Committee Republicans today urged the Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement key safety provisions from the most recent pipeline safety law while the Biden administration and Congressional Majority leaders continue to prioritize their green agenda over core infrastructure needs and functions.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Ranking Member Rick Crawford (R-AR) wrote to the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Acting Administrator to ensure the agency is focusing on its mission to improve safety and not on the Majority’s radical energy agenda that penalizes domestic energy producers, drives up energy costs for Americans, and benefits adversaries such as Russia and Iran.

In the letter, the lawmakers cite provisions of the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020 on which the agency has yet to act.  The Members state, “Pipelines are one of the safest, most efficient, and environmentally friendly modes of transportation for energy and the PIPES Act ensures both pipeline operators and PHMSA can maintain this high standard while continuing to improve pipeline safety, protect our environment, and embrace innovation and new technologies.”  However, they note that, “it does not appear that PHMSA is dedicating equal resources to all priorities outlined in the PIPES Act and that many items are not projected to be completed before their congressionally mandated deadlines.  By not prioritizing implementation of all PIPES Act provisions, PHMSA goes against congressional intent and misses valuable opportunities to utilize the authorities Congress delegated to improve pipeline safety.”

As evidenced by the recent oil spill off the shore of California, in which the anchors of container ships idling offshore because of significant supply chain delays may have struck a pipeline, ensuring the safety and efficiency of the Nation’s core infrastructure network, including pipelines, is vitally important.