On Wednesday, September 17, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bipartisan Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2025 (H.R. 5301). The bill was negotiated and passed by Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and would reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) safety programs over the next four years. The House is the first chamber to move toward the reauthorization of federal pipeline safety programs.
The PIPES Act also provides roughly $8,000,000 through 2029 for state One-Call Notification Programs, a necessary increase to improve underground location and mitigate damage throughout utility construction and excavation. This comes at a critical time, as the demand for one-call center systems is increasing due to investments from federal laws and the private sector. Data from the Common Ground Alliance also indicates that facility marking errors and inaccurate markings are two of the most common causes of incidents when digging, which can lead to money lost in damages and time idled while waiting to dig. Additionally, an AGC of America 811 survey published earlier this year found that 87% of contractors report that it takes longer than one business day for locators to arrive at a project site to mark underground utilities and that nearly two-thirds of utility strikes occur at least two-feet away from where they were marked prior to digging. The increase in funding for One-Call Notification Programs should improve locates and expedite their markings, ensuring underground utility construction can proceed in a timely manner.
In addition to funding the One-Call Notification Programs, the bill outlines leading practices states should consider implementing for their one-call center systems, as well as considerations that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation should consider in making a damage prevention grant to a state. It also establishes a Volunteer Information-Sharing system that will encourage the exchange of pipeline safety data in a non-punitive context, including but not limited to providing contractors and excavators with further information on the causes of damages, pipeline safety survey information and technologies used during and to prevent accidents. A full list of all the key provisions that could impact construction can be found here.
For more information, please contact John Chambers.