S. 2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025
Sponsor
Ted Cruz
Republican · TX
Bill Progress
Latest Action · May 4, 2026
Passed the Senate, received in House
Pipeline safety fines jump as rules speed up
Why it matters
Up to $400,000 a day in fines and more than $1 billion in pipeline safety funding are on the table here. If you live near a pipeline, the bill would push regulators to move faster on carbon dioxide safety, mapping accuracy, emergency response, and cybersecurity.
S. 2975 is a broad pipeline safety overhaul built around two ideas: spend more on oversight and make federal agencies act faster. The bill authorizes pipeline safety funding from fiscal year 2026 through 2030, including core safety programs that rise from $185 million to $207.412 million a year, plus grants, emergency response funding, and a separate $75 million-a-year infrastructure grant program beginning in fiscal year 2027.
It also raises the maximum civil penalty to $400,000 per violation per day, with a $4 million cap for a related series of violations. If regulators propose a penalty above $1 million, adjusted for inflation, a pipeline operator could ask for a formal hearing.
Beyond money and fines, the bill sets a series of deadlines. PHMSA would have 90 days to issue rules for idled pipelines, 1 year to revise certain tank inspection rules, and 2 years to finish work on carbon dioxide pipeline safety and more accurate federal pipeline maps. The mapping update would aim for location data accurate within 50 feet.
The bill also reaches into newer risks. It orders more study of hydrogen blends above 5%, requires a federal cybersecurity rule within 180 days, and bars PHMSA from using or buying certain foreign-linked drones, with a 1-year replacement window for any covered systems already in use.
One tradeoff: the bill expands a voluntary information-sharing system but limits public access to those records through FOIA and most civil discovery. Supporters may see that as a way to encourage candid reporting, while transparency advocates may focus on what the public can no longer easily obtain.
S. 2975 Bill Summary
What S. 2975 actually does.
Safety fines rise sharply
The bill raises the maximum civil penalty to $400,000 per violation per day and $4 million for a related series of violations. For larger cases above $1 million, adjusted for inflation, operators could request a formal hearing.
More than $1 billion goes to pipeline safety programs
Core gas and hazardous liquid safety funding would rise from $185 million in fiscal year 2026 to $207.412 million in fiscal year 2030. Separate authorizations also increase grants and PHMSA operating funds over the same five-year window.
Emergency responders get guaranteed grant timelines
Emergency response grants would receive $10 million a year from fiscal year 2026 through 2030. The bill also requires funding notices within 60 days, applications within the next 60 days, and selections within 120 days of the notice.
Carbon dioxide pipeline rules face a 2-year clock
PHMSA would have 2 years to finish a carbon dioxide pipeline safety rule. The bill also says carbon dioxide cannot be used as a testing medium for spike hydrostatic pressure testing.
Federal pipeline maps must get more precise
The bill pushes PHMSA to update the national pipeline mapping system so submitted location data is accurate within plus or minus 50 feet. That could make emergency planning and public awareness more reliable.
Foreign-linked drones get phased out
PHMSA could not operate, buy, or contract for certain covered drones tied to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, or Cuba. Any covered systems already in use would need to be replaced within 1 year.
Cybersecurity rules move to the front burner
The Department of Homeland Security would have 180 days to publish a final pipeline cybersecurity rule. That compresses a process that can otherwise take years.
Who benefits from S. 2975?
People living near pipelines
If a pipeline runs near your home, school, or local waterway, you could see faster safety rules, more accurate mapping within 50 feet, and higher penalties when operators violate the law.
Fire departments and hazmat teams
Emergency responders would have $10 million a year in grant funding from fiscal year 2026 through 2030, with firm timelines meant to speed up when that money actually reaches the field.
Smaller communities replacing aging gas infrastructure
The bill authorizes $75 million a year in infrastructure grants from fiscal year 2027 through 2030. Places with fewer than 50,000 residents could get up to an 80% federal cost share instead of the usual 50%.
Public safety agencies inside the information-sharing system
Public safety officials would keep a guaranteed presence on the 15-member information-sharing board, with 5 seats reserved for them and an added $5 million a year for the system.
Who is affected by S. 2975?
Pipeline operators
Operators would face larger fines, faster compliance deadlines, and new obligations tied to idled pipelines, tank inspections, mapping data, and carbon dioxide safety.
