US Code
CHAPTER 601— SAFETY
§ 60117. Administrative

(a) General Authority.—To carry out this chapter, the Secretary of Transportation may conduct investigations, make reports, issue subpenas, conduct hearings, require the production of records, take depositions, and conduct research, testing, development, demonstration, and training activities and promotional activities relating to prevention of damage to pipeline facilities. The Secretary may not charge a tuition-type fee for training State or local government personnel in the enforcement of regulations prescribed under this chapter.
(b) Enforcement Procedures.—(1) Process.—In implementing enforcement procedures under this chapter and part 190 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), the Secretary shall—(A) allow the respondent to request the use of a consent agreement and consent order to resolve any matter of fact or law asserted;
(B) allow the respondent and the agency to convene 1 or more meetings—(i) for settlement or simplification of the issues; or
(ii) to aid in the disposition of issues;
(C) require that the case file in an enforcement proceeding include all agency records pertinent to the matters of fact and law asserted;
(D) allow the respondent to reply to each post-hearing submission of the agency;
(E) allow the respondent to request that a hearing be held, and an order be issued, on an expedited basis;
(F) require that the agency have the burden of proof, presentation, and persuasion in any enforcement matter;
(G) require that any order contain findings of relevant fact and conclusions of law;
(H) require the Office of Pipeline Safety to file a post-hearing recommendation not later than 30 days after the deadline for any post-hearing submission of a respondent;
(I) require an order on a petition for reconsideration to be issued not later than 120 days after the date on which the petition is filed; and
(J) allow an operator to request that an issue of controversy or uncertainty be addressed through a declaratory order in accordance with section 554(e) of title 5.
(2) Open to the public.—A hearing under this section shall be—(A) noticed to the public on the website of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; and
(B) in the case of a formal hearing (as defined in section 190.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation)), open to the public.
(3) Transparency.—(A) Agreements, orders, and judgments open to the public.—With respect to each enforcement proceeding under this chapter, the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall make publicly available on the website of the Administration—(i) the charging documents;
(ii) the written response of the respondent, if filed; and
(iii) any consent agreement, consent order, order, or judgment resulting from a hearing under this chapter.
(B) Gao report on pipeline safety program collection and transparency of enforcement proceedings.—(i) In general.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2020, the Comptroller General of the United States shall—(I) review information on pipeline enforcement actions that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration makes publicly available on the internet; and
(II) submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on that review, including any recommendations under clause (iii).
(ii) Contents.—The report under clause (i)(II) shall include—(I) a description of the process that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration uses to collect and record enforcement information;
(II) an assessment of whether and, if so, how the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ensures that enforcement information is made available to the public in an accessible manner; and
(III) an assessment of the information described in clause (i)(I).
(iii) Recommendations.—The report under clause (i)(II) may include recommendations regarding—(I) any improvements that could be made to the accessibility of the information described in clause (i)(I);
(II) whether and, if so, how the information described in clause (i)(I) could be made more transparent; and
(III) any other recommendations that the Comptroller General of the United States considers appropriate.
(4) Savings clause.—Nothing in this subsection alters the procedures applicable to—(A) an emergency order under subsection (p);
(B) a safety order under subsection (m); or
(C) a corrective action order under section 60112.
(c) Records, Reports, and Information.—To enable the Secretary to decide whether a person owning or operating a pipeline facility is complying with this chapter and standards prescribed or orders issued under this chapter, the person shall—(1) maintain records, make reports, and provide information the Secretary requires; and
(2) make the records, reports, and information available when the Secretary requests.
The Secretary may require owners and operators of gathering lines to provide the Secretary information pertinent to the Secretary’s ability to make a determination as to whether and to what extent to regulate gathering lines.
(d) Entry and Inspection.—An officer, employee, or agent of the Department of Transportation designated by the Secretary, on display of proper credentials to the individual in charge, may enter premises to inspect the records and property of a person at a reasonable time and in a reasonable way to decide whether a person is complying with this chapter and standards prescribed or orders issued under this chapter.
(e) Confidentiality of Information.—Information related to a confidential matter referred to in section 1905 of title 18 that is obtained by the Secretary or an officer, employee, or agent in carrying out this section may be disclosed only to another officer or employee concerned with carrying out this chapter or in a proceeding under this chapter.
(f) Use of Accident Reports.—(1) Each accident report made by an officer, employee, or agent of the Department may be used in a judicial proceeding resulting from the accident. The officer, employee, or agent may be required to testify in the proceeding about the facts developed in investigating the accident. The report shall be made available to the public in a way that does not identify an individual.
