Key Takeaways
- •Rep. Robert Latta (R, OH-5) introduced a five-year PHMSA reauthorization draft designed to streamline regulations, reduce "red tape," and focus the agency on its original safety mission.
- •Paul Roberti (Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) testified that the agency is modernizing decades-old regulations and focusing enforcement on high-consequence areas to ensure safety.
- •Rep. Kathy Castor (D, FL-14) challenged Roberti on declining enforcement cases and staff reductions, while Roberti argued that recent administrative penalties have reached historic highs.
- •Republicans advocated for cost-benefit analyses focused strictly on safety, while Democrats argued the draft ignores environmental harms and critical funding for replacing aging, leak-prone distribution pipelines.
- •The committee must reconcile this partisan draft with bipartisan versions from other committees to reauthorize safety programs for 3.3 million miles of pipelines that expired in 2023.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing on March 4, 2026, to discuss a Republican-led discussion draft to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The hearing, titled "America’s Energy Infrastructure: Authorizing Pipeline Safety," focused on the agency's mission to oversee the safety of the nation's 3.3 million miles of pipeline infrastructure. Chairman Robert Latta (R, OH-5) opened the hearing by emphasizing the need for a five-year reauthorization that prioritizes safety over "anti-energy agendas." He noted that the agency had operated without a Senate-confirmed leader for a record duration before the current administrator took office.
Key Testimony
The sole witness was the Honorable Paul J. Roberti, Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Administrator Roberti testified that PHMSA is currently focused on "compliance, enforcement, and accountability" while advancing President Trump’s "America First" agenda. He argued that the agency has become more efficient by modernizing outdated regulations and eliminating requirements that do not directly advance safety. Roberti highlighted a shift away from the previous administration's focus on climate change, which he characterized as a "distraction" from the core safety mission. He defended the agency's recent use of "enforcement discretion" for pipelines deemed critical to the national energy supply, asserting that such waivers are only granted if safety is not undermined.
Policy Proposals
The Republican discussion draft includes several key policy proposals: a five-year reauthorization of PHMSA; the codification of cost-benefit analysis requirements that focus strictly on safety; reforms to the special permit program to reduce "red tape" and NEPA-related delays; and the strengthening of criminal penalties for individuals who "impair" pipeline operations, a provision intended to deter protesters from tampering with valves or equipment. The bill also seeks to clarify jurisdictional "swim lanes" between PHMSA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding in-plant piping at refineries.
Key Testimony
Democratic members, led by Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D, FL-14) and full committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D, NJ-6), sharply criticized the draft as a partisan product that ignores environmental protections and emerging technologies like hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines. They expressed alarm over a 14 percent reduction in PHMSA staffing and a reported 50 percent drop in enforcement cases in 2025. Rep. Pallone specifically accused the administration of retaliating against the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit watchdog, by suspending grant reimbursements following the organization's critical testimony. Rep. Scott Peters (D, CA-50) emphasized the importance of finalizing methane leak detection and repair rules, arguing that such standards are necessary for the global competitiveness of American natural gas.
Overview
The hearing featured several notable exchanges regarding specific pipeline projects and regulatory actions. Rep. Doris Matsui (D, CA-7) questioned Administrator Roberti on PHMSA’s decision to issue an emergency permit to the Sable Corporation to restart an offshore pipeline in California that was responsible for the 2015 Refugio oil spill. Rep. Matsui expressed concern that the permit was issued in just six days without a full environmental review or public comment period. Rep. Diana DeGette (D, CO-1) questioned the Administrator about potential conflicts of interest involving Deputy Administrator Ben Kochman, noting that Kochman previously worked for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and had cited his own prior industry comments in recent rulemaking documents.
Industry and sector impacts discussed during the hearing include the oil and gas sector, which would benefit from streamlined permitting and the removal of "duplicative" regulations. State regulators, who oversee 85 percent of the nation's pipeline infrastructure, would be affected by new requirements to adopt best practices for "One-Call" excavation damage prevention programs. The LNG export sector was also highlighted, with Administrator Roberti noting plans to open a National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety to coordinate best practices between PHMSA and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Key Testimony
Several organizations were identified throughout the testimony: - Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA): The primary agency under review for reauthorization and regulatory reform. - U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT): PHMSA’s parent department, mentioned regarding overall safety leadership. - Pipeline Safety Trust: Discussed in the context of a "bogus audit" and alleged retaliation by PHMSA regarding grant funding. - Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA): Referenced regarding its influence on special permit conditions and the former employment of PHMSA leadership. - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Mentioned regarding a proposal to clarify that OSHA, not PHMSA, has jurisdiction over in-plant piping at refineries. - Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): Discussed regarding the need for better coordination with PHMSA on LNG facility inspections and cybersecurity. - Sable Corporation: Criticized by Democrats for seeking to restart a corroded pipeline in California under a PHMSA emergency permit. - Plains All American Pipeline: Referenced as the previous owner of the pipeline involved in the Refugio oil spill. - Common Ground Alliance: Cited for data regarding the 170,000 reported damages to underground infrastructure in 2024. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Mentioned regarding the "pendulum swing" of methane regulations.
