Sponsors (2)
The bill creates a confidential, federally supported voluntary incident-sharing program that can improve pipeline safety through better industry reporting and PHMSA analysis, but it reduces public access and legal accountability and may be less effective if participation is voluntary or funding creates industry influence.
Communities near pipelines and transportation workers will benefit because PHMSA will have a centralized source of aggregated safety insights to identify trends and recommend fixes, potentially reducing pipeline incidents.
Pipeline operators and contractors can share safety data confidentially without fear of enforcement, encouraging more candid reporting and faster identification and remediation of risks.
PHMSA and participating stakeholders will have dedicated resources because the bill authorizes up to $5 million per year (FY2024–2027) for VIS operations and requires exploration of sustainable funding sources.
Local governments, communities, and the public will have reduced access to certain safety information because confidentiality protections and FOIA exemptions limit public release of nonpublic VIS data.
Communities and regulators may face weaker accountability because limits on using VIS data in enforcement or litigation could shield operators from consequences and delay corrective action.
Transportation workers, communities, and regulators may see gaps in safety oversight because voluntary participation and operator consent requirements could result in incomplete data, reducing VIS effectiveness at identifying systemic risks.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a confidential, nonpunitive PHMSA-run Voluntary Information-Sharing System for pipeline safety with a 15-member governing board to collect and share safety data and recommendations.
Introduced October 7, 2025 by Jerry Moran · Last progress October 7, 2025
Creates a confidential, nonpunitive Voluntary Information-Sharing System (VIS) run by PHMSA to collect, evaluate, and share critical pipeline safety data and recommended remediation measures for gas transmission and distribution pipelines, LNG facilities, underground natural gas storage, and hazardous liquid pipelines. The VIS must be established within one year and will be governed by a 15-member board that includes federal/state pipeline officials, industry representatives, and public-safety advocates. The law sets roles (Administrator, Governing Board, Program Manager, Third-Party Data Manager, Issue Analysis Teams), membership rules, staggered terms, co-chair arrangement, and requires VIS implementation consistent with the Pipeline Safety Voluntary Information-Sharing System Recommendation Report from the PIPES Act of 2016.