Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pressed industry leaders in July over accountability in pipeline safety, citing the death of a worker in Kansas as a case study in the consequences of lax enforcement.
During a congressional hearing on the reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Ocasio-Cortez questioned Sarah Miller, president and CEO of the GPA Midstream Association, about a 2020 incident involving Energy Transfer, a major pipeline operator and member of Miller’s organization.
The worker, an Energy Transfer employee, was performing maintenance on a gas pipeline in Kansas when he was fatally struck in the abdomen. According to PHMSA’s investigation, the employee had been attempting to remove an ice blockage from a partially pressurized pipeline using a steel rod—despite federal rules requiring full depressurization before such work. When the blockage was dislodged, residual pressure propelled the object with lethal force.
Federal investigators concluded that Energy Transfer failed to follow its own written procedures for safe operations and maintenance. The company has argued in court that PHMSA should not be able to hold operators accountable under such circumstances, a stance Ocasio-Cortez called into question.
The exchange unfolded after Ocasio-Cortez highlighted a structural gap in federal pipeline oversight: current law prevents PHMSA from applying updated design, construction, or initial testing standards to existing pipelines. While operational rules can be enforced, roughly half of the nation’s 3.3 million miles of pipelines—many in high-risk areas—are effectively exempt from modern safety upgrades.
Miller acknowledged the importance of “strong enforcement” and a transparent process, but declined to comment on Energy Transfer’s ongoing litigation. She said her organization supports equitable application of PHMSA’s rules across the industry, a statement Ocasio-Cortez interpreted as agreement that companies should be held responsible when safety violations lead to fatalities.
The Kansas incident has become emblematic of the broader debate over how far federal regulators can go in ensuring the safety of a sprawling, aging pipeline network. Ocasio-Cortez argued that the inability to apply new safety standards to older infrastructure hampers efforts to prevent similar tragedies and leaves communities, workers, and the environment at risk.
The case also comes against the backdrop of shifting enforcement priorities. Ocasio-Cortez noted that during the Trump administration, enforcement actions against pipeline companies were scaled back, raising concerns among safety advocates about industry accountability.
While the reauthorization of PHMSA could offer lawmakers a chance to close regulatory gaps, the discussion underscored the tension between protecting workers and communities and the industry’s push for procedural safeguards for operators. For Ocasio-Cortez, the central question remains straightforward: when a worker dies because safety rules are ignored, should regulators have the authority to act?
