3.4M
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Puts more money toward pipeline safety work for 2026–2029, including grants to states, emergency response, and community safety info programs.
- Creates a new $150 million-per-year grant program (2027–2029) to help publicly owned local gas systems repair or replace high-risk or leaking pipes.
- Adds tougher consequences for pipeline safety problems: raises the maximum civil penalty to $3,412,000 and adds up to 10 years in prison for intentionally damaging pipeline parts or messing with valves.
- Expands federal pipeline safety authority to clearly cover carbon dioxide pipelines, including new minimum safety standards and modeling to map areas that could be harmed by a CO2 release.
- Requires more transparency and public-facing information, like regular status updates on overdue safety rules and yearly public summaries of federal and state pipeline inspections.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Discharged
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
Panel clears PHMSA bill with provisions for CO2, hydrogen pipelines
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 5301, the PIPES Act of 2025, reauthorizing PHMSA for four years. The bill includes new safety standards for CO2 and hydrogen pipelines and increases civil penalties for safety violations to over $3.4 million.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Advances PHMSA Reauthorization Act
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure advanced the PIPES Act of 2025 (H.R. 5301). The bill authorizes $776 million over four years for pipeline safety programs and includes provisions to improve emergency response and community safety information programs.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
PIPES Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(4)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.