Review – HR 7272 Introduced – DOE Pipeline Security

Back in January Rep Webber (R,TX) introduced HR 7272, the Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act. The bill would establish Department of Energy responsibilities for physical security and cybersecurity coordination to ensure the security, resiliency, and survivability of natural gas, hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas facilities. No new funding is provided.

Moving Forward

On February 4^th, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a business meeting that included consideration of HR 7272. The bill passed, without amendments by a voice vote (pages 41-2). Pending publication of the committee report on the bill, the bill is ready for consideration by the full House. I suspect that it will be considered under the suspension of the rules process and would be expected to pass with strong bipartisan support.

Commentary

The inclusion of ‘hazardous liquid pipelines’ in the provisions of this bill is a tad bit odd as they would be a PHMSA area of expertise. While it is clear that general security requirements for energy pipelines would apply to non-energy related chemical pipelines, there are specific safety requirements that would be applicable to toxic chemical pipelines (downwind chemical detection comes to mind) that are probably not necessary for energy pipelines. Having said that, all of the voluntary security measures that would be developed under this bill’s provisions would be beneficial for hazardous liquid pipelines.

 

For more information on the provisions of this bill, including additional commentary on codifying DOE security research requirements, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-7272-introduced-doe-pipeline-security - subscription required.