(2) Each report related to research and demonstration projects and related activities is public information.
(g) Testing Facilities Involved in Accidents.—The Secretary may require testing of a part of a pipeline facility subject to this chapter that has been involved in or affected by an accident only after—(1) notifying the appropriate State official in the State in which the facility is located; and
(2) attempting to negotiate a mutually acceptable plan for testing with the owner of the facility and, when the Secretary considers appropriate, the National Transportation Safety Board.
(h) Providing Safety Information.—On request, the Secretary shall provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or appropriate State authority with information the Secretary has on the safety of material, operations, devices, or processes related to pipeline transportation or operating a pipeline facility.
(i) Cooperation.—The Secretary may—(1) advise, assist, and cooperate with other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government, the States, and public and private agencies and persons in planning and developing safety standards and ways to inspect and test to decide whether those standards have been complied with;
(2) consult with and make recommendations to other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, State and local governments, and public and private agencies and persons to develop and encourage activities, including the enactment of legislation, that will assist in carrying out this chapter and improve State and local pipeline safety programs; and
(3) participate in a proceeding involving safety requirements related to a liquefied natural gas facility before the Commission or a State authority.
(j) Promoting Coordination.—(1) After consulting with appropriate State officials, the Secretary shall establish procedures to promote more effective coordination between departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government and State authorities with regulatory authority over pipeline facilities about responses to a pipeline accident.
(2) In consultation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Secretary shall establish procedures to notify the Administration of any pipeline accident in which an excavator that has caused damage to a pipeline may have violated a regulation of the Administration.
(k) Withholding Information From Congress.—This section does not authorize information to be withheld from a committee of Congress authorized to have the information.
(l) Authority for Cooperative Agreements.—To carry out this chapter, the Secretary may enter into grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions with any person, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, any unit of State or local government, any educational institution, or any other entity to further the objectives of this chapter. The objectives of this chapter include the development, improvement, and promotion of one-call damage prevention programs, research, risk assessment, and mapping.
(m) Safety Orders.—(1) In general.—Not later than December 31, 2007, the Secretary shall issue regulations providing that, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, if the Secretary determines that a pipeline facility has a condition that poses a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment, the Secretary may order the operator of the facility to take necessary corrective action, including physical inspection, testing, repair, or other appropriate action, to remedy that condition.
(2) Considerations.—In making a determination under paragraph (1), the Secretary, if relevant and pursuant to the regulations issued under paragraph (1), shall consider—(A) the considerations specified in paragraphs (1) through (6) of section 60112(b);
(B) the likelihood that the condition will impair the serviceability of a pipeline;
(C) the likelihood that the condition will worsen over time; and
(D) the likelihood that the condition is present or could develop on other areas of the pipeline.
(n) Restoration of Operations.—(1) In general.—The Secretary may advise, assist, and cooperate with the heads of other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government, the States, and public and private agencies and persons to facilitate the restoration of pipeline operations that have been or are anticipated to become disrupted by manmade or natural disasters.
(2) Savings clause.—Nothing in this section alters or amends the authorities and responsibilities of any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, other than the Department of Transportation.
(o) Cost Recovery for Design Reviews.—(1) In general.—(A) Review costs.—For any project described in subparagraph (B), if the Secretary conducts facility design safety reviews in connection with a proposal to construct, expand, or operate a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility or liquefied natural gas pipeline facility, including construction inspections and oversight, the Secretary may require the person proposing the project to pay the costs incurred by the Secretary relating to such reviews. If the Secretary exercises the cost recovery authority described in this paragraph, the Secretary shall prescribe a fee structure and assessment methodology that is based on the costs of providing these reviews and shall prescribe procedures to collect fees under this paragraph. The Secretary may not collect design safety review fees under this paragraph and section 60301 for the same design safety review.
(B) Projects to which applicable.—Subparagraph (A) applies to any project that—(i) has design and construction costs totaling at least $2,500,000,000, as periodically adjusted by the Secretary to take into account increases in the Consumer Price Index for all-urban consumers published by the Department of Labor, based on—(I) the cost estimate provided to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a gas pipeline facility or an application for authorization for a liquefied natural gas pipeline facility; or
(II) a good faith estimate developed by the person proposing a hazardous liquid pipeline facility and submitted to the Secretary; or
(ii) uses new or novel technologies or design, as determined by the Secretary.
