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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6187 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6187
To direct the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration to establish a grant program to facilitate the
improved safety and modernization of hazardous liquid distribution
infrastructure, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 20, 2025
Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration to establish a grant program to facilitate the
improved safety and modernization of hazardous liquid distribution
infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wojnovich Pipeline Safety Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. HAZARDOUS LIQUID DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY AND
MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration shall establish a grant program to
facilitate the improved safety and modernization of hazardous liquid
distribution infrastructure.
(b) Eligible Recipients.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may award a grant to--
(A) a municipality in a State that carries out the
disclosures described in section 4; or
(B) a community-owned utility that is not a for-
profit entity in such State.
(2) Public-private partnerships.--An eligible recipient
described in paragraph (1) may engage in public-private
partnerships while carrying out a project using funds provided
under this section.
(c) Selection of Eligible Projects.--
(1) Notice of funding opportunity.--Not later than 180 days
after the date on which funds are made available to carry out
the program, the Secretary shall publish a notice of funding
opportunity for the funds.
(2) Applications.--The Secretary shall establish a
procedure for awarding grants that takes into consideration--
(A) the risk profile of the existing pipeline
system operated by the applicant, including the
presence of pipe prone to leakage;
(B) the potential of the project for creating jobs;
and
(C) economic impact or growth.
(d) Awards.--
(1) Notice of funding opportunity.--Not later than 180 days
after each date on which the funds to carry out this section
are made available, the Secretary shall issue a notice of
funding opportunity.
(2) Determination.--Not later than 270 days after issuing a
notices of funding opportunity under subparagraph (A), the
Secretary shall make awards.
(3) Limitation.--The Secretary shall award not more than
12.5 percent of the funds available under this program to a
single municipality or community-owned utility.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this section $100 million for each of fiscal years
2026 through 2030.
(2) Administrative costs.--Not more than 2 percent of the
amounts made available each fiscal year to carry out this
section may be used to pay the administrative costs of carrying
out the program.
(3) Inspector general oversight.--The Secretary shall
transfer one-half of one percent of the amounts provided to
carry out this program in each of fiscal years 2026 through
2030 to the inspector general of the Department of
Transportation for oversight of funding provided to the
Department of Transportation.
SEC. 3. UPDATE WEBSITE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall update the
website of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
to increase the ease of use and public accessibility of the website.
(b) Reporting.--In updating the website under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall require--
(1) easily readable reporting of each accident and
incident, including information on the details of such accident
or incident; and
(2) with respect to each accident or incident, a
remediation status update to be provided by operators and
posted on the website not less than every 90 days until the
remediation is complete.
SEC. 4. PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND PREPAREDNESS.
(a) Real Estate Disclosure.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to participate in the grant
program established under section 2, a State shall require each
real estate contract to include the disclosure of any known
hazardous liquid pipeline easements regulated by the Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration that are within
one-half mile of the boundary of the property subject to such
contract.
(2) Content.--The notice shall include--
(A) the name and contact information of the
operator;
(B) the name of the pipeline and the substance in
the pipeline;
(C) whether the pipeline has undergone repairs in
the 10 years prior to the date of submission of the
notice; and
(D) a list of any leaks, failures, accidents, or
incidents the operator has had within the State in the
last 10 years.
(3) Information availability.--The Administrator of the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall
ensure the information required under paragraph (2) is
collected and made publicly available on a website of the
Administration.
(b) Emergency Response Plans.--Section 60102(d)(5) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) a community involvement strategy detailing
how the operator will inform and liaise with landowners
and homeowners impacted by a release; and''.
(c) Emergency Alert System.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a final rule
requiring each operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility to--
(1) establish and maintain a localized emergency alert
system to send an alert to communities within 1 mile of a
pipeline of any leaks, failures, accidents, or incidents; or
(2) establish an agreement with each State in which the
operator operates in which such State agrees to use an alert
system of the State to send such alert.
