PIPES Act of 2025

This bill updates pipeline safety for natural gas, hazardous liquids, and carbon dioxide. It tells the Department of Transportation (DOT) to post its inspection priorities for 2026–2029 and to publish a yearly summary of pipeline inspections that shows where inspections happened and any violations found. It also creates an Office of Public Engagement so people can find clear safety information and get help.

The bill strengthens state “one‑call” digging safety programs, expands oversight to include carbon dioxide pipelines, and sets up a confidential system so operators can share safety data and lessons to prevent accidents. It orders studies and rulemaking on pipelines that carry hydrogen or hydrogen‑natural gas blends, and it reviews risks from geologic hazards like landslides and floods. It also adds grants to help community‑owned gas utilities replace or repair leaky, high‑risk pipes (with at least 90% of costs covered and priority for rural or economically distressed areas) and funds federal pipeline safety work through 2029.

• Who is affected: pipeline operators (gas, hazardous liquid, and CO2), state safety programs and emergency responders, publicly owned gas utilities, and people who live or work near pipelines.
• What changes: DOT must publish inspection priorities and an annual inspection summary; states are pushed to adopt stronger one‑call and damage‑prevention practices; operators can share safety information confidentially; CO2 pipelines are brought under more of the same safety and fee rules as other pipelines; a new Office of Public Engagement will help the public; and new grants aid community‑owned gas systems in fixing leaky pipes.
• When: within 1 year of enactment, DOT must post inspection priorities and set up the Office of Public Engagement; by June 1 each year, DOT must publish the inspection summary; the new data‑sharing board must be appointed within 180 days; a rulemaking to allow composite materials for hydrogen pipelines follows an 18‑month timeline after a public meeting; grants run in fiscal years 2027–2029; key safety programs are funded through 2029.