Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would aim to modernize and tighten U.S. pipeline safety by focusing rules on domestic benefits, raising penalties, and creating a confidential voluntary data‑sharing system to prevent incidents. It centers on clearer definitions for gathering lines, stronger enforcement and special‑permit timelines, and new state requirements to reduce excavation damage.
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- Operators and industry would face higher penalties and new procedures. The bill would raise civil penalty caps to $341,200 and $3,412,000, expand offenses to cover damage during construction, and give operators the right to a formal hearing when compliance costs or penalties reach $125,000 or more.
- State one‑call systems, excavators, and local utilities would need to adopt specified leading practices and improved reporting. States must report adoption and damage rates and could compete for grants tied to performance metrics.
- Safety researchers, regulators, and companies would get a confidential Voluntary Information‑Sharing system. A 15‑member board would guide a third‑party data manager to deidentify and share safety lessons while limiting use of nonpublic VIS data in enforcement or litigation.
*This bill would authorize about $180.8 million per year from user fees, $30 million per year from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, and $7 million per year from the underground storage account for 2027–2031.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Confidential pipeline safety data system
If enacted, this bill would create a confidential Voluntary Information‑Sharing System (VIS) for pipeline safety. Participation would be voluntary and a 15‑member board would run VIS and pick a third‑party data manager; the board must be appointed within one year. Nonpublic VIS data would generally be kept confidential, exempt from FOIA, and barred from enforcement or civil discovery except for narrow criminal or required reporting exceptions. The VIS board would issue an annual public report and the Secretary would give yearly status reports to Congress.
Stronger one-call rules to prevent damage
If enacted, this bill would require States to adopt specified "leading practices" for one‑call (call‑before‑you‑dig) programs. Required topics include positive‑response confirmation, white‑lining rules, locatability standards for new facilities, marking of lines and laterals, nonintrusive excavation practices, and training for locators and third‑party excavators. The Secretary would weigh adoption, enforcement, and robust data reporting when awarding grants and would report to Congress on State adoption and damages per 1,000 one‑call tickets within 3 years, then at least every 2 years after that.
Yearly pipeline safety funding boost
If enacted, this bill would authorize annual pipeline safety funding for fiscal years 2027–2031. Each year it would authorize $180.786 million from user fees (including $9 million for section 12 activities and $77 million for grants), $30 million from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (including $3 million for section 12 and $13 million for grants), and $7 million for underground natural gas storage safety. The bill would also make pipeline user fees stay in the Pipeline Safety Fund "until expended," giving the Department more flexibility to use fee money for safety work and grants.
Benefit-cost studies limited to U.S.
If enacted, this bill would require benefit‑cost analyses for pipeline safety rules to focus on safety and economic benefits "within the United States" and to list costs and environmental benefits that occur within the United States. Analyses would also be required to explicitly include economic benefits alongside safety benefits. This change would narrow the geographic scope of what regulators must count when justifying standards.
New enforcement rules and higher fines
If enacted, this bill would change enforcement processes and penalties for pipeline operators. Respondents who can reasonably show proposed compliance costs over $125,000 or proposed civil penalties of $125,000 or more would get a formal enforcement hearing, and the Secretary must publish hearing protocols within 1 year. The bill would also require Federal Register publication of completed special‑permit applications and a decision within 18 months, plus a 2‑year congressional report and a GAO assessment. At the same time, it would raise civil penalty caps to $341,200 and $3,412,000 and broaden criminal/civil offense language to cover acts that "impair the operation" of facilities, including damage during construction.
Narrower gathering gas definition
If enacted, this bill would narrow the statutory definition of "gathering gas." It would exclude gathering in rural areas outside populated areas the Secretary does not call nonrural, and it would exclude in‑plant piping inside a facility and short transfer piping that extends less than one mile outside a facility. Those excluded pipes would no longer be treated as "gathering" for certain regulatory purposes.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]
TX • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov