Regulatory Submissions

In June, President Trump signed Executive Order 13875, Executive Order on Evaluating and Improving the Utility of Federal Advisory Committees. While APGA appreciates the intent of the administration to allow for more efficient government, valuable work that is unfinished is being completed by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC). To modify or end this committee at this time would not be positive for the industry, as they are a critical part of the rulemaking process conducted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

The GPAC, which includes a representative from APGA’s membership, provides valuable input when developing complex, technical pipeline safety regulations that have profound impacts on public safety, energy reliability, and the environment. Given this, several organizations representing public safety and environmental advocates, emergency responders, labor representatives, and representatives of natural gas and liquid pipeline companies joined together to urge DOT Secretary Chao to continue to convene the GPAC, as it will be critical in advancing the shared goal of pipeline safety.