Prior to the August recess beginning, there was some progress with Pipeline Safety Reauthorization. As many are aware, legislation reauthorizing the Pipeline Safety Office within the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), is scheduled to be passed by this Congress. To recap all that has happened, there have been hearings by most of the committees with jurisdiction over the agency, including the Energy Subcommittee in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Transportation and Safety Subcommittee in the Senate Commerce Committee. Each of these subcommittees also released legislation. While the Energy and Commerce Committee was not able to pass anything out of committee, the Senate Commerce Committee did. The next step will be voting on that bill on the Senate floor.
APGA staff worked very closely with the Senate committee staff throughout those efforts and will continue to be engaged as Senate leadership schedules a floor vote. APGA staff worked with the Energy and Commerce Committee staff on their legislation, too, and as they work to get out of that full committee, will engage appropriately. As well, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over Pipeline Safety Reauthorization. They have yet to publish a bill or have a hearing, so that will come post-August. Once the separate committees in the House have completed their work and bills pass both chambers, any differences will be worked out in a Conference Committee. Finally, a bill will go to the President. With a reauthorization due date of September 30, there are a few working days left to complete all this work.
APGA staff will continue their efforts in collaborating with Congressional stakeholders, but if legislation is not passed, PHMSA has other funding sources. The agency will continue to operate. APGA staff does get the sense that Congress would like to pass a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Office of Pipeline Safety in a timely manner.
For questions on this article, please contact Stuart Saulters of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at
ssaulters@apga.org.