PIPELINE Safety Act Passes Senate
Announcing a movement in the PIPELINE Safety Act 2025: Major Updates to Damage Prevention
Discover Key Changes and New Opportunities and get familiar with this impactful legislation.
As of 04/29/2026, there are important developments in the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 . The bill proposes improving pipeline safety and reliability through clearer requirements, stronger state programs, and new mechanisms for sharing lessons learned—aimed at reducing excavation-related incidents and protecting communities.
What the Bill Proposes
More funding: Damage prevention funding increases to $3M/year for FY2026–FY2030.
Stronger state programs: States must adopt (or make substantial progress toward) “one-call leading practices.”
Tighter oversight: DOT evaluates states on enforcement, reporting, and limiting exemptions.
Confidential learning system: A voluntary, nonpunitive information-sharing system (VIS) is established.
Community support: More grants and public engagement resources for damage prevention education.
Higher penalties: Increased civil penalties for violations to deter non-compliance.
The following highlights the major updates in the Act, focusing on practical improvements and requirements you need to know about.
Key Updates: Damage Prevention
1. Increased Funding for Damage Prevention Programs
The Act doubles authorized funding for damage prevention programs to $3,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. This increase empowers states to strengthen their initiatives and enforcement efforts.
Example: States will now have more resources to implement public awareness campaigns and enforce one-call laws, helping protect pipelines and underground facilities.
2. Enhanced State Damage Prevention Program Requirements
Section 211 amends federal law to require that State damage prevention programs incorporate or make substantial progress toward a set of "one-call leading practices." These measures are aimed at reducing excavation-related damage.
One-call leading practices (examples) include:
Limit the size, scope, and validity period of standard locate-request tickets.
Define tolerance zones and requirements (for example, soft-dig only zones).
Set clear emergency excavation notification requirements.
Provide clear definitions of “excavator” and “excavation.”
Require white lining (marking the planned excavation area before notification).
Require positive response before excavation begins (confirmation utilities have marked lines or otherwise responded).
Require new underground facilities to be locatable using commercially available technology.
Improve marking of sewer lines and laterals, as applicable.
Set qualifications for excavators performing trenchless excavation not covered by pipeline construction regulations.
3. Stronger Evaluation Criteria for State Programs
The Secretary of Transportation must evaluate State damage prevention programs based on:
Effective enforcement of one-call laws, including the efficacy of fines and penalties.
Mandatory reporting of excavation damage events to the local one-call center, including details about the incident, organizations involved, and impacts on safety, operations, and the environment.
Limiting exemptions to State damage prevention laws.
Example: States that do not actively enforce penalties for violations or fail to require reporting of all damage events may be found non-compliant.
4. Voluntary Information-sharing System (VIS)
Section 212 establishes a confidential, nonpunitive voluntary information sharing system to encourage the sharing of pipeline safety data, including lessons learned from accidents and near misses, process improvements, and technology deployment practices.
Example: Operators can share data about excavation damages and near misses.
5. Grants and Community Engagement
Increased funding for pipeline safety information grants to communities (Section 103(b)), supporting local education and engagement on damage prevention.
The Office of Public Engagement (Section 505) is tasked with providing technical and educational assistance to the public, including outreach on damage prevention.
6. Enforcement and Penalties
The Act increases civil penalties for violations (Section 208) , which can serve as a deterrent for non-compliance with damage prevention requirements.
Summary Table: Key Damage Prevention Provisions
In Summary: The Pipeline Safety Act of 2025 proposes national changes to damage prevention by increasing funding, mandating best practices for state programs, enforcement and reporting, and fostering industry-wide data/information sharing. The bill proposes that these measures are designed to reduce excavation-related pipeline incidents and improve overall pipeline safety.
As this bill moves through the legislative process, stay tuned for more updates as we work together toward safer pipelines and improved community protection.
