The PIPES Act of 2023 reauthorizes and updates federal pipeline safety programs administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, affecting pipeline operators, states, and communities near gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines. It authorizes roughly $200 million annually through fiscal year 2027 for pipeline safety programs, state grants, workforce development, and a new voluntary information-sharing system for safety data, while adding up to 30 new technical staff positions at PHMSA. The bill expands federal regulation to cover carbon dioxide pipelines for the first time, sets new deadlines for overdue safety rules (such as class location changes and idled pipeline standards), increases civil penalties for violations, and creates new criminal penalties for tampering with pipeline infrastructure. It also mandates numerous studies and reports—on hydrogen blending, composite materials, geohazards, integrity management effectiveness, and the economic costs of pipeline failures—and establishes measures to improve public engagement, damage prevention, rights-of-way management, and emergency communication near pipeline facilities. Most provisions require action within one to two years of enactment, with several rulemakings and reports due on specific timelines through 2027.
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