Pipeline Agency Retires One Advisory Bulletin, and That's the News
Published Date: 6/18/2025
Notice
Summary
PHMSA is officially canceling a previous advisory bulletin about pipeline safety rules from the 2020 PIPES Act. This change affects pipeline operators who no longer need to follow that specific guidance, but all other safety rules still apply. There’s no new cost or deadline—just a cleanup to keep things clear and simple.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
PHMSA rescinds ADB-2021-01
If you own or operate a pipeline, PHMSA has rescinded Advisory Bulletin ADB-2021-01 (rescission issued June 13, 2025) and related policy/statements that had interpreted section 114 of the 2020 PIPES Act. The rescission cancels the specific guidance PHMSA previously issued about how operators must update inspection and maintenance plans (including statements that used the word “must”).
Limits on applicability to non-natural-gas facilities
PHMSA rescinded its prior, broader reading that section 114(b) required operators of facilities not used to transport “natural gas” to update their inspection and maintenance plans by December 27, 2021. The notice explains Congress repeatedly referenced “natural gas” in section 114 and PHMSA’s earlier expansive notifications to operators (including notification activity described by GAO) exceeded the statute’s best reading.
Clarification for gathering-line operators
PHMSA acknowledges it previously treated gathering lines without regard to longstanding jurisdictional exceptions and that it notified many operators (GAO cited PHMSA notifying 803 operators covering 331,803 miles of gas gathering lines and other notifications) that they had to update plans by December 27, 2021. The rescission withdraws the ADB-based statements that blurred distinctions for non‑jurisdictional gathering lines.
No new 'fugitive'/'vented' mandate
PHMSA says the terms “fugitive emissions” and “vented emissions” do not appear in section 114(a) or (b) of the 2020 PIPES Act and are not defined in PHMSA statutes or regulations, and PHMSA is rescinding prior guidance that treated those terms as mandatory compliance obligations. If you were following ADB-2021-01 because it said your plan ‘must’ address fugitive or vented emissions, that mandatory instruction has been withdrawn.
Withdrawal of related PHMSA statements
PHMSA rescinded ADB-2021-01 and also withdrew any PHMSA policy statements, letters of interpretation, guidance documents, congressional testimony, and public statements that relied on ADB-2021-01. Owners and operators should instead follow the text of section 114 of the 2020 PIPES Act and 49 U.S.C. 60108(a).
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Department and Agencies
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