Sec. 505. Office of Public Engagement
427 words·~2 min read·
/bill/119/s/2975/is/section-505A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 108 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— in subsection (a), by inserting (referred to in this section as the after Administration ) Safety Administration ; in subsection (c), in the first sentence, by inserting (referred to in this section as the after Administrator ), shall be the Administrator ; and by adding at the end the following: In this subsection: The term appropriate committees of Congress has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 .
The term Director means the Director of the Office. The term Office means the Office of Public Engagement of the Administration established under paragraph (2). Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall establish within the Administration an office, to be known as the Office of Public Engagement . The Office shall be headed by a Director, who shall— report to the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety; and be responsible for the discharge of the functions and duties of the Office.
The Director shall— appoint and assign the duties of employees of the Office; and prioritize the hiring of individuals who have experience in community engagement, including working with the public, State, local and Tribal governments, and pipeline safety public interest groups. The Director shall appoint agency community liaison personnel employed as of the date on which the Office is established as employees of the Office. The Director shall coordinate the provision of technical assistance and educational assistance to the public with respect to the authorities exercised by the Administration.
The Director shall coordinate active and ongoing engagement with the public with respect to the authority and activities of the Administration, including by— conducting— outreach, which may include public postings, signage at relevant physical locations, newspaper publications, utility bill inserts, mailings, phone calls, canvassing, and door hangers, to communities using varied media; and when appropriate, meetings; assisting individuals in resolving pipeline safety inquiries; making publicly available, and disseminating, information on the manner in which members of the public may file inquiries relating to pipeline safety; assisting individuals in contacting, as necessary, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, State agencies, and other agencies, in order to appropriately direct public inquiries that are not within the jurisdiction of the Administration to the relevant agency; and preparing, and making publicly available in accessible formats, educational materials about the Administration, the responsibilities of the Administration, and how those responsibilities interact with entities under the jurisdiction of the Administration and other Federal, State, local, or Tribal government agencies. .