North Indy News

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) has joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in introducing the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025. This bipartisan bill aims to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) pipeline safety program for five years, providing $1.65 billion in funding.

The legislation seeks to reduce fatalities and injuries related to pipelines, promote new safety technologies, enhance inspections and enforcement, and educate local communities about PHMSA’s work. It also requires PHMSA to update regulations for new pipeline materials, gases, and operating practices, while addressing cybersecurity risks that could affect energy infrastructure.

Senator Young stated, “America’s energy independence requires a strong and secure pipeline infrastructure. The PIPES Act will reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to ensure our pipeline ecosystem is safe and efficient, allowing the U.S. to meet our energy demands of today and tomorrow.”

Senator Cruz added, “Americans have made it clear that they need safe, affordable, and dependable energy. PHMSA has no small task, overseeing over 3 million miles of oil, natural gas, and other hazardous liquid pipelines across this country, a significant portion of which are located in Texas. As the energy capital of the world, millions of jobs in Texas depend on the safe and reliable movement of energy. The PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 ensures oversight of the pipeline system is governed by appropriate, data-driven, and cost-effective standards. I am proud to partner with Ranking Member Cantwell and Senators Young and Peters on this bipartisan effort and hope to see it become law.”

Senator Cantwell noted recent safety concerns: “We just had the deadliest two-year period in pipeline safety since 2015. Clearly, we need a more proactive approach to the safe transportation of our nation’s energy products, including the 46,000 miles of pipeline in Washington state. This bill does just that by increasing civil penalties by 50 percent, eliminating gaps in hydrogen and carbon dioxide pipeline requirements, and requiring permanent cybersecurity standards for pipeline operators.”

Senator Peters emphasized environmental protection: “Pipeline safety is critical to protecting both our environment and our economy,” he said. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan bill to strengthen the safety and security of our nation’s pipelines and help prevent accidents before they occur.”

PHMSA oversees more than three million miles of pipelines transporting oil, natural gas, and hazardous liquids across the United States. Its last authorization expired at the end of fiscal year 2023; this new legislation would renew its authority after a two-year lapse.

The full text of the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 can be found here.