Sponsors (4)
Introduced October 6, 2025 by Rafael Edward Cruz · Last progress April 29, 2026
The bill increases funding, transparency, and modernization of pipeline safety programs—improving inspections, research, and community preparedness—while imposing new compliance costs, some regulatory complexities, and potential safety or accountability risks where exemptions or confidentiality limit oversight.
Local governments, utilities, rural and urban communities, and pipeline operators will receive substantially increased PHMSA funding, grants, and research support that expand inspections, safety projects, and technical research (multi-year appropriations and new grant lines).
Homeowners, transportation and pipeline workers, and the public will benefit from stronger inspection coverage and coordination—no pipeline may go uninspected for more than five years, and GAO/IG reviews will identify overlaps and improvements in inspection/enforcement.
The public, local officials, and operators will gain greater transparency and engagement through annual public summaries of inspections/incidents, publication of leak summary data, and creation of an Office of Public Engagement and clearer publication rules for incorporated standards.
Taxpayers and federal budgets face increased spending pressure because the bill authorizes higher PHMSA appropriations, new research centers, grant funding, and costs to replace covered UAS, which may require trade‑offs elsewhere or higher appropriations.
Utilities, pipeline operators, small utilities, and some consumers will face substantial new compliance and administrative costs from expanded disclosure definitions, external monitoring and secondary containment requirements, updated emergency plans and data submissions, and additional reporting/studies.
Some rural communities, plant workers, and certain pipeline segments may see reduced regulatory coverage or increased safety risk due to exemptions for short/in‑plant piping, allowances for less frequent internal inspections, and reliance on risk‑based inspection models that could fail if flawed.
Based on analysis of 16 sections of legislative text.
Updates PHMSA funding through FY2026–FY2030, changes inspection and standards rules, mandates hydrogen blending and dilbit studies, allows remote inspections and vegetation practices, and restricts some UAS use.
Provides updated federal funding authorizations for pipeline safety through FY2026–FY2030, changes inspection and standards procedures for hazardous liquid and gas pipelines, requires new technical studies on hydrogen blending and diluted bitumen response, allows expanded use of remote inspection methods and some alternative rights‑of‑way vegetation practices, and restricts PHMSA use or procurement of certain foreign or restricted unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). It also directs agency reviews, reporting to Congress, and creates rules for updating industry consensus standards and establishing a possible regional Center of Excellence for leak detection.