Washington, D.C. – The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) applauds the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy for holding its July 22 hearing, “Strengthening American Energy: A Review of Pipeline Safety Policy.” As the reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) remains overdue, AMPP urges the 119th Congress to fully and expeditiously consider and pass comprehensive reauthorization legislation.
PHMSA provides critical oversight of more than 3.3 million miles of pipeline infrastructure, including standards for materials, construction, operations, and integrity management. Its role in preventing corrosion and ensuring the safety of aging infrastructure is essential to national energy reliability, economic stability, and environmental protection.
During the hearing, several members and witnesses emphasized the urgent need for modernizing natural gas infrastructure, addressing cybersecurity threats to pipeline operations, and expanding capacity safely. Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) asked, “Would you agree that if we’re going to meet the rising demand, while also keeping the lights on, that we need to get serious about modernizing and expanding our natural gas infrastructure?” Jim Moriarty, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Policy and Risk Officer of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, responded, “Yes, I would agree with that… we need to construct and safely operate pipelines as well as LNG storage facilities.”
Additional discussion focused on PHMSA’s approach to corrosion control, a key concern for long-term asset integrity. Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) asked, “What additional authorities or resources does PHMSA need to better address corrosion control to ensure pipeline safety?” In response, Bill Caram, Executive Director of Pipeline Safety Trust, explained, “So, there's two main defenses against corrosion. One is coating. That's really the first line of defense. And when coating fails, the second line of defense is cathodic protection. PHMSA has made some improvements to the cathodic protection on natural gas transmission pipelines recently and we look forward to seeing how those are impacted, how those impact failures and effects of corrosion. But there aren't specific regulations on the condition of coating. They're pretty vague and they leave a lot up to the operator's judgment.”
PHMSA’s safety program expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2023 and remains operational primarily through user fees and appropriations. However, as noted during the hearing, significant gaps remain in inspection capabilities, leak detection requirements, and rule implementation. Corrosion prevention and materials innovation are essential components of addressing these gaps and must be prioritized in any reauthorization effort.
AMPP looks forward to continued collaboration with lawmakers and regulatory partners to ensure pipeline safety policies support innovation, technical standards, and the skilled workforce needed to protect the nation’s critical energy infrastructure.