49 U.S.C. § 60115 — Technical safety standards committees

(a) Organization. The Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee and the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee are Department of Transportation committees that act as peer-review bodies for this chapter. Reviews these committees do count as meeting any peer-review requirement under federal risk-assessment and peer-review laws, including ones passed after the Accountable Pipeline Safety and Partnership Act of 1996.

(b) Composition and Appointment.
(1) The gas committee has 15 members the Secretary appoints after consulting public and private groups involved in gas transport or gas pipeline technology. Each member must either have experience regulating gas transport and gas pipeline safety, or be technically qualified — through training, experience, or knowledge in at least one relevant engineering field — to evaluate gas pipeline safety standards or risk management.
(2) The hazardous-liquid committee works the same way, with 15 members qualified in hazardous-liquid transport and pipeline safety instead.
(3) Each committee's 15 members break down as: (A) 5 from federal or state government agencies; (B) 5 from the relevant industry, chosen after consulting industry representatives; and (C) 5 from the general public.
(4) (A) Two of the government members on each committee must be state officials, chosen after the Secretary consults national organizations representing state regulators. (B) At least 3 of the industry members on each committee must currently be actively running gas or hazardous-liquid pipelines, and at least 1 must have education, background, or experience in risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis; the Secretary must consult national pipeline-owner organizations before choosing them. (C) Two of the public members on each committee must have education, background, or experience in environmental protection or public safety; at least 1 must have risk-assessment and cost-benefit experience; and at least 1 public member cannot have a financial stake in the pipeline, petroleum, or natural gas industries. (D) In fact, none of the public members may have a significant financial interest in the pipeline, petroleum, or gas industry.
(5) Within 90 days of the PIPES Act of 2016, the Secretary had to fill every vacancy on both committees, and on any other committee set up under this section. After that, the Secretary must fill any future vacancy within 60 days.

(c) Committee Reports on Proposed Standards.
(1) The Secretary must send each proposed standard — along with the risk-assessment information and analysis behind it — to the matching committee: gas standards to the gas committee, hazardous-liquid standards to the hazardous-liquid committee.
(2) Within 90 days of getting the proposal, the committee must report back to the Secretary on whether the standard is technically feasible, reasonable, cost-effective, and practical, and recommend any actions. The Secretary must publish that report, including any recommended actions and any dissenting views. A timely report becomes part of the official process for making the standard. The Secretary isn't required to follow the committee's conclusions — but if the Secretary rejects them, the Secretary must publish the reasons why.
(3) The Secretary may finalize a standard after the 90-day period ends, whether or not the committee has reported.

(d) Proposed Committee Standards and Policy Development Recommendations.
(1) Each committee may propose its own safety standard to the Secretary, within its subject area.
(2) If the Secretary asks, a committee must also give policy development recommendations.

(e) Meetings. Each committee must meet with the Secretary up to 4 times a year. Every committee proceeding must be recorded, and that record must be available to the public.

(f) Expenses. Committee members get expenses under section 5703 of title 5. Getting paid this way doesn't make a member a government officer or employee. This doesn't apply to members who are already regularly employed by the government.