Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is a United States Department of Transportation agency created in 2004, responsible for developing and enforcing regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound transportation of energy and other hazardous materials. It is in charge of overseeing about 3.4 million miles of pipelines - accounting for 65% of the energy consumed in the U.S. - and regulating the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. This includes pipelines carrying carbon dioxide Carbon capture and utilization). PHMSA's safety programs are housed in the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) and the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS). PHMSA is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Seal of the United States Department of Transportation
Logo of the PHMSA

Headquarters of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Department overview
FormedJuly 1, 2004 (2004-07-01)
JurisdictionFederal government of the United States
Headquarters1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20590
38°52′32.92″N 77°0′10.26″W
Employees500 (approx.) (Nov. 2017)
Annual budget$244.5 million USD (FY2015, enacted)[1]
Department executives
  • Tristan Brown[2] (acting), Administrator
  • Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator
  • Howard "Mac" McMillan, Executive Director
Parent departmentUnited States Department of Transportation
Child agencies
  • Office of Pipeline Safety
  • Office of Hazardous Materials Safety
Websitephmsa.dot.gov

PHMSA was created within the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004,[3] which then-United States President George W. Bush signed into law on November 30, 2004. Its mission is to protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to the people's daily lives.[4]

History

Prior to 2005 the U.S. Department of Transportation had no focused research organization and no separately operating administration for pipeline safety and hazardous materials transportation safety in the United States. The Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004 provided these, with an opportunity to establish mode government budget and information practices in support of then president George Bush's "Management Agenda" initiatives.[5] Prior to the Special Programs Act of 2004, PHMSA's hazmat and pipeline safety programs were housed within the Transportation Department's Research and Special Programs Administration, known as RSPA.[6]

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety

The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety is responsible for the oversight of the safe transportation of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway, and vessel. More than 3.3 billion tons of hazardous materials valued at more than $1.9 trillion are transported annually by air, highway, rail, and vessel across the United States. On average, more than 1.2 million hazardous materials shipments occur every day. This includes everything from nuclear waste to lithium-ion batteries, to explosives used in excavation, mining, and energy production. The program establishes policy, standards and regulations for classifying, packaging, hazard communication, handling, training and transporting hazardous materials via air, highway, rail and vessel. The program uses inspection, enforcement, outreach and incident analysis in efforts to reduce incidents, minimize fatalities and injuries, mitigate the consequences of incidents that occur, train and prepare first responders, and enhance safety.[7]

Office of Pipeline Safety
A map of pipelines in the United States as of September, 2015. Red is hazardous liquid pipelines, including crude oil.

As odf 2022, the Office of Pipeline Safety regulated an expansive network of about 3.4 million miles of natural gas pipeline system in the United States and its hazardous liquid pipelines.[8][9] This includes 229,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines, 302,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines, 2,284,000 miles of gas distribution mains and services, and 17,000 miles of gas-gathering pipelines.[10] PHMSA’s pipeline safety program promotes the safe delivery of energy products to market in a manner that protects people, property, and the environment.

The Office of Pipeline Safety is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with eight field offices located in West Trenton, New Jersey; Atlanta, GA; Kansas City, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Lakewood, Colorado; Des Plaines, Illinois; Ontario, California; and Anchorage, Alaska. PHMSA also operates a national training center and accident investigation office located in Oklahoma City.

In 2022, the PMHSA admitted that C02 pipelines were underregulated and announced "new measures to strengthen its safety oversight".[11]

Leadership

Tristan Brown serves as the Deputy Administrator of PHMSA. The current leadership team includes:

NamePositionSworn in
Tristan BrownDeputy Administrator2021

Past leadership includes

  • Brigham McCown, first acting administrator July 1, 2005 until March 31, 2006 and first Deputy Administrator, July 1, 2005 until January 1, 2007.
  • Thomas J. Barrett, first permanent Administrator from March 31, 2006 - June 1, 2007.
  • Stacey Gerard, first Assistant Administrator/Chief Safety Officer, first acting Deputy Administrator until July 1, 2005.[12]
  • Krista Edwards, Chief Counsel in 2006, Deputy Administrator, acting Administrator in late 2007.[13]
  • Carl T. Johnson, Administrator from January 9, 2008 until 2009.
  • Cynthia L. Quarterman, Administrator from November 16, 2009 - October 4, 2014
  • Timothy Butters, acting Administrator from October 4, 2014 - June 8, 2015
  • Marie Therese Dominguez, Administrator from October 7, 2015 until 2016
  • Howard "Skip" Elliott, Administrator from October 30, 2017 - January 20, 2021

See also

Notes

    References
    1. FY 2017 Department of Transportation Budget Request Archived 2017-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, pg 7, United States Department of Transportation, Accessed 2019-9-8
    2. "Government Officials at the US Department of Transportation | US Department of Transportation". www.transportation.gov.
    3. "United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session". Gpo.gov. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
    4. "PHMSA's Mission | PHMSA". www.phmsa.dot.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
    5. John, McCain (2004-10-08). "Text - S.2952 - 108th Congress (2003-2004): Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
    6. "Agencies - Research and Special Programs Administration". Federal Register. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
    7. "PHMSA CJ FY 2023 Estimates | US Department of Transportation". www.transportation.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
    8. "Natural gas pipelines - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
    9. "PHMSA - About Pipeline". Phmsa.dot.gov. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
    10. "PHMSA CJ FY 2023 Estimates | US Department of Transportation". www.transportation.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
    11. "PHMSA Announces New Safety Measures to Protect Americans From Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Failures After Satartia, MS Leak". www.phmsa.dot.gov. PHMSA. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
    12. "Stacey Gerard Begins Role as First Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Assistant Administrator/Chief Safety Officer" (PDF). Phmsa.dot.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
    13. "PHMSA - Press Release - Announcement Archive - PHMSA Press Release 02-07". Phmsa.dot.gov. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
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