This section introduces the bill titled the “Pipeline Safety, Modernization, and Expansion Act of 2024” and outlines its contents, detailing a series of provisions from safety standards and regulations concerning pipelines to enhancing penalties for violations and coordinating regulatory updates.

The amendment to section 60101(a)(21)(B) of title 49 of the United States Code clarifies that certain activities are not included in a specific category. It excludes gathering gas in certain rural areas and moving gas through piping systems that either stay entirely within a facility's boundaries or extend less than one mile outside the facility.

The section modifies the existing safety standards in United States Code by clarifying that safety and economic benefits must be considered within the U.S., requires explicit addressing of safety, economic, and environmental benefits explicitly within the U.S., and makes specific updates to certain paragraphs to reflect these changes.

The section outlines new regulations for carbon dioxide pipeline facilities, including requirements for leak detection, safety standards for both liquid and gaseous carbon dioxide transportation, and dispersion modeling to identify high-risk areas. It also addresses the process for underground carbon dioxide sequestration, allowing owners or operators to request exemptions for aquifer use in geologic sequestration, and mandates updates to relevant federal regulations.

The section outlines requirements for pipeline companies to create and enforce safety zones during construction or repair and establishes penalties for unauthorized entry. It also mandates the exploration of alternative technologies that might enhance safety without imposing mandatory compliance with these alternatives.

The section details changes to U.S. law aimed at improving clarity and safety regarding natural gas pipeline facilities. It specifies inserting the terms "natural gas" and "gas pipeline facilities" to ensure precision in addressing natural gas leaks.

The section amends the United States Code by requiring the Secretary to report the reasons for rejecting committee conclusions on safety standards to specific Congressional committees and the public within 15 days, and it reduces the allowed meetings of technical safety standards committees from four to twice a year.

In this section, changes are made to the United States Code to ensure that people involved in an enforcement issue about a probable violation can have a formal hearing. Additionally, the Secretary of Transportation is required to create rules for public hearings within one year to ensure the process is organized and keeps sensitive information safe.

The bill modifies pipeline safety regulations by adding new rules about waivers, including a requirement for public notice and an 18-month review period of applications. It also mandates reports to Congress on the implementation of these changes and requires a further review by the Government Accountability Office.

The section strengthens penalties for pipeline safety violations by expanding the definition of offenses to include not only damaging or destroying a facility but also impairing its operation. It also adds penalties for damaging or destroying facilities that are under construction and intended to be operational once completed.

The amendment to Section 60125 of title 49, United States Code, authorizes the appropriation of specific amounts from fees and trust funds for the fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to support gas and hazardous liquid safety programs and grants, as well as underground natural gas storage facility safety, under the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002.

The section amends a U.S. law to defer the requirement for gas pipeline operators to reconfirm the maximum allowable operating pressure if they have records of previous tests verifying the strength of the pipeline, unless a new rule is implemented. It also establishes a working group to study and report on these past testing practices, which will inform future rules that ensure pipeline safety.

The section amends existing pipeline safety laws by mandating testing programs for pipeline safety from 2024 to 2030, limiting the extent of pipeline miles that can be tested, allowing multiple operators to participate, and reducing bureaucratic steps. It also specifies that the Secretary cannot impose additional requirements not mentioned in this section for these testing programs.

The text establishes a Voluntary Information-Sharing System (VIS) to confidentially share pipeline safety data for improving safety practices. A governing board will oversee the system, involving pipeline safety stakeholders, and ensure that data, shared voluntarily by industry participants, remains confidential and cannot be used for enforcement or litigation purposes, except under specific criminal or regulatory circumstances.

The text describes the creation of a Voluntary Information-Sharing System for pipeline safety, where data can be confidentially shared among industry stakeholders to improve safety practices. A governing board, composed of various stakeholders, oversees this system and ensures data is protected and shared to enhance safety while prohibiting its use for enforcement or litigation purposes.

The section amends United States Code Title 49 to enhance state programs for preventing excavation damage by encouraging the adoption of leading practices, such as defining emergency excavations, using new technologies, and enforcing reporting requirements. It also requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the implementation of these practices and provides guidelines for states to effectively enforce and assess their damage prevention efforts.

A state or city cannot create or maintain laws that directly or indirectly restrict or ban the transportation or sale of an energy source that is sold across state lines and moved through pipelines.

The section outlines a process for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a Federal authorization for pipeline projects if requested—especially when another agency waives its authority or delays beyond a year. It details the requirements, including public notice and hearings, and mandates rule-making within 180 days without altering existing regulations.

The section requires the Secretary of Transportation to regularly report to certain congressional committees on the progress of issuing final rules for pending pipeline safety regulations. The reports must include details about work plans, timelines, staffing, resource issues, and any other factors affecting these regulations, which have either missed deadlines or are deemed significant actions.

The Secretary of Transportation is required to update safety rules for class location changes within 90 days after this law is passed, following a proposal by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published in 2020.

The text requires the Secretary of Transportation to review and potentially update safety standards for inspecting the bottoms of breakout tanks within one year of the law's enactment. The updated standards may include risk-based inspections if they maintain safety levels and should consider guidelines from the American Petroleum Institute's standard from 2014.

The section requires the Secretary of Transportation to form a working group to improve the regulation and safety oversight of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, excluding peak shaving facilities. The group will evaluate the roles of different federal agencies to resolve jurisdictional conflicts, prevent duplicate efforts, and ensure public safety, with the goal of establishing interagency agreements within two years and reporting progress to Congress.

The Comptroller General of the United States is tasked with studying the safety modifications needed for gas pipelines that transport blends with more than 5% hydrogen. This study will look at both domestic and international practices, consider technical challenges, and assess impacts on pipeline materials and components, with a report due in a year and potential influences on future regulations.