00:00I was back, and the chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Tennessee's 1st District for five minutes for questions.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
00:10Can you see me for that big chair?
00:13Ms. Miller, as Ranking Member Pallone stated, GPA successfully argued that some FEMSA regulations have not been cost effective,
00:23but how important is cost-effective regulation for operators as you prioritize safety?
00:30We believe cost-benefit analysis that is part of the FEMSA regulation rulemaking process is very important.
00:39We want to make sure that we are able to prioritize the highest value safety priorities
00:45and also make sure that regulation is implementable,
00:49that there's technology actually available in order to achieve those goals.
00:54The process now for the implementation of rules, which provides for input from the GPAC process,
01:00but also from the public, ensures that there's a more informed regulation that's more likely to be executed.
01:07Was the leak detection and repair rule finalized by the previous administration workable for operators,
01:13and did it align with the Congressional intent of the PIPES Act of 2020?
01:18We do not believe that it did.
01:21We do support leak detection and repair technologies being implemented in accordance with Congress's mandate.
01:31Okay.
01:32All right.
01:33You know, there's an increasing threat to pipeline safety, as we all know,
01:36from bad actors that wish to cause harm to pipelines in surrounding communities.
01:41In 2022, there was a movie entitled How to Blow Up a Pipeline,
01:46and it was portrayed by a group of teenagers trying to blow up an oil pipeline to protest climate change.
01:54Mr. Black, what measures have operators taken to prevent bad actors disrupting pipelines and jeopardizing public safety?
02:02It was so sad to see a movie that was glorifying attacks on pipelines.
02:05I remember at the time us encouraging federal actors to put out bulletins to be looking for copycat activities on that.
02:14Thankfully, I'm not aware of anything that happened because of that movie.
02:17Congress can help by closing loopholes to make it clear that if you just turn in a valve or damaging a pipeline component,
02:24you think you're not hurting anything.
02:26You could.
02:27You could be leading to a pressure buildup or a rupture later that hurts yourself, people, and the environment.
02:33Absolutely.
02:34Ms. Miller, how can Congress ensure that pipeline permitting timelines are predictable
02:39and not subject to unnecessary delays in litigation?
02:44We would appreciate Congress's attention to that.
02:47We do think that permitting for pipelines, which are essential to deliver natural gas to the communities that need it,
02:55is very important, and there is an opportunity to make sure that that is a balanced process
03:02that reflects not only the need to have access to energy, but also safety and environmental protections,
03:10and we believe that's possible.
03:11We also believe that that's very important, an important priority for our operators across the industry.
03:17Okay.
03:19Mr. Moriarty, as the U.S. expands hydrogen pipeline networks,
03:24what unique safety and regulatory challenges do these fuels represent,
03:29and how should PHMSA's mandate evolve to address them?
03:33Thank you very much for the question.
03:34It's a very good question.
03:36We have been blending hydrogen with natural gas at a facility that we have in Florida,
03:42and we've blended up to 5%, and it was not only inexpensive,
03:49but also very good for the generation that was happening there.
03:55So we're bullish on the role of hydrogen.
03:59What we are still studying, and I think the industry is studying,
04:02is how much blending can occur without challenging the integrity of those pipelines.
04:07Our interstate pipeline infrastructure is the envy of the world.
04:11I mean, we're able to deliver energy and so many others, you know,
04:14to the people here in the country as well as to the industry.
04:18So we see further study on that is helpful as you consider PHMSA's reauthorization.
04:24Okay.
04:25Thank you, sir.
04:25And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
04:28The gentleman...
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