Overview
Administrator Roberti committed to addressing outstanding congressional mandates, including rules for idle pipelines and CO2 pipeline safety, though he indicated that some rules, such as methane leak detection, might not be finalized within the current year. Chairman Latta concluded the hearing by expressing a desire to work toward a bipartisan solution, though significant disagreements remain regarding the agency's funding levels and environmental responsibilities.
Transcript
The subcommittee on energy will now come to order. The chair recognizes himself for five minutes for an opening statement. And again, good morning and welcome to today's energy subcommittee hearing to discuss legislation authorizing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's pipeline safety program. We welcome our witness, the Honorable Paul Roberti, the administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, and thank him for appearing before us today. Your perspective will inform our legislative effort and update us on the administration's priorities for maintaining the safety of America's pipeline infrastructure and enabling the safe expansion of it. It's good to have a Senate-confirmed administrator leading this vital safety agency after the record-long vacancy under the Biden-Harris administration. PHMSA is an agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT, that develops and enforces federal safety regulations for the nation's pipeline infrastructure and the transportation of hazardous materials. PHMSA works closely with industry and pipeline operators to ensure the safe delivery of the nation's most abundant energy resources, from natural gas and crude oil to propane, jet fuel, gasoline, and other refined petroleum products. States also play an essential role in carrying out PHMSA's pipeline safety program, acting as boots on the ground to help inspect and oversee the safety of over 3.3 million miles of both liquid and gas pipelines in PHMSA's jurisdiction. In fact, states inspect and enforce the pipeline safety regulations for 85 percent of the infrastructure in PHMSA's safety authority. Pipelines continue to be the safest and most efficient mode of transport for the energy of American families and our economy depends on it. Reliable, affordable natural gas makes up almost half of our country's resource mix for power generation, and more than half of American families rely on natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food, and power their lives. Pipeline infrastructure in this country is essential to ensure the safe delivery of energy to fuel our country. To advance PHMSA's mission to oversee the safety of our pipeline infrastructure, we will review the discussion draft before us today, and that draft legislation before us today focuses on safety, exactly as Congress originally intended with PHMSA's mission. This discussion draft reauthorizes PHMSA for five years, enabling PHMSA to continue modernizing and enhancing its pipeline safety program. The draft would codify several important provisions to improve the efficiency and safety of the agency. For example, the bill would remove duplicative regulations that do not improve safety, clarify that PHMSA's cost-benefit analysis focuses on safety and not anti-energy agendas, reduces red tape so special permit programs can efficiently focus on pertinent safety requirements, strengthen penalties for pipeline safety violations that impair pipeline operations, establish a voluntary information sharing program to advance good safety products among pipeline operators, and ensure the ensure state damage prevention programs adopt best practices to reduce the leading cause of pipeline damage incidents. The United States energy system is at a turning point. We're witnessing unprecedented energy demand not seen in decades, and demand is only expected to increase over the next several years, of which we've heard from almost every witness that we've had before us saying that we need more energy. Safe, efficient deployment and oversight of our gas and liquid pipeline system is key to providing reliable energy and power to American families. For too long, sound pipeline safety policy has been hijacked by the environmental left, intent on stymieing pipeline expansion and limiting its massive benefits to our nation. I look forward to working with PHMSA, pipeline operators, and relevant stakeholders to make sure the pipeline safety program is efficient, predictable, and focused on safety priorities to promote confidence and enable the safe expansion of our pipeline system. I hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance legislation that provides for durable and focused safety oversight of and appropriate to the pipeline infrastructure. Again, we want to thank you, Administrator Roberti, for being with us today, and with that, I yield back and the chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Florida's 14th District, the ranking member of the subcommittee, for five minutes for an opening statement.
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