Bennet, Colleagues Urge Department of Transportation to Act Swiftly to Reduce Methane Emissions

July 17, 2024

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and bicameral colleagues to call on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to finalize a strong Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Rule.

"The rule is urgently needed to improve community safety and reduce methane emissions from millions of miles of pipelines across the United States, and we are concerned to see further delays in the projected finalization schedule," wrote Bennet and the lawmakers. "We urge the Department of Transportation and PHMSA to finalize, as soon as possible, the proposed protective standards to improve public safety and cut methane pollution from gas pipelines."

Bennet voted for the bipartisan Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020, which requires PHMSA to establish this rule that would reduce methane pollution and protect public safety. The rule strengthens protective standards for the use of advanced leak detection technologies and faster leak repairs on U.S. natural gas pipelines.

Bennet has consistently worked to limit methane emissions at the federal level, following Colorado's lead. In June 2023, Bennet joined14 Senators to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen a proposed rule to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production and to swiftly implement key provisions of the Methane Emission Reduction Program. In February 2023, Bennet joinedbicameral colleagues in urging the EPA to support more robust standards for methane emissions and pollution from oil and natural gas operations. Bennet also leda group of Western Senators in a letter urging the Bureau of Land Management to eliminate routine venting and flaring from oil and gas operations on public and Tribal lands, which Colorado has already banned on state lands.

"Strong safeguards are needed to protect public safety and the environment from pipeline leaks which cause methane pollution, accelerate climate change and put communities at risk. PHMSA must act rapidly to finalize strong standards for gas pipeline leak detection and repair as quickly as possible. We applaud Sen. Heinrich, Rep. Peters and the over 30 other members of Congress who signed onto this letter for their support of finalizing this urgently needed action," said Erin Murphy, Senior Attorney, Energy Markets & Utility Regulation, Environmental Defense Fund.

This letter is also supported by: the Environmental Defense Fund, Pipeline Safety Trust, League of Conservation Voters, Evangelical Environmental Network, Earthworks, Sierra Club, and Western Organization of Resource Councils.

In addition to Bennet, Heinrich, and Peters, U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and 29 members of the U.S. Representatives also signed this letter.

The text of the letter is available HEREand below:

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

We are writing to urge swift and strong finalization of the proposed rule, "Pipeline Safety: Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair," from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The rule is urgently needed to improve community safety and reduce methane emissions from millions of miles of pipelines across the United States, and we are concerned to see further delays in the projected finalization schedule. The White House Methane Action Plan has already identified the Advanced Leak Detection & Repair rulemaking as a key priority, and the White House again prioritized these much-needed standards in its December 2023 Methane Plan Update.

The proposed rulemaking includes the use of advanced leak detection technologies, strengthened surveying and reporting, and faster leak repairs for U.S. gas pipelines, underground gas storage facilities, and liquefied natural gas facilities. Natural gas is composed primarily of methane, and any leakage or operational releases from natural gas pipelines threaten the safety of nearby communities and contribute to the climate crisis by increasing harmful methane emissions.

This rulemaking is already far behind schedule. Congress directed PHMSA in the bipartisan PIPES Act of 2020 to finalize advanced leak detection standards by the end of 2021. After the proposed rule was released in May 2023, the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) was expected to complete its review of the proposed rule in December 2023, but the process was extended to provide for an additional meeting in March 2024. Now that GPAC has completed review of the rule, PHMSA should act promptly to finalize the rule, consistent with the agency's authority to set minimum pipeline standards designed to meet the need for pipeline safety and environmental protection.

We urge the Department of Transportation and PHMSA to finalize, as soon as possible, the proposed protective standards to improve public safety and cut methane pollution from gas pipelines. We look forward to working with you and your Department to achieve these objectives.

Sincerely,

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