Sponsors (11)
The bill improves identification and federal oversight of aging plastic pipeline materials—potentially enhancing public safety—but raises costs for operators and customers, may leave some underground pipes unidentified by prohibiting excavations, and increases state administrative burdens without explicit new funding.
Utilities and pipeline operators must identify and report miles of Aldyl-A polyethylene within 3 years, creating a clearer inventory of aging/unsafe plastic pipes.
Rural and urban communities gain stronger safety oversight because State programs and Damage Information Management Programs (DIMP) must evaluate 'historic plastics with known safety issues' alongside cast iron and bare steel.
Federal enforcement authority is preserved (Secretary powers under 49 U.S.C. §§60112 and 60117), maintaining the federal government's ability to require corrective action and enforce pipeline safety standards.
Prohibiting excavations for assessment may leave some underground Aldyl-A piping undetected, reducing the accuracy of the inventory and potentially leaving safety risks unaddressed for communities.
Pipeline owners will incur costs to survey systems and report mileage, and those costs could be passed to customers through higher rates.
Expanding state program responsibilities to cover historic plastics increases administrative burden on State pipeline safety programs and may strain resources if no additional funding is provided.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires owners and operators of gas distribution systems to check for the presence of Aldyl–A polyethylene and report the estimated total mileage found, with reports due within three years of enactment. Adds “historic plastics with known safety issues” to lists of pipeline materials that state safety programs and Distribution Integrity Management Programs must evaluate, while preserving existing federal enforcement authorities and forbidding the Secretary from requiring excavation solely to perform the assessment.
Introduced March 24, 2026 by Christina Houlahan · Last progress March 24, 2026