PHMSA and DHS
Both agencies would be under unusually short deadlines. PHMSA would have as little as 90 days on some rules, while DHS would have 180 days for a final cybersecurity rule.
Utilities applying for modernization grants
Utilities could compete for $75 million a year starting in fiscal year 2027, but no single utility could receive more than 12.5% of that year's funding and most projects would still need a nonfederal match.
Journalists, researchers, and civil litigants
Some records inside the voluntary information-sharing system would be harder to access because the bill shields them from FOIA and most civil discovery.
Cost & Funding
Authorization
Yes. S. 2975 authorizes more than $1 billion for core gas and hazardous liquid safety programs from fiscal year 2026 through 2030, plus separate grants, operating funds, and $75 million a year for infrastructure grants from fiscal year 2027 through 2030.
- Core gas and hazardous liquid safety funding totals about $980.2 million over five years: $185 million in FY2026, rising to $207.412 million in FY2030.
- State grant funding rises from $30 million in FY2026 to $34 million in FY2030, or roughly $160 million over five years.
- PHMSA operational expenses rise from $33 million in FY2026 to $37 million in FY2030, totaling about $175 million over five years.
- Emergency response grants add $10 million a year for five years, or $50 million total.
- Damage prevention programs add $3 million a year for five years, or $15 million total.
- Pipeline safety information grants start at $2 million in FY2026 and scale to $4 million by FY2030.
- The voluntary information-sharing system gets an added $5 million a year from FY2026 through FY2030, or $25 million total.
- Infrastructure grants add $75 million a year from FY2027 through FY2030, which is $300 million over four years.
- For a rough sense of scale, the fine increase to $400,000 per day means a 10-day violation could reach $4 million, hitting the bill's cap for a related series of violations.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 2975 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.
This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.
S2975 Legislative Journey
House: Action Taken
May 4, 2026
Held at the desk.
Action Taken
May 1, 2026
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed 2109-2121
Apr 29, 2026
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2109-2121; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S2109-2121)
+1 more action this day
Committee Action
Feb 11, 2026
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-102.
Passed Committee
Oct 21, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee Action
Oct 6, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
About the Sponsor
Ted Cruz
Republican, TX · 13 years in Congress
Committees: Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Rules and Administration, the Judiciary
View full profile →
Cosponsors (3)
This bill has 3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 3 states: Indiana, Michigan, Washington.
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
3 of 28 committee members cosponsored
14 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
S. 2975 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Transportation and Public Works
- Introduced
- Oct 6, 2025
Passed the Senate, received in House
May 4, 2026
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, sponsors, and actions for the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025.
The bill requires more accurate federal pipeline mapping, and the NPMS public viewer is the official PHMSA mapping portal.
The eCFR title for pipeline safety regulations provides the current federal regulatory framework that S. 2975 would amend and expand.
S. 2975 Common Questions
How much would pipeline safety fines increase under S. 2975?
The bill raises the maximum civil penalty to $400,000 per violation per day, with a $4 million cap for a related series of violations.
Does S. 2975 add new money for pipeline safety?
Yes. Core pipeline safety funding would rise from $185 million in FY2026 to $207.412 million in FY2030, and the bill also authorizes separate grant and operating funds.
Would the bill create grants for gas pipeline upgrades?
Yes. S. 2975 authorizes $75 million a year from FY2027 through FY2030 for natural gas distribution pipeline safety and modernization grants.
Would rural communities get a bigger federal match?
Yes. Projects in places with fewer than 50,000 residents could get up to an 80% federal cost share instead of the usual 50%.
Does S. 2975 set a deadline for carbon dioxide pipeline rules?
Yes. PHMSA would have 2 years to publish a final carbon dioxide pipeline safety rule, and the bill bars using carbon dioxide for spike hydrostatic pressure testing.
How quickly would the cybersecurity rule have to be finished?
The bill gives the Department of Homeland Security 180 days to publish a final pipeline cybersecurity rule.
Would federal pipeline maps have to be more accurate?
Yes. S. 2975 pushes for national pipeline map data accurate within plus or minus 50 feet.
What happens to PHMSA's foreign-linked drones under S. 2975?
PHMSA could not use, buy, or contract for covered drones tied to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, or Cuba. Existing covered systems would have 1 year to be replaced.
Based on S. 2975 bill text
S. 2975 Bill Text
“To amend title 49, United States Code, to enhance the safety of pipeline transportation, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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