Pursuing a record high civil penalty from a pipeline operator involved in a major oil spill, the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) sent a powerful New Year’s message...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday ruled that the nonprofit recipients of $14 billion in climate grants frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can have their case reheard....more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a December 8th Interpretive Letter the application of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to bulk containers commonly...more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a September 30th Interpretive Letter the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to the preparation of shipping...more
On Oct. 6, 2025, a bipartisan foursome from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation introduced the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025. The proposal aims to “enhance the safety of pipeline transportation” by...more
Over the past two weeks, three significant regulatory updates have been issued that pipeline operators should track closely. First, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published in the Federal...more
H.R. 5301 has been introduced into the United States House of Representatives which is titled: Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2025 (“PIPES Act”). ...more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) issued a news release announcing $86 million in grants to: …enhance states’ pipeline safety programs. PHMSA states that the grants will help its “state...more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Office of Pipeline Safety (“OPS”) issued a July 17th memorandum titled: Inspection and Enforcement Priorities (“Memorandum”)....more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a July 10th Interpretive Letter the application of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to fissile exceptions for radioactive materials....more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) issued a May 2, 2025, Letter of Interpretation (“LOI”) addressing the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to the use of...more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a June 10th interpretive letter the application of Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) applicable to wet batteries...more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a June 3rd interpretive letter the application of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) applicable to the display of the...more
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asking for stakeholder feedback on Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) that unduly burden the...more
On May 21, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) submitted an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to the Office of the Federal Register (publisher of the Federal Register) seeking public...more
On Thursday, May 15, the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines and Safety held a hearing titled, “Pipeline Safety Reauthorization: Ensuring the Safe and Efficient...more
On May 11, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released its proposed energy provisions for inclusion in the budget reconciliation package, including several provisions that could dramatically reform the federal...more
On April 24, 2025, FERC denied NGO Transmission, Inc.’s (“NGO Transmission”) application under 7(b) of the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) to abandon its jurisdictional facilities and reclassify them from jurisdictional transmission...more
“Environmental Vanguard” is a quarterly newsletter from McGuireWoods, sharing key insights from our leading environmental attorneys and consultants at the forefront of regulatory, litigation, and policy developments. This...more
On January 10, 2025, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ("PHMSA") issued a proposed rule setting forth revisions to the federal Pipeline Safety Regulations ("PSR") (49 C.F.R. Parts 190-99) to include...more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) issued a December 20, 2024, Interpretive Letter addressing the application of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) applicable to...more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in an October 1st Interpretive Letter the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”): …to determine...more
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a September 25th Interpretive Letter the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to the definition of...more
The Department of Transportation’s operating agencies have announced their random drug and alcohol testing rates for 2025. The rates are the same as 2024, except that PHMSA has increased its random drug testing rate to 50%....more
On 16 August 2024, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion vacating portions of new natural gas-related pipeline-safety standards promulgated by The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),...more