PSIA 2002 mandates that the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Department of Commerce “shall carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and standardization to ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities.”
The Five-Year R&D Program Plan identifies program elements, as well as specific areas of agency expertise, and establishes a framework for coordination and collaboration by the participating agencies. The participating agencies agree to work together on the development and application of performance measures to evaluate research effectiveness of pipeline facility research, development, and demonstration projects. While it was not one of the agencies formally mandated to participate, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement contributed to the development of the initial plan and has been part of the interagency group since its inception.
Section 12 of PSIA 2002:
Interagency Research and Development Five-Year Program Plan for Pipeline Safety and Integrity:
Interagency Update Reports to Congress:
Memorandum of Understanding Among DOT, DOE, and NIST:
Interagency Presentation:
Section 32 of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011 (PSRCJCA 2011)[1] called upon the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Commerce (DOC) to “carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and standardization to ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities.” The Department of the Interior (DOI) was invited into the interagency activities described in the interagency 5-year plan even though DOI was not officially named but since many of their offshore activities and program expertise is vital to the goals of this plan. Therefore DOT, DOC and DOI shall be referred to as the “participating agencies.”
The development activities by the participating agencies have created an Interagency Research and Development Five-Year Program Plan that incorporates the congressional direction. This plan represents program level areas or strategies where annual coordination and collaborative activities and related research funding will be reported. The success in implementing this plan will be transmitted in two update reports submitted every two years as mandated by the Congress.
- Public Law 112-90
Section 32 of PSRCJCA 2011:
Interagency Research and Development Five-Year Program Plan for Pipeline Safety and Integrity:
Interagency Update Reports to Congress:
Section 22 of the PIPES Act of 2016 (the Act) called upon the Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) to create a report that describes PHMSA’s processes and procedures to ensure that to the greatest extent practicable, produce results are peer-reviewed by independent experts and not by persons or entities that have a financial interest in the pipeline, petroleum, or natural gas industries, or that would be directly impacted by the results of the projects.
The Act also reincorporates the mandate for a Research and Development Five Year Plan and biennial reporting. The plan represents program level areas and strategies where coordination and collaborative activities and related research funding will be reported.
The Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016 (PIPES Act)
Processes and Procedures for Removing Financial Conflict of Interest in the Peer Review of Pipeline Safety Research and Development
Pipeline Safety Research & Development Five-Year Plan
- Pipeline Safety Research and Development Five-Year Plan FYs 2016-2020
- Pipeline Safety Research and Development Five-Year Plan FYs 2023-2027 — Coming Soon
- Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 Section 12 Report Biennial Update Report Fiscal Years 2017-2018
- Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 Section 12 Report Biennial Update Report Fiscal Years 2019-2020
Biennial Update Reporting
- PIPES Act of 2016 Section 22 Report Fiscal Years 2017-2018
- PIPES Act of 2016 Section 22 Report Fiscal Years 2019-2020
Combined Section 12 and Section 22 Biennial Update Reporting
Section 105 of the PIPES Act of 2020 (the Act) instructs PHMSA to submit a report to Congress detailing the Administration’s research and development capabilities for pipeline safety, assess the need for and feasibility of establishing a new independent pipeline safety testing facility, analyze the potential costs and benefits of such a facility, and evaluate the possibility of using existing testing facilities within DOT, other federal agencies, or federally funded research centers.
The Act also reincorporates the mandate for a Research and Development Five Year Plan and biennial reporting. The plan represents program level areas and strategies where coordination and collaborative activities and related research funding will be reported.
The PIPES Act of 2020
Pipeline Safety Testing Enhancement Study
- Section 105 Report — Coming Soon
Through the Division L Explanatory Statement, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, requires PHMSA to submit an updated research plan to Congress to assess pipeline failure causes and safety risks; outline specific short-term and long-term research goals; and define how PHMSA, industry, academia, and other federal partners will collaborate on research to improve pipeline safety. Additionally, the plan must report on the previous year’s research activities and how they were funded in partnership with industry and academia.
Due to the delayed submittal of this report, House Reports 117-99 and 117-402 again requested submittal of the updated research plan.
The FY2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act - Division L Explanatory Statement
The FY2022 House Report
The FY2023 House Report
Pipeline Safety Research and Development Updated Plan
Through the Division F Explanatory Statement, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, requires PHMSA to allocate $1 million for a pilot program to test and evaluate existing pipeline leak prevention technologies to help protect high consequence and unusually sensitive areas. Additionally, PHMSA is to update the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the status of the pilot program.