On January 18, APGA President & CEO, Dave Schryver, testified on behalf of public gas utilities at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security. A discussion draft of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s legislation to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) was the topic of the hearing. Dave took the opportunity to share how this bill would support the critical work APGA members do in their communities. He testified on the second panel, which included other representatives from the natural gas industry and the head of pipeline safety advocacy group, the Pipeline Safety Trust. APGA is pleased to support the practical pipeline safety provisions included in the draft Pipeline Safety, Modernization, and Expansion Act of 2023 as well as the included language that would improve the process for permitting new natural gas infrastructure and protect Americans’ freedom to choose which energy best fits their needs. In his opening statement and in responses to questions, Dave also mentioned APGA members' efforts to repair, replace, or rehabilitate aging infrastructure through the congressionally-approved Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) Grant Program. This grant program awards funding specifically to community-owned gas systems. Read Dave’s opening statement here or watch at https://www.youtube.com/live/2kFK8NWZT5I?si=fkuLvjYIno6rAtwO&t=9934 (2hr 45min mark).
Tristan Brown, PHMSA’s Deputy Administrator, participated in the first panel of the hearing. He touted the success of the NGDISM program, which has already awarded millions of dollars to public gas utilities. He fielded several questions on the draft legislation and on the status of mandates PHMSA was given in past versions of PHMSA reauthorization legislation like the PIPES Act of 2020. Members on the subcommittee were also critical of PHMSA’s proposed Leak Detection and Repair rulemaking (LDAR), sharing that they believe the agency has gone past the scope of its congressional mandate. Read his statement here.
As a reminder, both the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) have jurisdiction over PHMSA reauthorization. T&I has already passed their version of a reauthorization bill and now it is up to E&C to either pass their own version or merge their priorities with the T&I bill. Pending passage out of the committees of jurisdiction in the House, this bill or an entirely new bill would then be voted on by the full House before it makes its way through a similar process in the Senate. APGA will continue to advocate on behalf of public gas utilities in the reauthorization process and ensure that the voice of community-owned systems remains a pivotal part of the conversation. APGA members should be supportive of and pay particular attention to the following provisions in the E&C draft legislation:
- Improves the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) process
- Increases penalties for intentional damage to pipeline infrastructure
- Authorizes PHMSA at close to previous funding levels for five years
- Establishes a Safety Voluntary Information Sharing System (VIS)
- Modernizes pipeline permitting process
- Prohibits state or local bans on a specific energy source
Read more about the bill here.
For questions on this article, please contact Joshua St.Pierre of APGA staff by phone at 202-407-0015 or by email at jstpierre@apga.org.