The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  (PMHSA) https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ is a Department of Transportation agency established in 2004 by Public Law 108-426 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-108publ426/pdf/PLAW-108publ426.pdf. 

PMHSA’s responsibilities include protecting the public and environment by enhancing and regulating the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials.  This involves establishing national policy, setting and enforcing standards, educating, conducting research to prevent incidents, and preparing the public and first responders to reduce consequences if incidents occur.  Laws governing PMHSA begin at 49 USC 60101  https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title49/subtitle8&edition=prelim. Hazardous materials safety regulations are in 49 CFR 100-199 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I with hazardous materials and oil transportation being in 49 CFR 100-185 and pipeline safety regulations being in 49 CFR 186-199.

PHMSA’s website features numerous reports, statistics, and legal enforcement actions along with public pipeline mapping data and imagery https://pvnpms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer/ arranged by state and county  features gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines.

This blog post was submitted by Bert Chapman, Purdue University.