A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced new legislation to strengthen federal oversight of the nation’s vast network of oil, gas, and carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines.
The Pipeline Safety Act of 2025, led by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for five years, with $1.65 billion in funding.
The bill seeks to modernize safety standards, bolster enforcement, and advance research into emerging pipeline technologies. It also mandates updates to PHMSA’s regulations to address new pipeline materials, fuels like hydrogen and CO2, and the growing cybersecurity threats facing US energy infrastructure.
PHMSA has no small task, overseeing over 3 million miles of oil, natural gas, and other hazardous liquid pipelines across this country,” said Sen. Cruz. “The PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 ensures oversight of the pipeline system is governed by appropriate, data-driven, and cost-effective standards.”
Sen. Cantwell added that it’s time to close “gaps in hydrogen and carbon dioxide pipeline requirements” after the deadliest two-year period for pipeline incidents since 2015.
Environmental Groups Warn of “Glaring Safety Gaps” in CO2 Provisions
Even as the legislation earns support from industry associations, including the American Petroleum Institute and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, environmental and community groups are warning that it fails to include sufficient safeguards for carbon dioxide pipelines, a sector poised for major expansion under federal carbon capture incentives.
In a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee, over 120 organizations led by Food & Water Watch urged lawmakers to strengthen CO2 pipeline safety standards.
Relevant: Nebraska CO2 Pipeline Launches With First-of-Its-Kind Community Fund
The groups argue that, without major revisions, the bill risks repeating the failures that led to the 2020 Satartia, Mississippi rupture, where over 200 residents were evacuated after a CO2 leak displaced oxygen.
Advocates are calling for transparent plume modeling, funding for local emergency response training, and mandatory public alerts in the event of leaks. “People who live near proposed CO2 routes are already carrying more than their share of industrial risk,” said Dr. Alexa White of the Hip Hop Caucus.
The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to take up the bill this week. The outcome could shape how the US balances its ambitions for carbon capture and storage with the pressing need for public safety in the emerging CO2 transport network.
Read more: Carbon Pipeline Accountability Act Targets Aging Infrastructure And Climate Risks