(d) Rulemaking.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a final rule that
requires--
(1) a standard, timely process or procedure for pipeline
operators to conduct in-person tests of water, soil, or air for
potential pipeline leaks or failures;
(2) in the case of an in-person water test--
(A) the test to be conducted on any well within
one-half mile of a leak, accident, incident, or
failure; and
(B) samples to be taken from both the top and the
bottom of such well;
(3) annual in-line inspection tool tests for pipelines
older than 50 years or wherever a sleeve repair has been made;
and
(4) notifying impacted residents and landowners when a test
comes back positive for contaminated water, soil, or air.
SEC. 5. PENALTY FOR ACCIDENT.
The Secretary shall levy a penalty in the amount of $2,500,000
against an operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility that
declares a leak, accident, incident, or failure.
(1) Frequency.--The penalty shall be levied on an annual
basis until the Secretary certifies that such leak, accident,
incident, or failure has been remediated.
(2) Double penalty.--In the case of any operator which does
not declare a leak, accident, incident, or failure within 15
days of the operator knowing that such a leak, accident,
incident, or failure has occurred, the penalty shall be in the
amount of $5,000,000.
SEC. 6. EMERGENCY REIMBURSEMENT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is provided a
declaration by an operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility that
an event has occurred, the Secretary shall make available funds to
reimburse an eligible entity for the following:
(1) The cost of replacing equipment that is damaged,
contaminated, or otherwise rendered unusable as a result of the
response of the eligible entity to an event.
(2) Overtime pay for firefighters, law enforcement
officers, or other emergency responders who work at the scene
of an event.
(3) Operational costs for actions taken to respond to an
event.
(4) Any other purpose related to an event, as determined by
the Secretary of Transportation.
(5) To retroactively cover a cost described in any of
paragraphs (1) through (4) that is incurred after the date of
an event or within 30 days of the receipt of amounts under this
subsection.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
State or local emergency response group, including a law
enforcement agency, a fire department, and an emergency
response agency, located in an area affected by a hazardous
train event.
(2) Event.--The term ``event'' means a hazardous liquid
pipeline leak, accident, incident, or failure.
SEC. 7. HAZARDOUS LIQUID PIPELINE COMMUNITY TRUST FUND.
(a) In General.--There is established within the Treasury of the
United States a fund which shall be known as the ``Hazardous Liquid
Pipeline Community Trust Fund'' and which shall be administered by the
Secretary of Transportation.
(b) Deposits.--Penalties collected pursuant to section 5 of this
Act shall be deposited into the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Community
Trust Fund established in subsection (a).
(c) Disbursement.--The Secretary shall make disbursements from the
Trust Fund to carry out sections 2 and 6 of this Act.
SEC. 8. QUARTERLY REPORT ON INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter, the Administrator of
the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall
deliver to the appropriate congressional committees a report which
details industry knowledge or developments regarding hazardous liquid
pipeline safety and integrity.
(b) Incorporation.--The Administrator shall make every reasonable
effort to incorporate relevant knowledge or developments regarding
safety and integrity from each quarterly report into the regulations,
guidance, recommendations, advisories, or notices of the
Administration.
SEC. 9. OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall rename the Community
Liaison Services within the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as the Office of Public
Engagement (in this section referred to as the ``Office'').
(b) Duties.--The duties of the Office are to--
(1) proactively engage with pipeline stakeholders,
including the public, pipeline operators, public safety
organizations, and State, local, and Tribal government
officials, to raise awareness of pipeline safety practices;
(2) promote the adoption and increased use of safety
programs and activities;
(3) inform the public of pipeline safety regulations and
best practices; and
(4) assist the public with inquiries regarding pipeline
safety.
(c) Public Accessibility.--The Office shall ensure that activities
carried out by the Office and information products developed by the
Office are accessible to the public.
(d) Community Liaisons.--
(1) In general.--The Office shall incorporate positions
known as ``community liaisons'' under the Community Liaison
Services.
(2) Meeting inclusion.--For the purposes of formulating a
proposed safety order case, the Administrator shall make every
reasonable effort to include a community liaison in each
meeting or separately provide the community liaison with a
detailed update of each proposed safety order case meeting.
(e) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
implementation of this section.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
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