(2) Notification.—For any new pipeline facility construction project in which the Secretary will conduct design reviews, the person proposing the project shall notify the Secretary and provide the design specifications, construction plans and procedures, and related materials at least 120 days prior to the commencement of construction. To the maximum extent practicable, not later than 90 days after receiving such design specifications, construction plans and procedures, and related materials, the Secretary shall provide written comments, feedback, and guidance on the project.
(3) Pipeline safety design review fund.—(A) Establishment.—There is established a Pipeline Safety Design Review Fund in the Treasury of the United States.
(B) Deposits.—The Secretary shall deposit funds paid under this subsection into the Fund.
(C) Use.—Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Secretary, in amounts specified in appropriations Acts, to offset the costs of conducting facility design safety reviews under this subsection.
(4) No additional permitting authority.—Nothing in this subsection may be construed as authorizing the Secretary to require a person to obtain a permit before beginning design and construction in connection with a project described in paragraph (1)(B).
(p) Emergency Order Authority.—(1) In general.—If the Secretary determines that an unsafe condition or practice, or a combination of unsafe conditions and practices, constitutes or is causing an imminent hazard, the Secretary may issue an emergency order described in paragraph (3) imposing emergency restrictions, prohibitions, and safety measures on owners and operators of gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing, but only to the extent necessary to abate the imminent hazard.
(2) Considerations.—(A) In general.—Before issuing an emergency order under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider, as appropriate, the following factors:(i) The impact of the emergency order on public health and safety.
(ii) The impact, if any, of the emergency order on the national or regional economy or national security.
(iii) The impact of the emergency order on the ability of owners and operators of pipeline facilities to maintain reliability and continuity of service to customers.
(B) Consultation.—In considering the factors under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consult, as the Secretary determines appropriate, with appropriate Federal agencies, State agencies, and other entities knowledgeable in pipeline safety or operations.
(3) Written order.—An emergency order issued by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect to an imminent hazard shall contain a written description of—(A) the violation, condition, or practice that constitutes or is causing the imminent hazard;
(B) the entities subject to the order;
(C) the restrictions, prohibitions, or safety measures imposed;
(D) the standards and procedures for obtaining relief from the order;
(E) how the order is tailored to abate the imminent hazard and the reasons the authorities under section 60112 and subsection (m) are insufficient to do so; and
(F) how the considerations were taken into account pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4) Opportunity for review.—Upon receipt of a petition for review from an entity subject to, and aggrieved by, an emergency order issued under this subsection, the Secretary shall provide an opportunity for a review of the order under section 554 of title 5 to determine whether the order should remain in effect, be modified, or be terminated.
(5) Expiration of effectiveness order.—If a petition for review of an emergency order is filed under paragraph (4) and an agency decision with respect to the petition is not issued on or before the last day of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the petition is filed, the order shall cease to be effective on such day, unless the Secretary determines in writing on or before the last day of such period that the imminent hazard still exists.
(6) Judicial review of orders.—(A) In general.—After completion of the review process described in paragraph (4), or the issuance of a written determination by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (5), an entity subject to, and aggrieved by, an emergency order issued under this subsection may seek judicial review of the order in a district court of the United States and shall be given expedited consideration.
(B) Limitation.—The filing of a petition for review under subparagraph (A) shall not stay or modify the force and effect of the agency’s final decision under paragraph (4), or the written determination under paragraph (5), unless stayed or modified by the Secretary.
(7) Regulations.—(A) Temporary regulations.—Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the PIPES Act of 2016, the Secretary shall issue such temporary regulations as are necessary to carry out this subsection. The temporary regulations shall expire on the date of issuance of the final regulations required under subparagraph (B).
(B) Final regulations.—Not later than 270 days after such date of enactment, the Secretary shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this subsection. Such regulations shall ensure that the review process described in paragraph (4) contains the same procedures as subsections (d) and (g) of section 109.19 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, and is otherwise consistent with the review process developed under such section, to the greatest extent practicable and not inconsistent with this section.
(8) Imminent hazard defined.—In this subsection, the term “imminent hazard” means the existence of a condition relating to a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility that presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe personal injury, or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of such death, illness, injury, or endangerment.
(9) Limitation and savings clause.—An emergency order issued under this subsection may not be construed to—(A) alter, amend, or limit the Secretary’s obligations under, or the applicability of, section 553 of title 5; or
(B) provide the authority to amend the Code of Federal Regulations.