Civil Liberties Coalition Presses Congress on Pipeline Safety Bill

A broad alliance of advocacy organizations has formally asked Congressional leadership to strip protest-related criminal provisions from pending pipeline safety legislation. In total, more than 110 groups — spanning national, state, and local levels — signed onto the appeal.

The dispute centers on the reauthorization of programs run by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA). As lawmakers move toward final negotiations on the package, the signatories argue that penalties aimed at demonstrators do not belong in a bill ostensibly focused on pipeline integrity.

The coalition’s message is straightforward: safety oversight and the right to public dissent should not be bundled together. With the negotiating stage now underway, the letter is intended to keep the protest language out of whatever version ultimately reaches a vote.