# 119-hr-9338: Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 119-hr-9338, Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9338 - As of: 2026-10-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-9338 - Congress: 119 - Title: Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2026-06-18 - Sponsor: Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Transportation and Public Works - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-01 ## Summary **Strengthens federal pipeline safety and oversight.** The bill would tighten which gathering and on‑site pipes count as regulated, create a confidential Voluntary Information Sharing (VIS) system, set an enforceable special‑permit process, raise penalties, require state excavation best practices, and authorize multi‑year funding for pipeline safety. - Pipeline operators would face a new special permit (waiver) program with public applications, an 18‑month uniform review period, and a GAO evaluation. Civil penalties for key violations would rise to $341,200 and $3.4 million for the listed offenses. - States would need to adopt 14 specified leading practices for one‑call excavation and damage prevention. States must submit an initial report within 3 years on adoption and damage rates and then report every 2 years. - A voluntary VIS would let operators, PHMSA, States, tribes, researchers, and others share confidential safety data under a 15‑member governing board with FOIA and litigation protections and annual public reporting to Congress. *Would authorize roughly $217.8 million per year for FY2027–FY2031, about $1.1 billion in authorized funding over five years, increasing federal outlays during that period.* ## Provisions PRIA read - Pipeline safety funding 2027–2031: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would authorize yearly pipeline safety funding for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. It would authorize $180.8 million per year from fees (including $9.0 million for section 12 activities and $77.0 million for grants), $30.0 million per year from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fun… - Broader criminal protection for pipelines: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would expand the statute that forbids damaging pipeline facilities to also forbid impairing their operation and to cover facilities under construction that will be operated once finished. This would broaden criminal protection for pipeline infrastructure and related public safe… - State one‑call best practices: benefit, medium. If enacted, each State would have to adopt 14 specified leading practices for one‑call (call‑before‑you‑dig) programs to cut excavation damage. The rules cover locate tickets, limits on exemptions, tolerance zones, hand‑digging and nonintrusive methods, white lining, marking new lines, and training… - New enforcement and permit procedures: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would expand when a respondent is entitled to a formal hearing in enforcement cases by setting a $125,000 threshold for proposed compliance costs or civil penalties. The Secretary would have to publish public hearing protocols within one year and protect confidential informatio… - Narrower rules on gas piping coverage: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would change the definition of regulated gas movement to exclude some rural gathering and certain short transfer or in‑plant piping. The exclusion would not apply to gathering through regulated gathering lines, and transfer piping must extend less than one mile outside a facili… - Higher civil fines for violations: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would raise the maximum civil penalty caps in pipeline safety law. One cap would increase to $341,200 and the larger cap would increase to $3,412,000. These new caps would apply to violations covered by the statute and raise the maximum fines regulators may seek. - Confidential pipeline safety sharing: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a confidential Voluntary Information‑Sharing System (VIS) for pipeline safety. Participation would be voluntary and the Secretary would appoint a 15‑member board within one year to run VIS and pick a third‑party data manager. VIS data could not be used for enforcem… - Agency funding and rulemaking tests: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would make user fees in the Pipeline Safety Fund remain available until spent, letting PHMSA use fee balances without earlier expiration. It would also require that benefit, cost, and environmental analyses in safety rulemakings explicitly measure safety and economic benefits "… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 - 119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 - 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act - 119-hr-5582: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act - 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-9338 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9338) ## Related - [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816) - [119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5089) - [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137) - [119-hr-5582: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5582) - [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317) - [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9338 (as of 2026-10-01).