WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M., Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to introduce the Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Act of 2025 to modernize decades-old gas pipeline leak detection and repair requirements. The bill would codify a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) rule that enhances the safety of natural gas pipelines by reducing methane emissions.
The Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Act of 2025 would update decades-old leak detection and repair requirements and enhance safety by:
Increasing the frequency of leak surveys and requiring the use of readily available advanced leak detection technology;
Revising the reporting minimum threshold for unintentional methane emissions;
Minimizing methane emissions caused by venting or blowdowns by encouraging the use of equipment for methane capture; and
Establishing clarified requirements for the repair of leaks that pose a risk to public safety or the environment.
The PHMSA rule was drafted with robust stakeholder input and support in response to section 113 of the PIPES Act of 2020. The new requirements in the rule are based on 28 consensus recommendations from representatives of the pipeline sector. The codification of this rule would simultaneously reduce methane emissions while protecting public health, promoting U.S. innovation in new technologies, lowering energy costs for families by reducing inefficiency and waste, and supporting good-paying jobs for thousands of skilled workers across the country.
The legislation is led by Luján and Markey. Alongside Heinrich, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
The legislation is supported by Pipeline Safety Trust, Environmental Defense Fund, Moms Clean Air Force, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Appalachian Voices.
A full list of supporting quotes can be found here.
The full bill text is here.
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